Doritos Bake

This Doritos nachos bake is made in a one pot casserole dish with Mexican ground chicken and the only nachos recipe you will need. Plus, it is weight watchers friendly and completely customizable!

If you have tried my famous queso smothered chicken casserole, or nacho casserole, I have a new version for you - DORITOS BAKE! This combines nacho cheese Dorito chips, cheesy rice, perfectly cooked chicken and then all your favorite nacho toppings. Such a fun and easy way to eat all the delicious food that you love.

As I mentioned, this recipe is completely customizable. Use any chips that you love, substitute out the meat, switch up the cheese or yogurt and use any of your favorite taco toppings.

What You Need for a Doritos Bake

To make this Doritos nachos recipe, you will cook the chicken on the stove, the rice in the Instant Pot, then combine everything you need for the casserole and bake that in the oven.

Substitutions and Suggestions for Ingredients

Ground Chicken Breast

I am truly a chicken person. Chicken is my favorite meat and I will not change my mind. I prefer fat-free ground chicken breast; however, you can use any ground chicken.

In addition, you can substitute the chicken for ground beef, ground turkey or another type of ground meat.

Salsa Con Queso

Now what is salsa con queso you ask? Salsa con queso is in the grocery store and is near the tortilla chips in my local Publix. It is a jarred sauce/dip that consists of salsa and queso, hence, salsa con queso. No, it is not refrigerated before opening. I loving having salsa con queso in my house as it is pretty low calorie for what it is, cheese.

There are a variety of different brands but I use the generic one, it is cheaper! However, you can also make your own using Velveeta, or a similar cheese, and salsa. Purchase a pre-made salsa or make my homemade skinny salsa recipe. In addition, you can also substitute queso blanco.

Rice

I use Publix extra long grain rice, always. It is just what I have on hand and what I use for every dish. However, you can use a different rice, just be mindful of cooking times.

In addition, I will be making Instant Pot rice for this recipe. However, you can make your rice any which way that you wish. I have a great stovetop rice recipe as well.

(Add some riced cauliflower too!)

Doritos

Come on, this Doritos bake has to call for some Dorito nacho cheese chips! I had some extra bags of Doritos, they said nacho on them, it was really a no brainier. However, you can substitute a different type of chip, such as tortilla chips. But, this Doritos casserole is amazing with some Dorito chips!

I had the Family Size Doritos and I estimated that I used about 20% of the bag, which is 3 servings or 35 chips (84 grams). The ratio of chips to meat was perfect for me. Very meaty but lots of chips. You can add more or less chips, if you wish. In addition, you can crumble some fresh chips on your bowl after serving.

Do the Doritos stay crunchy? Yes and no. Some are crunchy, some are soft, some are right in the middle. Kind of like normal nachos! If you want just fresh Doritos, make this recipe without the dorito and then crumble some on top!

Taco Toppings

The taco toppings I pick for my Mexican chicken casserole are obviously Doritos. Along with nonfat Greek yogurt, onion, tomato, corn and shredded Mexican cheese. However, you can pick any toppings that you like. I also use Taco Bell sauce; however, you can substitute out another brand or some salsa too.

You can easily substitute the Greek yogurt for sour cream; however, I like using yogurt as it is very light and has added protein.

Adding beans straight in with the cooked meat is amazing. Then, top it off with anything else you see fit such as shredded lettuce, jalapeños or olives.

In addition, I just gave my suggestions and what I did in regard to the amount of taco toppings used. Please feel free to use as much or as little of the taco toppings in the recipe.

Taco Seasonings 

I always have my homemade taco seasonings on hand, I make them exactly how I like them and I think they are better than anything you can buy. Plus, when you buy a seasonings mix, you never really know what is in it. 

This is the taco seasonings recipe that I live and breathe for, hey, I love tacos, and is perfect to season the pork for this recipe. However, you can also buy a packet, just use 2/2.5 tablespoons of it!

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon oregano

Adjust any of these seasonings to your liking in your Mexican chicken that would go great with nacho cheese Doritos. This mix is not spicy; however, you can make it spicier with the addition of ground red pepper. However, if you are watching your salt, you can reduce that as well. But I do not think there is too much salt in this.

How to Make Doritos Bake

How do you make this Doritos nachos recipe? Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish (I use an 8x8 glass dish) with cooking spray and set aside.

Rice

Add rice to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Either use a nonstick bowl insert or grease the bottom first. Level out the rice.

Add water to the top of the rice, trying not disturb the rice. It is okay if some pieces come up and float.

Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the pressure cook button to 5 minutes and start it. Not the rice setting, I just use the pressure cook setting. However, you can also make the rice on the stovetop or use an alternative rice.

When the time is up let the pot sit for 5-6 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid and add in the salsa con queso, mixing to combine. Then, set aside. (Add some riced cauliflower too!)

Chicken

Heat a medium sized pan, greased with cooking spray, over medium/high heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for a minute. Add in the ground chicken and start breaking up the chicken. If you like it browned and crispy, let the chicken set, whole, on the stove about 1-2 minutes per side before breaking up.

Once the chicken is starting to break up, sprinkle on the seasonings. Continue to break up and mix the chicken until fully cooked. Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the Taco Bell sauce and lime juice. Mix for a minute then remove from heat.

Doritos Bake

In the casserole dish, add in half of the Doritos and break up into smaller pieces. Layer evenly with the rice mixture, then the ground chicken. Spread on the yogurt, then sprinkle on your taco toppings. Be careful as to which taco toppings you are putting on right now as it will have to go in the oven. Not all toppings should be heated up such as shredded lettuce.

Add the other half of the Doritos on top, slightly crushed, then, sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Add any additional taco toppings or more chips, then, divide into 4 pieces.

Leftovers

I am going to be honest here, this Mexican chicken casserole does not make for the best leftovers and the problem is with the Doritos. The reason for this is that the Doritos get soggy. The nacho cheese sauce does keep the meat moist, which keeps the Doritos moist.

I did eat a serving as leftovers the next day. It was amazing but not highly recommended to make as leftovers or a meal prep. However, if you do want this as a meal prep, do not add the Doritos into this dish. Instead, have them on the side and crumble them into your bowl when you are ready to eat.

You can also use this recipe as a starting guide to make some typical nachos with Doritos.

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Doritos Bake

This Doritos nachos bake is made in a one pot casserole dish with Mexican ground chicken and the only nachos recipe you will need. Plus, it is weight watchers friendly and completely customizable!

I promise it seems like a lot of work, but it really is not!

WW- If you are on weight watchers and looking for a points value, click on this link and your points will automatically calculate for you. You can also sub out or add in any ingredients directly in that recipe. I highly suggest substituting the rice for riced cauliflower or using half and half.

I had the Family Size Doritos and I estimated that I used about 20% of the bag, which is 3 servings or 35 chips (84 grams).

If you prefer, you can make this recipe without the Doritos and then crumble some fresh Doritos on top of your specific bowl. Then you’ll know exactly how much you are eating. You can also sub out for a lower point chip.