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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Nicole Luongo
September 10, 2015 4:24 pm

What is the cooking time for a 8X11 baking dish? Thanks!

Nicole Luongo
September 11, 2015 12:07 pm
Reply to  Lee Funke

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!

Nicole Luongo
September 16, 2015 6:53 pm
Reply to  Lee Funke

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! 🙂

Nicole Luongo
September 19, 2015 12:24 pm
Reply to  Lee Funke

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!

Lindsay
Lindsay
August 14, 2015 9:50 am

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?

Chris H
Chris H
July 22, 2015 11:30 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
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.

Khyttaei
Khyttaei
December 6, 2017 11:16 am
Reply to  Lee Funke

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.

EMILY
EMILY
June 10, 2015 1:00 pm

Has anyone figured out the nutrition per serving on this recipe? Excited to try it!

Theresa
Theresa
May 21, 2015 9:30 pm

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.

Andrea @ Honestly Andrea
May 12, 2015 5:34 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
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.

Liz Harley
Liz Harley
May 11, 2015 5:08 pm

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?

Danielle
Danielle
March 21, 2015 11:05 am

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!

Jessica
Jessica
February 16, 2015 2:54 pm

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!

Louise
Louise
February 1, 2015 5:45 am

pinned and maki this week