This Southwestern Chicken Casserole calls for simple, healthy ingredients and gives the classic chicken casserole a run for its money!
Want more healthy chicken casserole recipes? You’ll love these: Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Chicken Cacciatore Quinoa Bake, and Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Bake.
We Love Healthy Casseroles!
It’s been a while since we posted a healthy casserole recipe, but there is no better day than today! When it comes to a casserole, we love making it a well-rounded meal. That usually means pairing a grain, with veggies, and a source of protein. Our fav kind? Chicken, of course!
Chicken is such a great protein to cook inside of a casserole because it’s juicy, lower in fat, and super high protein.
You guys are going to love this Southwestern Chicken Casserole recipe. It reminds me of a GIANT Chipotle burrito bowl. I am a huge Chipotle fan and order the same thing every time I go. Can you guess what it is? A chicken burrito bowl.
Tons of Flavor!
The basis of this flavorful chicken casserole recipe is quick-cooking brown rice, black beans, and chicken breast. Don’t worry, when it comes fo adding that flavor punch, we went big! Here’s what really gives this casserole its deliciousness.
- 1 jar of salsa
- paprika
- chili powder
- ground cumin
- garlic powder
- fresh cilantro
Add-In Ideas
You could add other yummy things into this casserole such as bell pepper, green chiles, or garbanzo beans. I kept mine simple because that’s what I had on hand at the time. We’ve been running our food stock down to the ground because of upcoming travels.
Can you freeze this healthy chicken casserole?
In order to freeze this casserole, we recommend making your casserole in a disposable casserole tin. Once cooked, let the casserole cool completely and then cover with tin foil and remove as much air as possible. Then, place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Southwestern Chicken Casserole
This Southwestern Chicken Casserole calls for simple, healthy ingredients and gives the classic chicken casserole a run for its money!
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups minute brown rice, uncooked (white or brown minute rice will work)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 15-oz. can sweet corn, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks (raw)
- 1 16-oz. jar salsa (any spice level works!)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 cup Colby Jack cheese
- optional toppings: shredded Colby Jack cheese, Greek yogurt, salsa, and green onions.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add all of the ingredients (minus the shredded cheese) into the casserole dish and mix together with a wooden spoon making sure that everything is well mixed and submerged in liquid.
- Then, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375ºF for about 50 minutes.
- Uncover and top with shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes.
- Once fully cooked, let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Top with Greek yogurt, more shredded cheese, salsa, and green onions.
Tips & Notes
- Nutrition information is for a serving of 8 people and includes the 1/2 cup of Colby Jack cheese
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/8 Calories: 366 Sugar: 6 Fat: 5 Carbohydrates: 54 Fiber: 12 Protein: 27Keywords: Chicken Casserole
Thank you! Going to try it today not sure if I can find fresh cilantro at our local store live in a very small town.
What size pan?
9×13!
I may have missed these instructions, but what are the cooking directions after freezing your cooked casserole?
This casserole was so easy to make and full of flavor. My husband and I both went back for seconds. I’m going to use the leftovers for taco salads tomorrow. Yumm!
★★★★★
This was delicious! I did not experience any wateriness. It tasted delicious and was so easy to make. I loved that it was a filling dish, but I didn’t feel sick or overly full afterward the way I do with lots of casseroles. Definitely a great one for bringing leftovers to work. I did use sour cream for a topping, but that’s just a matter of preference. I know it does nothing to make it healthier haha. Other than that, made exactly as described.
★★★★★
Can sour cream be used as a topping instead of Greek yogurt or does it have to be Greek yogurt?
I used sour cream for sure. I’m assuming greek yogurt is used because it’s healthier, not because that’s necessarily the best-tasting thing.
Sour cream is perfect!!
Ok Thank you so much . This was delicious!
I needed a good healthy dish…something new, fresh the family would love. I almost didn’t want to share!
★★★★★
This turned out well. Hub’s loved it and went for seconds. We added avocado and pickled jalapeños to the toppings. Good leftovers to take to work.
★★★★
This recipe is great!
I like to meal prep lots and once and freeze meals to cook in the future.
Do you think it is possible to make this ahead of time and freeze it before baking?
Or should I freeze it after baking?
Thank you
★★★★★
Okay, so I didn’t realize that I didn’t have Minute Rice until right before I was going to make this recipe. Instead, I parboiled the regular rice in the 2 cups of chicken broth and then added everything to the pan from there. It turned out a tad drier than I had hoped, so next time I will try parboiling the rice in three cups of chicken broth.
Otherwise, this recipe was a hit! I made it for my BIL and SIL since they just had their new baby. Their 2 year old even liked it! I will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
So glad you parboiled or it would have been a complete disaster!
Hi! Just wanted to share that I used quinoa in place of the minute rice and it turned out great.
I did adjust to ~1 cup of uncooked quinoa (instead of 1.5 minute rice as recipe calls for)
Consistency was great, the whole fam loved it. Thanks for the recipe FFF team ♥️
★★★★★
Delish!! Made this tonight and was a huge hit. I don’t know why some people said it was watery, if you follow the recipe, it’s perfection. Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
This came out perfect! I ended up just using taco seasoning in the packets instead of all the spices it called for. Minute white rice worked fantastic. Not watery at all! Was a hit with my MIL and husband and loved how easy it was.
★★★★★
Taco seasoning FTW!
Taste was delicious, but casserole came out fairly watery. Any tips for next time? Longer in the oven?
★★★★
What kind of rice did you use?
Hey Katie! The recipe calls for minute rice, not normal white rice. Minute rice has a ratio of 1:1 for rice to liquid and normal rice is 2:1. That is why your rice wasn’t cooked!
Eat this at least once a month. I want to be buried in this. Good news is there are always leftovers so that may be a reality.
★★★★★
I LOVED this recipe! It’s the first casserole recipe of yours I made and I can’t wait to make others. Super easy to make (love the minute rice which makes the whole thing faster to make) and tasted amazing!!
★★★★★
YAHOOOOOO! Minute rice FTW.
We love this recipe! Great for weekday lunches!
You MUST use this “minute rice” or it will turn out very watery. I am not familiar with this kind of rice, even made an extra trip to the store to get it, and still got the wrong kind. Despite it being very watery, I agree with the other comments about good flavor and ingredients. Chicken cooked perfectly. I just wish there was a note about substituting regular rice and what modifications to make.
★★★★
Any suggestions for making this ahead without cooking first? I like to make casseroles the night before so my spouse can pop it in the oven while I’m still at work. I see the freezer suggestions, but not planning to freeze this.
Hey Sara! You should be able to just prep it all and pop it in the fridge and then bake it the next day!
Did you try this? Did it work?