Southwestern Chicken Casserole
Published 1/30/2024
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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!
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
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.
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!
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.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this southwestern chicken casserole with our homemade guacamole, salsa and our ultimate margarita.
Southwestern Chicken Casserole
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.
- 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
- 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What is the cooking time for a 8X11 baking dish? Thanks!
I would stick with around 60 minutes!
Thanks, Lee! I plan to try the recipe in a pressure cooker that is on its way. Someone (on Chris Fretytag’s FB page, where I saw your recipe) who has the same model said the casserole should only take 15 minutes!
WOW! That is AMAZING. I need to get a pressure cooker. I’ve only heard good things! You’ll have to let me know how it goes 🙂
It came out great, but it’s a soup, not a casserole…LOL! I didn’t think I needed the water (substituted for the chicken broth) but I wasn’t sure, so I put it in the pot. I also used all the brown rice I had (2 cups of Minute Made ready to serve microwaveable rice) and increased the salsa to two cups. I didn’t use the onion since my salsa might have some in it. Plus, it has a kick! I posted on The Blue Jean Chef’s aka Meredith Laurence (she prevented the pressure cooker on QVC) asking how I can prevent the soupy consistency next time. I’ll let you know what she says. The pressure cooker is cool! 🙂
I used too much liquid (especially by adding more salsa). Plus, Meredith said microwaveable rice doesn’t absorb water like regular rice. It’s all good, though!
Could you cook this in a crockpot? I am assuming do it all the same, but just put it on low for 6-8 hours?
Hi Lindsay! That’s a really good question. I don’t see why not. I’d either go on low for 6-8 or on high for about 4!
This recipe is fantastic. For me, brown rice is a must. I just wanted to leave you a note and let you know it’s possible to prepare this with uncooked brown rice. I upped the chicken broth to 3c instead of 2 to account for the extra absorption, and it came out great. I needed to cook it for about 1hr 20min, but it was totally worth it! It was sort of soupy at first with the extra liquid, but it all still fit in a 9×13 pan. Also, I added a few chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce they’re packed in. Yum.
OMG! I am so glad you left this comment because I know others would want to use it with uncooked brown rice. Thanks so much for taking the time to do that 🙂
I did and it came out like soup. I picked out the chicken and put the rest in the slow cooker. Hopefully I can still serve this later.
Has anyone figured out the nutrition per serving on this recipe? Excited to try it!
This turned out really yummy. I sub’d can of tomatoes with chilis and poached/shredded chicken. Will definitely make again. Really fast for busy day.
I made this for dinner tonight and although my picky kids wouldn’t eat it, my husband and I enjoyed it. I did it a bit differently than your directions call for. I cooked the chicken for 5 hours on low in the slow cooker in some chicken broth. I took the chicken out and shredded it and then mixed it in with the rice and other ingredients. I only baked it for about 40 minutes instead of the full hour just to cook the rice since the chicken was already cooked. Turned out perfect! Thanks for sharing your recipe. We have enough leftover that I am going to make burritos one night later next week.
Yay! I’m so glad your modifications to the recipe worked out!
Hi! If using quick cooking rice, do you mix both the required amount of water and the 2 cups of chicken broth? Or just the chicken broth like the recipe calls for?
Hi Liz! Just the chicken broth. No need to add additional liquid (like the box says!).
I made this last night for my husband and I – it was SO delicious and easy to make! I topped it with a generous dollop of 0% greek yogurt for another boost of protein. The only thing missing is some homemade guacamole to top it all off, next time! This is definitely a repeat recipe in my kitchen. Thanks!
o0o I bet your hubs was exxxxcited! Love using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. 😀
Hi! I’m making this dish for company tonight. I only have boil-in-bag rice. I imagine that I will have to cook it before I add it to the casserole? Thanks!
Hi there!
I am thinking that it would work fine NOT cooking it because I’ve made quinoa casseroles before in the oven where you throw everything in raw. If you want to stay safe (because you’re having company), feel free to cook the rice before hand, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! On the bag for your rice, how long does it say to boil it for? White rice is pretty quick cooking in general, so I would totally give it a try.
pinned and maki this week