Healthy Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole (one-pot)
Serve up this incredibly flavorful one-pot Healthy Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole for dinner tonight! It’s an oven-baked family favorite that’s ready in 30 minutes. It’s packed with lean protein, fiber, and tons of veggies.
One Pot Dinners are a lifesaver on busy weeknights!
Hola! Have we told you how much we LOVE Mexican food?
It’s the best go-to comfort food. It’s bold in flavor yet so delicious and satisfying! One Mexican recipe with healthy and delicious chicken is this Chicken & Rice Mexican Casserole! Bonus! It’s ready in 30 minutes.
I love feeding my family Healthy Food Recipes, and this fits the bill!
Eating a tasty casserole or this 30-minute Chicken Enchilada Verde Soup on busy nights is heavenly! If you need a dump-and-go recipe, try our Crock Pot Mexican Casserole. I also make this One-Pot Beef Stroganoff on busy nights all the time!
Ingredient Notes
This savory Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe comes together with basically what’s hanging out in your pantry:
- Rice – we like to use brown rice for added nutrition. If you cook your brown rice in the instant pot, you’re ready to go!
- Beans – canned black or pinto beans work great. Just drain and rinse them
- Salsa – hot or mild salsa is perfect
- Corn – canned, fresh, or frozen corn will all work
- Green Chilies – canned mild or zesty green chilies
- Onions – red onions or yellow onions
- Peppers – red peppers or green bell peppers
- Garlic – freshly minced
- Mexican Spices – cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, and salt
- Fresh veggies – zucchini is a great compliment, but any veggies of choice work
- Chicken – shredded cooked chicken is excellent. For ease, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken
- Olive Oil
You can use our homemade taco seasoning!
It’s safe to say this is definitely a fall-back dinner recipe we eat time and time again.
This Mexican recipe is versatile. You can mix and match the veggies you have on hand, making it nutritious and delicious. Heat and serve. Perfect!
You can also try adding the following vegetables:
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- green beans
- butternut squash
Step By Step Instructions
Okay, let’s see how simple it is to prepare this healthy Mexican chicken recipe. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 1 – Cook Onions
In a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven, sauté your onion in olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add the spices (cumin to oregano) and stir together. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Tip – To bring out the full flavor of your spices, sauté your onions with the spices.
Step 2 – Add Peppers, Chilis, Garlic, and Zucchini & Cook
Add the diced peppers and sauté until cooked, 3-4 minutes. Next, add the garlic, green chilies, and zucchini, season to taste, then sauté for another minute.
Tip: I use canned mild green chilies, but you can use fresh jalapeños for a zesty kick.
Step 3 – Mix in Remaining Ingredients
Next, remove the mixture from the heat and mix in the chicken, rice, corn, rinsed black beans, and salsa.
Step 4 – Top with Cheese and Bake
Once the ingredients are all mixed, top it with your shredded cheese and pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes until it’s slightly brown and bubbly and smells fantastic!
Tip: To make the cheese topping crispier and browner, broil the Mexican chicken and rice for a few minutes.
Dinner is made, and the kids line up for seconds!
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Quicker Prep: If you need to make some cooked chicken for use in this recipe quickly, try poaching your chicken. It’s easy. Just cover lightly salted chicken pieces with water, add a quarter of an onion, a smashed garlic clove, and 10-12 peppercorns. Then, bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover and let them simmer on the stovetop until the chicken is cooked through – about 8 – 14 minutes.
- Make-Ahead: To meal prep this Mexican chicken and rice casserole, you can assemble your ingredients ahead of time and then bake it before you’re ready to serve it.
Topping and Serving Suggestions
This one-pot Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole begs to be adorned with some toppings. Try any one of these!
- fresh cilantro
- more salsa
- black olives
- diced green onions
- avocado
- sour cream
This Chicken and Rice Mexican Casserole can be served with cornbread, a green salad, or roasted vegetables.
How To Store
This Mexican chicken recipe is AMAZING leftover.
REFRIGERATOR: If you have any leftover casserole, store it covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
FREEZER MEAL: This recipe can easily be made ahead of time in a freezer-safe container, covered and labeled, and then frozen. Bake at 375 degrees if thawed for 30-35 minutes or frozen for 60-70 minutes when ready to serve.
For the best tasting results, always follow our tips to prevent freezer burn.
More Great Mexican Recipes
Do you love this Healthy Chicken and Rice recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down.
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Healthy Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika, smoked or regular
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2-3 cups left-over cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
- 2 cups Brown Rice, cooked and cooled
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
- 1 zucchini, shredded
- 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies, drained, or 1 jalapeño, diced
- 1 cup corn kernels, canned, fresh or frozen and defrosted
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 12 ounces salsa , or enchilada sauce
- ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Equipment
- large oven-safe pot
- Spatula or cooking spoon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- In a large oven-safe pot or dutch oven, sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add the spices (cumin to oregano) and stir together. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the peppers and sauté until cooked, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, green chilis, and zucchini, season to taste, then sauté for another minute.
- Remove from the heat and mix in the chicken, rice, corn, black beans, and salsa.
- Top with the cheese and place in the oven.
- Allow to bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and all the ingredients are heated through. Broil for a minute or 2 if you want a crispy browned top.
- Remove from the oven, then serve with the avocado, black olives, green onions, sour cream, or cilantro.
Notes
- If you need to make some cooked chicken for use in this recipe quickly, try poaching your chicken. It’s easy. Just cover lightly salted chicken pieces with water, add a quarter of an onion, a smashed garlic clove, and 10-12 peppercorns. Then, bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover and let them simmer on the stovetop until the chicken is cooked through – about 8 – 14 minutes.
- To meal prep this Mexican chicken and rice casserole, you can assemble your ingredients ahead of time and then bake it before you’re ready to serve it.
This recipe was originally published on February 2, 2017. On June 16, 2021, we updated it with enhanced instructions and images.
Try these other Healthy Food Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners.
Fixed this recipe. Substituted yellow squash for corn and used zucchini for veggie. Tasted great but the fresh squashes made it a little watery. If you double check the cheese you use, this is gluten-free!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, Toni. Your substitutions sound wonderful. It’s such a versatile recipe.
Tastes great and my kids never once said anything about the veggies – hehehe
Yes! The hidden veggies are one way to sneak a little nutrition on to our kid’s plates 🙂
Great family meal, I have a big family so there wasn’t much left!
This is a great recipe for a large family. Plus, cleanup is a breeze!
Oh wow! This is perfect for dinner tonight and I can’t wait to try this! The family is going to devour this casserole. Very excited to make this!
It’s a keeper for sure! Easy and always delish!
This recipe rocks! I made it with brown rice and it was delicious. Thank you!
I make it with brown rice too! It’s good that way as well. So glad you enjoyed it, Deona.
Hi Erin!
Love your recipes ❣️
Thanks so much, Pricilla! So sweet that you stopped by and left a note 🙂
Oh, I love this. What a great family meal to make – I will need to give it a go x
You’ll love it, Yvonne! So fresh and flavorful. Plus, it’s got the veggies mixed in, which makes it healthy! Yeah! Win for mom!
Erin, this looks like a perfect meal for our family. We all love Mexican food, and I love a dinner that comes together quickly and easily. Not to mention that stuffed with all good things. Another thing that I love about it, there will probably be leftovers for lunch the next day. Totally pinning this recipe.
Thanks for the stellar rating! This recipe is tasty and even better left over the next day. I’m so glad our whole family love its! I hope yours does too! Enjoy!