Creamy, cheesy, and full of Tex-Mex flavor, this easy queso chicken comes together in one pan with just a few pantry staples. Tender chicken breasts simmer in a rich queso sauce with tomatoes and chiles, and a kick of spice, weeknight comfort food without the fuss.
Are you looking for something to fix for dinner that doesn’t take much work and uses just a few ingredients. Queso Chicken is going to be you’re new “go-to” recipe when you can’t come up with something for dinner. Or maybe it’s your turn to cook during vacation and you want to find a meal that everyone will love without putting in too much effort.
With just six ingredients you’ve got a fabulous chicken dinner that both kids and adults will love.
Featured reader review
“This was the most juicy chicken breast I have ever made! Followed the recipe exactly as written & for the first time ever, no one chocked on my dry chicken breasts! Definitely a family favorite.”
Leah
While I enjoy experimenting with a ton of ingredients and making dishes with lots of steps, this is not one of those recipes.
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You basically just dump everything into a casserole dish and bake. A couple of things will help make this dish stand out. Start out by marinating your chicken.
It’s So Easy
Step 1: Marinate
All you need is buttermilk and 30 minutes, overnight is even better for tender and juicy chicken. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken in a bowl or ziplock. I usually use a glass mixing bowl (these are the ones I use because they’re easy to cover and reuse). I learned this from my mother-in-law who makes the best fried chicken in the South.
Since buttermilk is slightly acidic, it tenderizes the chicken without making it tough and helps break down the protein. Once it’s marinated, rinse the buttermilk and pat the chicken dry.
Don’t have buttermilk, learn how to make buttermilk with things you have in your pantry.
If you have a few minutes, then make homemade queso with American cheese, for the absolutely best queso around. Don’t want to take the time, I use a prepared queso from the grocery all the time. If you have some leftover, queso is great drizzled over grilled chicken or beef tacos.
If you can’t find queso dip in the refrigerated section, then use a jar of queso dip that you can find in the chip section of the grocery.
Step 2: Season
Place the chicken in a 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle the chicken with taco seasoning. (this is the one I use because it cooks evenly and keeps the chicken from drying out on the edges).
Step 3: Cover it with sauce
Drain and then pour Ro-Tel Tomatoes over the top, cover with queso and top with grated cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes depending on how thick the chicken breasts are. A digital meat thermometer (this is the one I use because it gives a quick, accurate reading) should read 160º before removing from the oven. You want chicken breasts to be at 165º, but they will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven, so I take them out at 160º.
You can put this together in less than 10 minutes. The tomatoes and queso, combined with the juice from the chicken, make a fantastic sauce that’s great over rice or pasta, or serve it with a baked potato and pour the cheesy sauce over the potato! The sauce is thin, not thick.
If you don’t have taco seasoning, don’t worry, it’s just a combination of chili powder, cumin, oregano, and onion and garlic pepper. For this dish, just sprinkle some chili powder and cumin on the chicken breasts.
Tools That Keep This Chicken Juicy Every Time
If you’ve ever had chicken breasts turn out dry, it’s usually not the recipe, it’s how they’re cooked.
The baking dish and pan you use make a big difference in how evenly the chicken cooks and how well it holds moisture. A good dish keeps the edges from overcooking before the center is done, which is what makes this turn out tender and juicy instead of dry.
These are the ones I use:
- 9 x 13 Pyrex – This is what I use for this recipe because it heats evenly and doesn’t dry out the edges before the center finishes cooking.
- A ceramic 9 x 13 – This looks a little nicer on the table.
- ThermoWorks Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer – This is the easiest way to make sure your chicken turns out juicy instead of overcooked. I pull it at 160° and let it rest to 165°.
- Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set – Perfect for marinating the chicken, easy to cover and clean, and I use these constantly.
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Baked Queso Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 boneless chicken breast
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- salt and pepper
- 10 ounces Ro-Tel tomatoes and chilies
- 1 cup queso 12 ounces
- 1 cup pepper jack and cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place chicken in ziplock bag with buttermilk and let sit overnight or at least for 30 minutes. Drain, and pat dry.
- Preheat oven to 375º.
- Sprinkle chicken with taco season and salt and pepper. Place in a glass baking dish.
- Drain tomatoes and chilies and place half on chicken, cover with queso and place the rest of the tomatoes on top. Cover with grated cheese mixture.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until instant thermometer reads 160º. They will continue to cook once removed from the oven.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
Recipe Tip
- For tender chicken marinate in buttermilk for 30 minutes
- If you don’t have Ro-tel tomatoes, chop fresh tomatoes and a jalapeno
- You can find queso in the refrigerated section of the grocery or on the potato chip aisle
- This is great served over rice
Nutrition
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Holly Hammons says
sounds great, going to make this tomorrow. I notice the sodium/salt count is really high, any suggestions on how to cut that down?
Barbara Curry says
I think the high sodium is coming from the queso dip that the nutrition app is pulling. You could choose one with a lower sodium content and you could also use fresh chopped tomatoes and chilies to decrease the sodium in canned tomatoes. I hope that helps.
Carey Armistead says
As my husband said, this is a keeper! I used white queso – not gourmet- and Monterey Jack instead of pepper jack because that is what I had on hand. Will definitely be adding this to my list of favorite recipes.
Barbara Curry says
I made it for dinner tonight also and used up a bunch of different cheeses in my cheese drawer. I didn’t have any spicy cheese so I just added some red pepper flakes to the top before baking.
Erica says
Sorry if this should be obvious, but could you give me some details about how you would freeze this? In the whole pan, or individual portions in plastic containers? How long does it need to thaw? Sorry, I am new at this and freezing seems like such a great option but it also sort of intimidates me!
Barbara Curry says
You can freeze it either way. For lunches, I freeze it in an individual container, but If I’ve made enough for another dinner, I’ll freeze it in a larger plastic container. You can also freeze it in a Ziplock freezer bag. Either way, take it out the night before and let it thaw in the refrigerator. It should thaw by dinner. Once thawed, you can microwave or heat in the oven. Make sure you put some of the sauce in the freezer container. Good luck, my freezer is always stocked with left overs.
Patricia says
Can you use fresh Queso?
Barbara Curry says
Yes, I use this recipe for queso dip.
Susan says
So easy, so delicious! Super juicy chicken, great over rice. My family loved it.
Lindsey says
I couldn’t find that cheese in two stores all I could find was the jar of queso in the chip section and shredded queso which one should I use??
Barbara Curry says
Queso in the chip section.
Lindsey says
I could only find the jar and the shredded Queso which one should I use? Making tonight
Barbara Curry says
The jar is what you need. Good luck
Skylah Smith says
I need to double this recipe because I have a lot of kids. Should my baking time be longer?
Barbara Curry says
As long as the chicken breasts are not on top of each other, the cooking time should be the same. I double it all the time!
Skylah Smith says
Thank you tons!!!
Julie Castetter says
This sounds delicious! Have you ever used pork chops instead of chicken?
Barbara Curry says
I have not, I’m not sure how it would turn out. When you bake chicken it produces a lot of liquid which would not be true for pork chops. Let me know how if you try it. If you’re in the mood for pork chops, I like this recipe with peaches.
Crystal Taylir says
Just made this for dinner, exactly by recipe, and it was delicious. Husband, daughter, and son-in-law loved it. I topped it with fresh cilantro – ahhhmazing! Thanks for sharing!
Barbara Curry says
Glad you could please the whole family.