Inspiration finally struck in the aisle of Wal-Mart as I stood in front of the Latin refrigerated section. I am not one to brag, but HOLY COW!!! I am a genius! Really, give this a try and you will want nominate me to the Nobel committee. Genius, I tell you!
My creation took boring old chicken breasts and turned them into flavor packed perfection. It creates the most amazing pan sauce which is heaven over some rice. Then if you are lucky enough to have leftovers, take it to the next level and slap the chicken inside a tortilla topped with some guacamole, fresh salsa, lettuce and a squeeze of lime juice. Really….you are going to want to have that Nobel committees’ phone number handy.
This chicken and chorizo recipe is even better when you wrap a Soft, Homemade Flour Tortilla around it and top it with some Homemade Guacamole!
Are You Part of the Tribe?
Our PRIVATE Facebook group is for anyone who is DONE with the stress and frustration with all aspects of getting dinner on the table every night! We got you covered for everything: planning, shopping, meal prep, cooking, and clean-up! Click here to join for free!
Print
Cheesy Baked Chicken and Chorizo Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
This chicken casserole is an amazing chorizo recipe! A creamy, cheese sauce with the cooked pork chorizo bakes with the chicken for a low carb dinner recipe
Ingredients
- 6–8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 if large, 8 if small)
- 10 ounce package pork chorizo
- 4 ounces light cream cheese or Mexican crema
- 1/2 C light sour cream
- 10 ounce can chopped tomatoes with green chiles, drained
- 1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass pan with nonstick spray. Lay down the chicken evenly in the pan.
- In a large skillet, brown the chorizo over medium high heat for about 7-8 minutes. Add the drained tomatoes, cream cheese and sour cream and mix until it is all blended. Spread the mixture over the chicken breasts, sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and bake, uncovered for about 45 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breasts. There will be enough pan juices to serve over some rice if desired. Or slice the chicken and serve it inside a tortilla topped with your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 breast
- Calories: 392
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 792 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 48 g
- Cholesterol: 161 mg
Keywords: low carb chicken recipes
This sounds awesome!! Pinned it to try 🙂
Another recipe of yours I want to try 🙂
I tried the Parmesan chicken bake for dinner last night and it was Delicious!!
http://stitchedteganjewelry.blogspot.com/
Do you drain the chorizo? And what do you do with the parmesan cheese?
no drain and “sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and bake”….
I do not drain the chorizo, but I’m sure you could if you wanted. The cheese gets sprinkled on top. Sorry about that 🙂
this looks delish my hubby would love this! so great to see another marshall blogger!!!! howdy neighbor we are from marshall also
Hi Carole! I found your blog via pinterest, and I really enjoyed this recipe (so much so that I used it on my blog). 🙂 Don’t worry….I definitely gave you credit (and linked here). Take care!
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was way tasty! My husband loves anything with Chorizo in it, and he gobbled this right up. The parmesan cheese adds great texture and flavor. It is quite spicy, and I am kind of a wimp, but it tastes so good! Thanks for sharing!
Greetings! I too live in MN (St. Paul) and have been here for 18 years…native So. Cal. girl. Oh I too miss Mexican and have had to learn to fend for myself with regard to mexican/tex mex food. Try Homesick Texan cookbook, lots of awesome recipes. Like your blog…just stumbled upon it. Blessings!
THANK YOU FOR THIS! I make this once a week! Served with a black bean dish and some guacamole is our favorite.
Edits: I usualy use a cheddar cheese and I don’t put it on until the last ten minutes or so.
Adivce: Watch your time. It is usually plenty done after 45 mins. Maybe it’s just my oven.
Pappasitos is the best!!!!! Pappas Seafood is awesome too if you ever get the chance to try one of them!
I make this about once a month now, after finding your recipe. My whole family loves it, even the picky 4 yr old! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Made this tonight and my husband and I looooved it! Soo good! Can’t wait to make it again.
This was absolutely delicious!!! I give this an A++++ and it was super easy to make too!
Thank you,
Dawn
So glad you loved it Dawn! Thanks for coming back to share your results -Carole
I am beside myself right now… I just jumped on pinterest to affirm my idea from the other day.
Now, I don’t normally buy my food at Walmart, but I basically had the same exact experience as you when I was at Walmart two days ago!!!
I was so jazzed on the idea of the churizo that I was practically dancing through the aisles as I left.
I’m about to start my version of this recipe right now!!!
Let me know how it turns out Karen! -Carole
Thank you for this recipe! My gf passed yesterday and I knew I had to cook but I couldn’t think straight. Her daughter enjoyed it a lot and was grateful. Gave her the recipe and we both laughed because she was expecting 15 million different ingredients and technique haha Thank you!
So sorry for your loss Lana! I’m glad the dish went well for you and that her daughter enjoyed it as well
What type of rice would ypu serve this with? Amazing recipe
Since it makes a nice pan sauce, just some plain steamed rice would be fine if you pour some of the sauce over the top
do you cook the chicken before you put the mixture over it? If so, what’s the best way to cook the chicken, boil, fry, grill, etc?
