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    Home » Entrees » Poultry Recipes

    Mexican Chicken Taco Casserole with Olives, Peppers & Queso Fresco Cheese Recipe

    Published: Oct 12, 2012 · Modified: Mar 30, 2021 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 26 Comments

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    Mexican Chicken Taco Casserole with Olives, Peppers & Queso Fresco Cheese Recipe by Cookin' Canuck

    In our family, we need very few excuses to eat olives. When I was a kid, holiday dinners with my aunt, uncle and cousins were an opportunity for the kids to scarf down as many black olives as we possibly could before the adults noticed. Of course, the adults were onto our ploy and, eventually, they started buying California Ripe Olives with the pits still in them. That way, they could track the number of olives consumed (and set a cut-off point) by the number of pits on our plates. Foiled again!

    Mexican Chicken Taco Casserole with Olives, Peppers & Queso Fresco Cheese Recipe

    National Taco Day, on October 4th, was as good an excuse as any to crack open a can or two of California Ripe Olives. The first can was used for this hearty Mexican Chicken Taco Casserole. The second can was quickly absconded by my two boys, as they plucked the olives out of the can and firmly planted them on their fingers, to be savored one-by-one.

    To make the assembly of this casserole as easy as possible, use chicken breasts from a supermarket roasted chicken, and your favorite pre-prepared enchilada sauce. I prefer the green enchilada sauce, but red will work just as well here.

    Simply layer the corn tortillas, chicken, sautéed and spiced peppers, black beans, queso fresco cheese, enchilada sauce and California Ripe Olives to form a towering lasagne-like casserole. Pop it in the oven and you’ll be rewarded 45 minutes later with a hearty, satisfying meal for your family.

    The recipe:
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

    Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, and Anaheim and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

    Mexican Chicken Taco Casserole with Olives, Peppers & Queso Fresco Cheese Recipe by Cookin' Canuck

    Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender.

    Coat a 7- by 11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread ½ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish.

    Lay 4 tortillas over the sauce, tearing the tortillas as necessary to make them fit properly.

    Spread ⅓ each of the pepper mixture, chicken, olives, black beans, queso fresco cheese and cilantro over the tortillas.

    Mexican Chicken Taco Casserole with Olives, Peppers & Queso Fresco Cheese Recipe by Cookin' Canuck

    Top with ½ cup of the enchilada sauce and 4 additional tortillas. Repeat the layers two more times, ending with corn tortillas, ½ cup enchilada sauce and queso fresco cheese.

    Cover the baking dish with foil and place it on a baking sheet. Bake until the casserole is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes.

    Remove the foil and cook for additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
    Let the casserole cool for about 15 minutes to allow it to set. Cut and serve.

    Mexican Chicken Taco Casserole with Olives, Peppers & Queso Fresco Cheese Recipe by Cookin' Canuck

    Mexican Chicken Taco Casserole with Olives, Peppers & Queso Fresco Cheese

    Make tasty tacos into a crowd-pleasing casserole, putting a little twist on a classic recipe.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Entrees
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: Poultry Recipes
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 55 minutes
    Cooling Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    Servings: 8 Servings
    Calories: 268kcal
    Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 large yellow onion chopped
    • 1 large Anaheim pepper thinly sliced
    • 2 red bell peppers thinly sliced
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoons chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 ½ cups enchilada sauce I prefer green
    • 16 corn tortillas
    • 2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded
    • ½ cup sliced California black olives
    • 1 14 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
    • 4 ounces queso fresco cheese crumbled (plus more for garnish)
    • ¼ cup minced cilantro plus more for garnish
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
    • Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, and Anaheim and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
    • Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender.
    • Coat a 7- by 11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread ½ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish.
    • Lay 4 tortillas over the sauce, tearing the tortillas as necessary to make them fit properly.
    • Spread ⅓ each of the pepper mixture, chicken, olives, black beans, queso fresco cheese and cilantro over the tortillas.
    • Top with ½ cup of the enchilada sauce and 4 additional tortillas. Repeat the layers two more times, ending with corn tortillas, ½ cup enchilada sauce and queso fresco cheese.
    • Cover the baking dish with foil and place it on a baking sheet.
    • Bake until the casserole is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes.
    • Remove the foil and cook for additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
    • Let the casserole cool for about 15 minutes to allow it to set. Cut and serve.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serving (⅛ of Recipe) | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 1124mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1775IU | Vitamin C: 42.2mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 1.8mg
    Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

    Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kitchen Play and California Ripe Olives. Additionally, they provided product to make the recipe. All opinions are my own. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily

        October 14, 2012 at 6:51 pm

        That's so funny and so true. Olives ment Thanksgiving as a kid and now we eat them almost every day (great MUFA 😉 of course)

        queso fresco is a fav of mine and luckily it's readily available here in the south west.

        Reply
      2. Deborah

        October 14, 2012 at 8:26 am

        I love this!! And I love watching all of the kids every holiday, grabbing for the olives to put on their fingers like your adorable boys did.

        Reply
      3. Julie

        October 13, 2012 at 9:04 pm

        Just wanted to let you know, the translation of "queso fresco" is "fresh cheese". So, every time you type "queso fresco cheese" you are saying "fresh cheese cheese". 🙂

        Reply
        • Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily

          October 14, 2012 at 6:51 pm

          😉

          Reply
      4. addie | culicurious

        October 13, 2012 at 8:42 am

        oh my, this looks great, Dara. I love olives too 🙂

        Reply
      5. Lauren @ Part Time House Wife

        October 13, 2012 at 7:34 am

        Black olives are the one food I just can't trick myself into loving... but this dish...this dish looks incredible! I'll take it minus the olives! lol

        Reply
      6. Jen @ Savory Simple

        October 13, 2012 at 6:50 am

        This looks great! I love how it's a healthy Mexican meal. It's hard to come by those!

        Reply
      7. Cathy @ Noble Pig

        October 12, 2012 at 1:14 pm

        Ah yes, the olive fingers at Thanksgiving, I remeber it well. But this is a fantastic way to eat olives, what a beautiful dish!

        Reply
      8. Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles

        October 12, 2012 at 12:37 pm

        This recipe would go over fabulously in our home. Especially preparing it with the girls, with olives on our fingers! I've completely enjoyed getting to know you in OR, Dara - hope we can meet up again soon! 🙂

        Reply
      9. Lana @ Never Enough Thyme

        October 12, 2012 at 12:25 pm

        Oh, wow, this looks incredibly delicious. Love everything single thing about this recipe! Yum.

        Reply
      10. Cassie

        October 12, 2012 at 12:10 pm

        Totally digging this, Dara, this would be an instant hit in my house!

        Reply
      11. Nancie McDermott @

        October 12, 2012 at 10:53 am

        Gorgeous and irresistible. I love the play-by-play illustration of how this casserole comes together, from corn tortillas on the bottom to black olive-abundance on top. Favorite photo: chopped onions and pepper/blue bowl of black olives/sauteed vegetable in all their glory. Cannot wait to make this.

        Reply
      12. Laura (Tutti Dolci)

        October 12, 2012 at 10:34 am

        I love this casserole, what great flavors!

        Reply
      13. Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings

        October 12, 2012 at 9:26 am

        I want to eat this right now! Love olives!!!

        Reply
      14. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl

        October 12, 2012 at 9:24 am

        My husband could eat an entire jar of black olives!! This recipe looks delish.

        Reply
      15. Traci

        October 12, 2012 at 9:17 am

        What a fantastic looking good for you casserole! I love it!

        Reply
      16. Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen

        October 12, 2012 at 8:45 am

        I am a fool for olives!!

        Reply
      17. Sprigs of Rosemary

        October 12, 2012 at 8:34 am

        I remember -- quite well -- doing that with olives myself. This looks wonderful, and a kid pleaser, to boot. Saved!

        Reply
      18. Bev @ Bev Cooks

        October 12, 2012 at 7:58 am

        Have. Mercy.

        Reply
      19. Robyn | Add a Pinch

        October 12, 2012 at 7:00 am

        This looks so delicious, Dara. Love anything with olives!

        Reply
      20. bellini

        October 12, 2012 at 6:12 am

        It looks so delicious. I even have all of the ingredients including California olives.

        Reply
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