Low Carb Mexican Chicken Casserole is a delicious family-friendly meal that is a great lower carb alternative to the traditional recipe that uses Doritos and canned soups. This recipe is packed with shredded chicken that is mixed with a thick and creamy cheese sauce and then topped with low-carb protein chips from Quest. It is sure to be a hit!
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Creating A Low Carb Alternative To Old Family Favorite
Today, I’m so excited to bring this recipe to the blog for you guys! My Low Carb Mexican Chicken is a take on the classic Mexican Chicken Dorito Casserole.
You may be familiar with this recipe if you’re from the South or grew up eating lots of casseroles.
If you’ve never heard of this type of casserole before and want to see one in original form, click here to see it but remember the recipe it takes you to is the high carb version but it is super yummy if you don’t mind those extra things.
In the traditional form of Mexican Chicken Casserole, you’ll find shredded chicken that is combined with thick cheese sauce and Doritos.
The sauce usually includes Rotel Tomatoes, Velveeta or Shredded Cheeses, and cans of condensed soups. Those ingredients get stirred up together, layered over crushed Dorito Chips in a casserole dish, and topped off with more chips.
We recently were blessed enough to visit my mom and aunt and had a wonderful time. My Aunt Sheila is my mom’s sister and both of them are amazing cooks.
They were nice enough to whip us up a yummy lunch of the Classic Mexican Chicken and a big salad. We really enjoyed it!
In fact, we love it so much it reminded me that I needed to find a way to make it with fewer carbs so we could enjoy it at home too. That meal and visit is the inspiration for this new blog post!
Finding A Low Carb Replacement For Nacho Flavored Doritos
One of the ingredients in the classic Mexican Chicken Casserole we all loved is the crunchy and cheesy Dorito Chips that are crumbled up and layered on the bottom and the top of the casserole. These chips really make the recipe so yummy.
Of course, with trying to cut the carbs I couldn’t low carb the recipe without finding an alternative to those chips. After searching high and low for what I could use I just happened to run across the Quest Brand Protein Chips in my local Walmart.
They are located over in the pharmacy of my store next to all the other low carb meal bars and snacks from Atkins and Quest.
These chips work amazingly well in this casserole in the place of the Doritos. There are four flavors we have found so far including Nacho Cheese, Taco, Ranch, and Chili Lime (not pictured sorry).
In testing this recipe I had to make it a few times to get it just right so I tried had a chance to try the Nacho Cheese and the Chili Lime flavors. I hadn’t found the Taco Flavor yet at the time I was doing the recipe testing.
Both of the flavors I used turned out yummy and I plan to make this again for my husband’s birthday in August using the Taco flavor because I think that will be amazing. The Taco flavor is our family’s favorite flavor!
You may be wondering if these Quest Brand Chips are super healthy since they are low carb and taste so good in this casserole?
They are tasty and a great alternative to the original in my opinion, but they are not something I would recommend eating daily. However, I do think they are okay for a special treat now and then and those treat meals like this casserole.
We have now tried 4 flavors of then have loved them all (our favorite are the Taco) but they are not something we keep on hand and eat all the time. They are a kind of pricey, in my opinion, with each bag running $2.86 and the ingredients aren’t exactly perfect.
Anyone that follows a clean Keto or calls themselves a purist on the Trim Healthy Mama diet will find that these chips may not be for them due to some of the ingredients in them. You can see their ingredients HERE.
These chips are known as a “personal choice” item on THM. But I don’t mind my family enjoying them now and then as an ingredient in this recipe.
The chips would be handy if we are on a road trip where others in the car were grabbing bags of high-carb chips. They would definitely help keep me out of the real Doritos!
What Is Needed To Make Low Carb Mexican Chicken Casserole?
This casserole is so easy and the ingredients needed to pull it all together are usually pretty easy to find. That’s always a plus.
As I mentioned before the cheese sauce would usually call for a can or two of cream of chicken soup which is full of unsavory ingredients and isn’t low carb by any means. Which meant that was another obstacle I had to work around to recreate this recipe.
I found that to make the sauce creamy and thick I had to use a couple of my fresh egg yolks, a carton of heavy whipping cream, and lots of yummy cheese. But in the end, this combination was perfect!