No Tanya. Just follow the directions exactly and it will turn out great
Made this last night for our dinner party! It was a hit! Shared this on my blog today!
So glad it worked for your party! It looks like quite the spread you provided -Carole
Can this be done in a crock pot?
I have never done it in a crock pot Christian. I am sure it would work, but the end result would probably be quite soupy. If you do try it, please come back and let me know how it turned out for you!
This is so good. The smell alone is amazing. Thank you for this one.
Thanks Merle!
this is a delicious recipe! I made it a few weeks ago but couldn’t come up with the right thing to serve with it since my husband won’t eat rice. We did tortillas but there was just something missing. So I decided to try again this time with homemade potato chips. And it was perfect. It was like nachos but so much better!! This will definitely become something we eat at least once a month!
Wow Rachel….homemade potato chips! I think we could be besties 🙂
Made this tonight for dinner, the whole family loved it! Just have one question, mine came out a tad soupy, I followed the directions exactly but didnt use light cream cheese. Any idea what it could be?
Hi Katrina! I don’t think you did anything wrong. If you read the post, I do talk about the sauce that is made in the pan. If you don’t like that sauce, cook it in two pans so there is space enough between the chicken breasts for the liquid to evaporate. -Carole
Way to heavy and fatty, tried it cause it looked amazing but had my stomach sick for the past few days. The combination on mayo, sourcream, cream cheese and chorizo is not something my stomach could handle.
That is a bummer Claudia. You might want to double check if you made the recipe right because my recipe does not call for any mayo. Just chicken, chorizo, cream cheese and sour cream. -Carole
This is a great low carb dish. Amazing taste and super filling. However do u have any low carb side dish suggestions? I can’t have rice, potatoes, chips, or tortillas.
Hi Kim! I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe and I often make it into tacos using large pieces of lettuce instead of a tortilla. You could also try my garlic roasted cauliflower, which is outstanding https://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2013/01/garlic-parmesan-cauliflower.html
It was Delicious I added cilantro and it just set it right off!!! my new fav chicken
I’m so glad to hear it Regene! I’m going to have to try some cilantro as well next time I make it -Carole
I make this all the time! So delicious! Now I shared with my friends and they love it too. I love adding fresh Serrano out of my garden. Thanks for sharing!
You are very welcome Teresa and I love the addition of the Serrano!
My great grandson who is 13 told me today that his Mother had made him Chorizo Chicken. He bragged and bragged about it. He said it was the best thing his Mother had ever made and if you make it it will be your favorite recipe. I went on a search for the recipe. I could not find anything like he described. I finally found this recipe and think it may be the one except he said it had Spanish Rice in it. Maybe the Spanish Rice was a side dish. He said it had cream cheese, sour cream, and Rotel tomatoes. This has got to be the recipe and I have got to make it and report back to you!!! I hate it when people comment on a recipe that they haven’t try yet. But I just couldn’t resist sharing what my grandson had said.
I hope this is the one Maxine! If not, at least I hope he likes it 🙂
I don’t know anything about Chorizo Sausage. The only thing I could find was Ole Mexican Foods Chorizo Sausage. It is 16oz. (More than you stated but I can fix that.) . It has 6 links in the package. It says to remove casing before cooking. Is that the way you do it? Is it crumbly like hamburger meat. Or do you slice it and cook it like that?
You remove the casing and cook it like ground beef. Good luck Maxine!
Has anyone tried to add veggies in it while it cooks? We were going to grill red peppers and onions as a side, but now it is raining and we are thinking of slicing the peppers and onions and adding them on top of the chicken? Does this sound doable or will the added moisture mess it up?
Great question Susan. I worry about the added liquid and that your veggies will end up mushy. I would sauté them on the stove separately
Thanks. You are probably right. I am trying to be lazy, but this looks so good and I don’t want to mess it up. 🙂
Sorry was a bit lost is this with precooked Chicken breast or raw ??
Hey Sam! You should use raw chicken. Good luck!
Made this last night, loved it!! I used a bag of boneless chicken thighs from HEB’s frozen section, thawed and seasoned first with Mrs. Dash and some Tony Chachere’s. While the chorizo cooked, I mixed 1/2 a cup of cottage cheese with a tablespoon of lemon juice in place of the sour cream, since I didn’t have any. This recipe was so quick and easy and the meat was quite tender and bursting with flavor. I love how the recipe and servings can vary based on: slicing of the meat, the type of tomato/green chilies used (mild, regular, chipotle), adding garlic or cilantro, subbing or adding Mexican blend or Pepperjack cheese for the Pamesan. I can see adding a layer of tortilla chips somewhere in there before cooking or for a healthier version, some riced cauliflower. I might serve as burritos or inside a taco shell. You can even slice up the chicken & add drained whole corn and black beans and serve as a casserole. Maybe even after adding corn/beans, cook as directed for 30 minutes and then pour some cornbread batter on top and finish cooking for a Chorizo Chicken Cornbread!! The sky is the limit. I will make this many times over. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Mea! Thank you for sharing your tips and suggestions
Made this dish for my family but cut it in half (only two adults and a picky little toddler.) I found it to be delicious. But a word of caution to anyone else who decides to cut it in half, do NOT cut the sauce ingredients in half. You’ll want all that extra delicious sauce for your meat and starches!
