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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Sara says
Would this be good with chicken thighs and legs instead of breast?
Barbara Curry says
I’ve never tried it. It would change the cooking time. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. If you need a fabulous recipe for chicken thighs, one of my favorites is this one with lemons and shallots. https://www.butterandbaggage.com/roasted-chicken-with-lemon-thyme-and-shallots/
Sara says
This chicken is amazing! So easy and all the ingredients are items I always have! Definitely will be a regular meal for us!
Barbara Curry says
Each time I make it, I’m amazing at how delicious it is with so little effort.
Eva says
I can’t find a button to print the recipe, is it no longer available?
Barbara Curry says
Thanks so much for letting me know, it’s up now!
Kathy Slater says
DELICIOUS EASY Recipe! I followed the ingredients, but did sauté the chicken first in a cast iron skillet, then deglazed it with a bit of chicken broth. Assembled all of it in the same cast iron skillet. And then followed the recipe. Cooked great in the cast iron and made for a nice oven skillet meal! I served mine with Quinoa and brown rice, along with a nice salad! Yum!
Barbara Curry says
Glad that you liked it and made it your own. I love cooking in a cast iron skillet, if that’s a favorite for you, I’ll bet you would like chicken and wine. https://www.butterandbaggage.com/chicken-in-white-wine/
Jennifer says
Delicious! Kids were picky and took some of the tomatoes off. Loved by the rest! Served over brown rice with broccoli and the leftover sauce was yummy on it.
Barbara Curry says
So glad it was a hit with the picky eaters!
Brandy says
We are eating low carb. Is this carb content per serving or for whole dish? 8 net carbs in not too bad if it’s per serving. Making now with velvetta.
Barbara Curry says
It’s 8 per serving assuming you eat all the sauce with it. I find it makes a lot of sauce that is left in the pan, so it’s probably less.
Joann says
I have not tried this yet. But my son and daughter in law made one like this in the crock pot. He went home at lunch, put the chicken, taco seasoning, and Rotel in the crock pot. Cooked 6 hrs. on low. Then when he got off from work. He added the Queso and shredded cheese, and let that cook until wifey got home. They were going to serve with rice or pasta. They really liked it. So now I am going to try it :). P,S. I don’t think they soaked theirs in the Buttermilk.
Barbara Curry says
Buttermilk isn’t necessary, it’s just a way to make thicker chicken breasts more tender. I bet cooking it in the slow cooker made it pretty tender.
kaitlyn says
This sounds amazing, does the chicken shred apart at all?
Barbara Curry says
You can shred it, just use 2 forks and pull it apart. It’s great for tacos!
Lillian Jean Smith says
My new favorite chicken recipe. I always make a recipe just as written the first time and it was delich. Next time, added 1/2 can drained black beans and 1/2 can drained kernel corn with the first Rotel layer. Made delicious even more so.
Barbara Curry says
I love the idea of adding beans and corn, yum.
Alex says
Ok, so I never comment on anything! But this is fantastic! I am currently 8 months pregnant with gestational diabetes, and made this over fresh cilantro, lime rice with avocado. It was perfect! The whole family loved it! Thanks for the awesome recipe 😊
Barbara Curry says
Good luck with your pregnancy, I’m glad you found something you could enjoy. Roasted Chicken with Shallots might be another that you could eat that’s one our favorites.