Texas Trash Chicken
Texas Trash Chicken is a creamy, cheesy Tex-Mex bake with enchilada sauce, refried beans, taco seasoning, and tender chicken that is inspired by the popular dip recipe!
A Tex-Mex Inspired Chicken Recipe
If you’ve ever tried the basic Texas Trash Dip that is made with cream cheese, sour cream, refried beans and taco seasoning you will really enjoy this Texas Trash Chicken recipe. This has a similar flavor profile but with a twist! This chicken dish is super easy to make and one that comes together in a little over a half hour!
Frequently Asked Questions:
It is not super spicy but it has just a little spice so if you can’t handle any heat or spice at all, this dish is not for you.
You can serve the chicken with white rice, Mexican rice, corn, black beans or pinto beans. This chicken dish has that delicious sauce too and it’s a great sauce to serve over rice like I did. I also think it would be great with some Mexican Cornbread.
I am sure you could do it. As I haven’t tested it yet, my best guess would be to cook on low for 6 hours. I wouldn’t top with the cheese until the last 30 minutes or so and then add the lid and let the cheese melt. You have to be careful with cream cheese because it can curdle when cooking in the slow cooker. It will still taste fine, but it can be a texture issue for some people so you could remove the chicken after cooking and then whisk the sauce really well to help blend and then but the chicken back in and top with the cheese, etc.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. I don’t recommend freezing as any recipe with cream cheese tends toot reheat well and the cream cheese mixture separates.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- colby jack cheese- If you want to kick the heat level up, I would recommend using pepper jack cheese.
- enchilada sauce – The sauce adds a lot of flavor. You could probably use a green enchilada sauce but I haven’t tested that yet.
- cream cheese – The cream cheese is the base for the creamy topping for the chicken. Using cream cheese that has been softened to room temperature helps it blend into the sauce so much easier.
- green onions – You can omit, but they add great flavor and crunch.
- diced green chiles – These come in a small can. I definitely go with the mild version but you can get them spicy.
- taco seasonings – I used low-sodium taco seasoning so it doesn’t get too salty. You can control the sodium used and other ingredients by using Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- chicken breasts – You can use 2 full chicken breasts and cut them in half long ways. This will reduce the cooking time if they are thinner. Chicken thighs could be used if you prefer dark meat, but the cooking time may change.
- refried beans – the beans add a great twist as they combine with the enchilada sauce to make the creamiest base for the chicken.
How To Make Texas Trash Chicken:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. To a bowl, add 1 cup of cheese, 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce, softened cream cheese, half of the green onions, green chiles, and 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning. Mix until combined. Set aside.
Pour the remaining enchilada sauce into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add a 1/2 can of refried beans to the casserole dish. Just dot it evenly around the dish as best as you can. Transfer the chicken to the baking dish. Reserve one teaspoon of the taco seasoning and set aside. Then season both sides of the chicken with the remaining taco seasoning.
Top the chicken with the cream cheese mixture. Top the chicken with the remaining shredded cheese.
Sprinkle the remaining taco seasoning on top. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (if it is getting too brown on top and the chicken is not done yet, cover with aluminum foil to finish cooking.) NOTE: Go by internal temperature of the chicken, not just by cooking time. Some chicken breasts are larger and some are smaller so the cooking time can vary! Top with the remaining green onions, serve with rice, and enjoy.
Craving More Recipes?
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded colby jack cheese (divided use)
- 10 ounce red enchilada sauce (divided use)
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 green onions, sliced (divided use)
- 4 ounce can diced mild green chiles (undrained)
- 1 ounce packet taco seasonings (divided use)
- 8 ounces refried beans (½ a 16 ounce can, see notes below)
- 4 chicken breasts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- To a bowl, add 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese, 1/4 cup red enchilada sauce, 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature, half of the sliced green onions, 4 ounce can diced mild green chiles and 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning. Mix until combined. Set aside.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce into a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Add 8 ounces refried beans of refried beans to the casserole dish. Just dot it evenly around the dish as best as you can.
- Add 4 chicken breasts to the baking dish.
- Reserve one teaspoon taco seasoning and set aside. Then season both sides of the chicken with the remaining taco seasoning.
- Top the chicken with the cream cheese mixture.
- Top the chicken with the remaining 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese.
- Sprinkle the remaining one teaspoon taco seasoning (that you set aside earlier) on top.
- Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (if it is getting too brown on top and the chicken is not done yet, cover with aluminum foil to finish cooking.)NOTE: Go by internal temperature of the chicken, not just by cooking time. Some chicken breasts are larger and some are smaller so the cooking time can vary!
- Top with the remaining sliced green onions and enjoy!
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- If you like a lot of beans, please feel free to use the whole can instead of half.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This was a total hit….. everyone loves it! I followed the recipe as written but used a whole can of beans (because I was too lazy to put the leftovers away). We had sauce left over but we’re eating it as dip with tortilla chips. This recipe is a keeper for sure!!
Amazing! Now on our favorites list.
I have a question. When you say 4 chicken breasts could you give an approximate weight equivalent? Nowadays chicken breast range in size from 8 oz to over a pound, sometimes up to a pound and a half. Thanks.
Totally understand but when I give weight, then people will always ask me to adjust the recipe to the weight of chicken breasts they were able to find. I used to do that & it caused more confusion. I give ingredient photos so you have a basic idea and as always, cook to internal temperature, not just time 🙂