Thanks for your tip Tiffany!
This sounds so yummy and can’t wait to make it but I do have one question. There are two kinds of Chorizo that I use for different purposes so curious, do you use the one the stays more chunky or the type that pretty much becomes more like a thick liquid when heated? My brother and I always fight over which type is better!!!
Either will work just fine Marina! I used the looser type because I wanted it to be part of the sauce better.
I made this for dinner tonight, with only small modifications to keep it lower carb. I used spicy chorizo and replaced the tomatoes with some chopped jalapeños from a jar (because that’s what I had). I also cut the chicken breast a little thinner and only baked it 35 minutes. I had the chorizo already fried, so I just warmed it with the other toppings in the microwave until it was easy to stir/mix thoroughly. I was glad the topping stayed on the chicken and the juices in the pan ran clear because it was easy to pull the chicken out without eating the juice (since we don’t like chicken juice for whatever reason.) Overall, I’ll be making this again! It was so good.
I’m glad you made it work for you Rachel!
Has anyone ever made this recipe with bone in chicken thighs? I normally use thighs in place of breasts in recipes. Much more juicy and flavorful. And I would love to make this using thighs. I’m thinking par bake the thighs to crisp up the skin, then pour the chorizo mixture on top and finish baking. But any other suggestions would be appreciated.
Hey Shellice! I love using thighs for the same reason you do. I don’t think skin on the meat will work even if you crisp them first. I would use either skinless thighs or boneless, skinless thighs.
Yes. I was thinking that also. But maybe if I made the chicken as a separate component? It would no longer be like a casserole, but I was more interested in your chorizo sauce. Sounds amazing! Put cream cheese in anything and I’m game. I’m making it tonight for dinner with warm flour tortillas. I will leave feedback on how it turns out. I don’t like to comment when I stray too much from someone’s recipe on their blog. Most people don’t respond well to that, but you’ve been really receptive to other posts with substitutions. And that’s a breath of fresh air let me tell ya.
Hi I was just curious to know do you season the chicken or just follow the recipe as is??? I am use to seasoning with different spices so I’m just wondering lol
Hi Aria! I created the recipe just as I wrote it 🙂
I know you posted this recipe a while ago, but I have to comment! Twice a week DH is in charge of dinner (he’s the one who found this recipe) and he surprised me with this one night. WOW. I *love* this! He’s made it multiple times – even our picky eater loves it. We’ve added baby potatoes to the recipe, just throw them in with everything else and bake. I would totally nominate you for a Nobel prize! 🙂
Thanks for the laugh Mari! I’m so glad it is such a hit and I love the idea of adding potatoes. I will definitely give that a try next time.
Would this work with link chorizo chopped up instead of ground chorizo?
Hey Stacie! It would work, but the sauce itself would be different. I would chop the links as small as you can. Good luck!
Just wondering if Mozzarella cheese would work instead of cream cheese? That’s usually the only cheese hubby can handle.
Hey Ashley! The cream cheese makes a sauce so unfortunately, mozzarella wouldn’t cut it. If he isn’t a fan of the flavor, you don’t taste the cheese as it is mixed with the chorizo and tomatoes to make the sauce.
Hi do you know the calories and carbs for this dish? Thank you I’m adv
Hi Kendra! I don’t have that info but there are a ton of great online nutrition calculators you could use if you need that info.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Thank you!
Glad you loved it as much as we do!
Macros?
Hi Tracey! I don’t have that information but there are many amazing nutritional calculators online that you can find that information if you need it.
This has become one of our family favorites and I make it at least once a month. Guests always love it too. Thank you so much for sharing such an easy and delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Thanks Kelly for coming back and sharing your feedback!
I make this using 3 chicken breasts and I use half the tube of chorizo and leave off the parmesan but this is definitely a family favorite and has been for quite sometime. I just got around to browsing through recipes and can’t wait to try some of your others!!
Glad you make it work for your family Carrie! And thanks for browsing 🙂
This recipe sounds delicious ! If I omit the sour cream will it affect the outcome of the sauce ?
Yes, it will. You could substitute plain yogurt instead!
Your recipe reached us here in Canada! I made this dish for a cozy lunch to warm up to and it did not disappoint! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
★★★★
Yea! So glad to hear it Jenny. Thanks for coming back and leaving a review
Can I freeze this before baking?
Yes, but you will need to let it completely thaw before you bake it