Some of my favourite family dinners are the ones where everything gets thrown into one dish, topped with cheese and put into the oven. They’re easy, filling and particularly handy when you already have cooked meat waiting in the fridge.

This Crispy Chicken Taco Bake was one of the meals I made when I picked up two whole chickens for $22 and decided to see just how many family-sized dinners I could get from them. Rather than making four meals that all felt like variations of roast chicken, I wanted each dinner to be completely different.

For this one, I combined some of the cooked chicken with kidney beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, corn, onions and taco seasoning. A layer of cheese and crunchy corn chips goes over the top before everything is baked until hot and bubbling. If you like this recipe is flexible and you can leave the corn chips off the top and serve them seperatly.

It’s simple, uses plenty of inexpensive pantry ingredients to stretch the chicken further, and you can put all your favourite taco-style extras on the table for everyone to add themselves.

Watch the Video

This Crispy Chicken Taco Bake is one of four family-sized meals I made after finding two whole chickens on special for $22.

In the video, I start by putting both chickens into the slow cooker. Once they were cooked, I removed the meat and saved the carcasses. I explain how I then slow cooked those carcasses overnight to make a simple homemade chicken stock, making use of as much of the chickens as possible.

I used the cooked chicken and homemade stock across four different meals:

• Chicken & Vegetable Frittata
• Crispy Chicken Taco Bake
• Marry Me Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Bake

You can watch the full video on my YouTube channel to see how I stretched those two chickens across four family dinners and made each meal into something completely different.

More Meals from the Two-Chicken Challenge

This is just one of the four dinners I made from my two $22 chickens. You can also find:

• Chicken & Vegetable Frittata
• Marry Me Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Bake

Other Recipes You May Like

If you enjoy easy family dinners that make good use of simple ingredients, you may also like:

• Savoury Mince with Focaccia
• Beef Cottage Pie
• Our Favourite Meatloaf
• Beef Stir Fry with Noodles

Recipe Card

Crispy Chicken Taco Bake

Serves: Approximately 6-8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: Approximately 20–25 minutes
Total Time: Approximately 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups diced cooked chicken
• 2 × 400g cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed. You can use pinto beans as well to mix and match.
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 × 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 diced capsicum
• 2 large onions, sliced and cooked
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 3 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 2 cups grated cheese
• Corn chips, for topping and serving
• Sour cream, to serve
• Sliced spring onions, to serve
• Avocado, optional, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Add the cooked chicken, beans, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, capsicum, cooked onions, corn and taco seasoning to a large casserole dish.
3. Mix everything together until well combined.
4. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top.
5. Add a layer of corn chips over the cheese.
6. Bake uncovered for approximately 20–25 minutes, or until the filling is piping hot and the cheese has melted.
7. Serve with extra corn chips, sour cream, sliced spring onions and avocado, if using.

What to Serve with Crispy Chicken Taco Bake

This is already quite a substantial dinner thanks to the chicken and beans, so you can keep the sides really simple. Try it with:

• Extra corn chips
• Sour cream
• Sliced avocado or guacamole
• Fresh tomato salsa
• Shredded lettuce
• Sliced spring onions
• A simple green salad
• Steamed or Mexican-style rice if you need to stretch the meal further

You could also put several of these toppings in small bowls on the table and let everyone build their own plate.

Stacey’s Kitchen Tips

• Use the beans to stretch the chicken. Beans bulk this meal out really well without needing a huge amount of meat.
• Cook the onions first. This gives them time to soften properly before the casserole goes into the oven.
• Keep some corn chips aside. Serve extra chips at the table so you still have plenty of crunch if the ones soften slightly in the oven.
• Use a cheese that melts well. A regular tasty or Colby-style cheese is absolutely fine.
• Make it your own. This is the sort of dinner where you can easily adjust the vegetables depending on what needs using up.

Variations & Substitutions

• Kidney beans: Black beans or a combination of beans would work well too.
• Capsicum: Use whichever colour you have available or leave it out.
• Corn: Frozen, canned or fresh corn can all be used.
• Cheese: Use your family’s usual grated cheese or a combination of cheeses.
• Taco seasoning: Homemade or store-bought taco seasoning will work.
• Spice: Add chilli flakes, fresh chilli or jalapeños if your family likes a little more heat.
• Avocado: This is completely optional and can simply be left off.
• Chicken: Leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken can be used if you aren’t starting with whole slow-cooked chickens.

Storage, Freezer & Make-Ahead Notes

Storage: Allow leftovers to cool before transferring them to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. The corn chips will soften during storage, so I would add some fresh ones when reheating and serving.

Freezing: The chicken and bean filling itself should freeze well, but I wouldn’t freeze the finished casserole with the corn chips on top. Instead, assemble the filling and freeze it without the cheese and corn chips. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then add the toppings before baking.

Make Ahead: This is a great dinner to assemble earlier in the day. Combine the chicken, beans, tomatoes, vegetables and seasoning in your casserole dish and keep it covered in the fridge. Add the cheese and corn chips just before it goes into the oven, so the chips don’t become soggy.

Reheating: Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave or oven until piping hot. Add a few fresh corn chips afterwards to bring back that crunch.

Final Thoughts

This is the sort of meal that shows you don’t need an enormous amount of meat to make a generous family dinner. By adding beans, corn, tomatoes and a few other simple ingredients, those three cups of cooked chicken turn into a substantial casserole with plenty to go around.

It also tastes completely different from the chicken’s original starting point, which was important when I was planning these four meals. If I’m going to stretch the same two chickens across several dinners, I don’t want everyone feeling as though they’re eating leftovers four nights in a row.

And anything involving melted cheese, crunchy corn chips and a bowl of sour cream on the table is generally an easy sell in our house.