Here are The Ingredients At A Glance:
- Shredded Chicken
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Egg Yolks
- Chopped Onion
- Tomatoes with Green Chili (Rotel)
- Garlic, Salt, Onion, Cumin, and Chili Powder
- Quest Nacho Cheese or Taco Flavored Protein Chips
As you can see from the list of ingredients this is a very rich and delicious casserole that’s why I suggest saving it for special occasions or as a treat instead of a meal you’d have every week. But it is so good ya’ll!
The egg yolk helped make the creamy cheese sauce thick and rich which was a great alternative to the canned soup we talked about. I also think heavy cream is a key ingredient in making this casserole thick.
I’ve tried to lighten the cheese sauce by using chicken half chicken broth and half heavy cream. While the casserole was okay, the sauce was thin and watery.
It actually had some clear liquid seep out after serving so although it tasted okay it left us all a little disappointed.
My advice totally would be to stick to the heavy cream because it really does make a huge difference in the consistency of the casserole and a tastes that is closest to the classic higher carb recipe.
Trust me, this Low Carb Mexican Chicken Casserole is worth the extra cost of the chips and the fat from the heavy cream and cheese. I promise it will be a hit around your table with adults and children alike!
What If I Don’t Want to Use Quest Protein Chips?
I realize not everyone will want to use the Quest Brand Protein Chips and that is perfectly fine. You can leave them out of the casserole altogether and just top it with some additional shredded cheese and bake.
The texture will be a little looser without the crunchy topping or the chips on the bottom to soak up some of the sauce but it will still taste amazing.
If you want to try some alternative chips or some sort of crackers to replace the Quest Nacho Chips then by all means give it a go. If you do I’d love to know which you try and how it turned out for you.
Before I end this post and let you get to the recipe I’ll leave you with a few chip alternatives I found around the internet.
I have not personally tried any of these alternatives so I can’t speak for any of them but they seem like a good place to start when looking for other options for the Quest Chips.
Chip Alternatives You Can Possibly Use:
Trim Healthy Mama’s Shameless Nacho Crackers
Joseph Wrap Cut Into Triangles and Baked Until Crispy
Alrighty friends that’s all for this delicious Low Carb Mexican Chicken Recipe. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it around your table as much as we have since I’ve been making it.
Until next time, wishing you joy and peace from our table to yours!
Low Carb Mexican Chicken Casserole
A low carb friendly chicken casserole that is cheesy and delicious. This casserole is topped with crispy low carb chips and is sure to be a family pleaser.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of heavy whipping
- 10 ounces of Diced Tomatoes With Green Chilis
- 8 ounces of softened cream cheese
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 cups shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
- 3 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1/3 up chopped green onions
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt, or to taste
- 3 Bags of Quest Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips or Your Favorite Low Carb Nacho Chip
Instructions
- To make the Low Carb Mexica Chicken sauce add the heavy cream to a medium saucepan and heat through but do not boil.
- In a blender add the cream cheese and both egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm heavy cream into the blender and mix the cream until all is smooth with no lumps of cream cheese.
- Pour the cream mixture back into the saucepan over low heat until it is hot. Whisking often.
- Add in the tomatoes with diced green chilis and the shredded cheddar cheese. Whisk until the cheese is completely melted and mixed in.
- Carefully remove the cheese sauce from the stove and pour it over the shredded chicken breasts.
- Next add in the garlic, onion, chili, and cumin and stir the mixture well until all the chicken is coated in the cheese sauce. Taste for seasoning.
- Before adding the mixture to the baking dish crush the Quest Nacho Chips into small pieces and place half of them on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
- Then pour the Low Carb Mexican Chicken Mixture over that layer of crushed chips and then spread it out evenly.
- To finish the casserole top with the remaining half of the chips all over the top of the casserole and place it into a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes then remove from the oven and let it sit and cool for 5-7 minutes before serving.
Notes
For Alternatives to the Quest Nacho Cheese Chips see the blog post right above the recipe card. Nutrition was calculated via my recipe card calculator. I recommend calculating your own nutritional facts based on the exact brands and saving size you use when making this recipe if needed for your dietary needs.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per ServingCalories 404Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 162mgSodium 690mgCarbohydrates 8gNet Carbohydrates 6gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 27g
I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.
I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!
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