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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Deanna Moody says
do you use white queso or yellow?
Barbara Curry says
I use white queso which is what is in the photographs. The recipe will be great with either so choose your favorite.
Monique-Marie says
Can’t wait to make this Queso Chicken recipe for a family reunion in August with 15 of us. I know everyone will love it. Quite exotic dish in Canada (I lived in Texas, Las Vegas, and NYC for years), and now back home.
Thanks for the marvelous Queso Sauce recipe. I will use both Sharp white cheddar and Pepper Jack cheese in the dish.
Barbara Curry says
I think the queso sauce is the best part of the recipe. Hope it’s a hit at the reunion.
Melissa says
If I use thin sliced chicken breast( they are my go to) do you know I how I should adjust cooking time?
Barbara Curry says
It takes about 25-30 minutes for a regular thick chicken breast. For a thin chicken breast, I would check it at 15 minutes with a meat thermometer. It will need to be 155 to 160º to be cooked through. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, just cut into it with a knife and make sure it’s not pink.
Monique-Marie says
Hi Barbara
I will be making the Queso Chicken dish for our family get together middle of August. I now live in Canada, so the only Queso is in the chip Isle. I thought I could make your queso dip recipe using Velveta cheese. Then cover with pepper jack cheese. What do you think?
also the original recipe uses 4 breasts. When I doubled it the recipe stated 18 boneless breasts. We will be 13 people in all. Should I use 12 breasts for everyone to have a good portion?
Can’t wait to make it. I know it will be great served on rice.
Thanks in advance,
Monique-Marie
Barbara Curry says
Hi Monique-Marie, I think this will be a great recipe for 13 people. The chicken breasts that I get are hugh, easily enough for two people. If you can find 4-6 ounce chicken breasts, I would use 13 of them and double the rest of the ingredients. The queso recipe on my site will make enough for a doubled queso chicken recipe. You probably can’t find American cheese in Canada, so Velvetta will work or you could use cheddar. Hope you have a great family get together. Let me know how it turns out.
Cindy says
So easy and so good! This is a keeper!
Barbara Curry says
Isn’t it great when you find a recipe that can be added to your rotation!
PEOS says
Added black beans and fresh corn and toped with fresh cilantro – DELISH!!
Barbara Curry says
I hadn’t thought about adding fresh corn, great idea!
Candise says
What could you use as a substitute for rotel?
Barbara Curry says
You can use canned chopped tomatoes and add some canned green chilies or even better, use fresh tomatoes.
Jodi says
Can you make ahead and seal in a vacuum seal bag
Barbara Curry says
Yes, you can seal in a vacuum seal bag. I make a large batch and save my leftovers this way. It’s easy to warm up in the microwave or oven.
Melissa F says
I made this already twice and it’s fantastic. I am wondering do you think this could be made in the crockpot on low. Would you recommend any adjustments?
Barbara Curry says
You can definitely use the a slow cooker for this recipe. I would cook the chicken with the seasoning and can of Ro-tel tomatoes for about 5 hours on low. Then add the queso and cook for about an hour, add the cheese for the last 30 minutes. The time will vary depending on how thick the chicken breasts are, so to be safe, use a meat thermometer.
Michelle Williamson says
Excited to try this! How else could you serve this, if you wanted an alternative to rice?
Barbara Curry says
You could serve over pasta, or with a baked potato, spooning the sauce over the top. It’s also great without a starch, just add a side of veggies.