Southwestern Chicken Casserole

4.63 from 51 votes
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This Southwestern Chicken Casserole calls for simple, flavorful ingredients and is made completely in a casserole dish. A perfect weeknight dinner idea!

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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.

And when it comes to casseroles, we love making them a well-rounded meal. That usually means pairing a grain, with veggies, and a source of protein. Chicken is such a great protein to cook inside of a casserole because it’s juicy, lean and can be flavored so many ways.

why you’ll love it!

  • You only need to dirty one dish.
  • It’s a great weeknight meal that packs a ton of flavor.
  • This casserole leaves great leftovers, making it a great meal prep recipe for the week.

What You Need for this Southwestern Chicken Casserole

The base of this flavorful chicken casserole recipe is quick-cooking brown rice, black beans, and chicken breast. And when it comes to adding that flavor punch, we went big! Here’s what really gives this casserole its robust flavor:

  • 1 jar of salsa
  • paprika
  • chili powder
  • ground cumin
  • garlic powder
  • fresh cilantro
  • shredded cheese
ingredients for chicken casserole in casserole dish

Ingredient Substitutions

Beans: Black beans pair well with this dish, but feel free to substitute 1:1 for another canned bean like great northern beans or pinto beans.

Chicken: We’re using diced chicken breast, but boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 in. chunks will also work.

Rice: We’ve tested this recipe with minute brown rice and minute white rice. Either will work!

Top Tips

Don’t substitute the minute rice: Only use brown or white minute rice for this casserole! The rice won’t have enough time to completely cook if substituting for any other variety of rice.

Spice to your liking: This casserole calls for an entire jar of salsa, so feel free to use your favorite variety, whether that’s a mild or super hot salsa.

Get creative with the toppings: We love topping this casserole with green onions, tortilla chips, and a dollop of Greek yogurt and homemade guacamole.

White casserole dish.

Our Favorite

Casserole Dish

We love this le creuset casserole dish because it is oven safe AND has a cover. It is the perfect casserole dish for this baked one pot pasta dish!

chicken casserole with cheese

Storage

Store this casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer Instructions: 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. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

southwestern chicken casserole with Greek yogurt and salsa

Serving Suggestions

Serve this southwestern chicken casserole with our homemade guacamole, salsa and our ultimate margarita.

4.63 from 51 votes

Southwestern Chicken Casserole

This Southwestern Chicken Casserole calls for chicken breast, salsa, beans, and amazing southwestern spices. It's made 100% in a casserole dish in under an hour.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients 

  • 1.5 cups minute brown rice, uncooked (white or brown minute rice will work)
  • 1.5 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 10 oz. frozen corn, thawed
  • 15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks (raw)
  • 16 oz. jar salsa, any spice level works!
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 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.
    a chicken casserole with beans, corn and other ingredients in a red baking dish.
  • 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.
    a chicken casserole topped with cheese and green onions.
  • Once fully cooked, let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Top with Greek yogurt, more shredded cheese, salsa, and green onions.
    chicken casserole

Tips & Notes

  • Nutrition information is for a serving of 8 people and includes the 1/2 cup of Colby Jack cheese
  • This recipe was updated slightly on 1/29/2024 to reduce the amount of chicken broth as some had reported issues with the casserole consistency being too soupy. The original recipe is HERE.

Watch It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”xFSQudfR” upload-date=”2024-01-29T19:53:54.000Z” name=”Southwestern Chicken Casserole” description=”This Southwestern Chicken Casserole calls for simple, flavorful ingredients and is made completely in a casserole dish. A perfect weeknight dinner idea!” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Nutrition

Calories: 270 kcal, Carbohydrates: 36 g, Protein: 21 g, Fat: 5 g, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 3 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Lee Funke

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

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Kim
Kim
January 5, 2014 5:43 pm

This looks awesome!!! I have everything on hand except fresh cilantro so I think I will hit up the store in the morning and have some this week!!

Whitney @ To Live & Diet in L.A.
January 5, 2014 2:09 pm

This looks SO MUCH better than Chipotle 🙂 I love mexican food. Thanks for sharing!

Michelle
Michelle
May 13, 2017 7:23 pm
Reply to  Lee Funke

Does anyone know if this would freeze well?

Kim @ Racing Bananas
January 5, 2014 2:04 pm

Wow! There are no words for how delicious this looks! Already pinned and will definitely be made this week or next!

Elise @ 9toFit.com
January 5, 2014 11:53 am

I LOVEE chipotle, I could literally have it already but then I’d be huge. I’m a huge fan of their barbacoa. This meal looks awesome, definitely chipotle status.

Emily @ More Than Just Dessert
January 5, 2014 10:55 am

I love this series! And seriously, I crave chipotle burrito bowls all too often, so I am so pumped to try this 🙂

Nicole
Nicole
January 5, 2014 10:21 am

I looooove Chipotle so I can’t wait to try this!! No, not traveling soon but one pot meals would be fantastic!!! I am a single mom who works a full time job so anything that requires less time at the sink doing dishes and more time attempting to work out would be great. 🙂

katie
January 5, 2014 9:50 am

I’m going to Mexico with my parents and brother in March. So I’ve got to get some good meal plans going now so I look my best down there!

Rebecca Capo
Rebecca Capo
January 5, 2014 8:51 am

Chicken is uncooked when you put it in the bottom of the casserole dish, correct?

Matthew Connolly
March 11, 2017 1:14 pm
Reply to  Lee Funke

Is the rice added to mixture raw for the Southwestern Chicken Casserole recipe?

Jordan
September 22, 2014 6:38 pm
Reply to  Rebecca Capo

So glad you made this comment, we were wondering the same thing.. It still seems unclear in the directions..

Jordan
September 22, 2014 10:18 pm
Reply to  Lee Funke

That looks better, we made it for dinner tonight, it was very good! Thanks

Greg A Wonhoff
Greg A Wonhoff
March 29, 2017 12:38 pm
Reply to  Lee Funke

The recipe still doesn’t make it clear about cooked/uncooked rice. I cooked mine. I hope it turns out right. I’m sorry I didn’t see the question/answer section at the bottom of your post. I think things will be fine.

Victoria
January 5, 2014 8:33 am

Please continue one pot meals!

Livi
January 5, 2014 7:42 am

that looks so delicious and easy!!

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