Name: Mexican Chicken Casserole
Ingredients: 4 boned chicken breasts, cooked, cubed; 1 can tomatoes with green chilies; 1 can cream of mushroom soup; 1 can cream of chicken soup; 1 can taco sauce, (4 oz); 1/2 cup chicken broth; 1 package taco chips; 1/2 cup grated American cheese or blend of Cheddar and American

Why it works: Chicken and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,172 recipes. Both carry 1-butyl acetate, which smells fruity, banana. The science ↓

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Oven350 degrees

Ingredients

4 boned chicken breasts, cooked, cubed
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can taco sauce, (4 oz)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 package taco chips
1/2 cup grated American cheese or blend of Cheddar and American

Directions

Make the sauce

Combine and heat tomatoes, soups, taco sauce and broth.

Assemble

Line bottom of casserole dish with taco chips.
Add mixture of chicken and sauce.
Top with grated cheese.

Bake and serve

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and hot.
Serve with warm tortillas and Mexican rice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

479Calories

49 gProtein

28 gFat

8 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 9 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Soup	not in our table	0
Taco	not in our table	0
Sauce	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Chicken + mushroomtop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,172 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).
Tomato + mushroomtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,719 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Chicken + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,031 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Cream + saucetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,787 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Mushroom + cheesetop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,015 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken breasts: Provides the main protein and bulk of the casserole.
Cream of mushroom soup: Adds creamy body and thickens the sauce as it heats.
Cream of chicken soup: Adds creamy body and thickens the sauce as it heats.
Taco chips: Soften in the sauce while baking, adding texture and absorbing flavour.
Grated cheese: Melts into the top and browns lightly, adding richness and savoury flavour.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, cream, mushroom, sauce, cheese):

Tomatothe original
Capsicumfits about as well
Potatofits about as well
Onionfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, cream, mushroom, sauce, cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.