Zesty and Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Rice Casserole
Enjoy a complete meal with a twist of Mexican influence in this Salsa Chicken with Rice dish! It’s loaded with flavor, made in one pan, and is loved by all!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 303kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced ( may red instead or a combination of the two)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2¼ cups water
- 6 oz. Spanish rice mix we used 1 box of the Zatarain brand
- 1½ cups chunky salsa jarred variety (may substitute the smooth)
- 15 oz. black beans drained and rinsed
- ⅔ cup frozen corn
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken shredded (280g)
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese may also use plain cheddar cheese
- Grape Tomatoes, Cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Lightly grease a 13"x9"inch casserole or baking dish with vegetable spray. Set aside.
- Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and over medium-high heat cook and onion and peppers until tender. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and butter to the pan. Cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour the water into the pan and add the rice mix and ½ cup of the salsa. Stir until well mixed and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Add the rinsed black beans and corn. Stir. Transfer the rice mixture to the prepared casserole dish and spread the ingredients evenly in the dish.
- Sprinkle the shredded chicken evenly over the top of the Spanish rice mixture.
- Pour the remaining 1 cup of salsa evenly over the chicken.
- Top with the Monterey Jack cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and transfer the dish to the oven.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with grape tomatoes and cilantro, if you wish. You may also serve the recipe topped with sour cream, and corn chips.
Notes
Storage: Leftover Salsa Chicken with Rice can be stored in the casserole dish, covered tightly with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can also freeze this dish for up to 3 months and defrost it in the fridge before reheating it in the oven.
Tips:
- Leftover salsa chicken with rice makes a delicious filling for tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.
- The rice mix with salsa and chicken can easily be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator or freezer to make this casserole recipe at a later date.
- Use up leftover shredded chicken in this recipe. You could also
- If you have an oven-proof skillet, consider assembling the rest of the recipe ingredient layers on top of the rice in the skillet and bake. That’ll save you from having to clean a casserole dish.
- If you’re cooking your chicken specifically for this dish, consider doing so the day before to save some time.
- Cook regular long-grain rice for this dish instead of Spanish rice mix. You may like to add in some seasoning since the rice mix includes seasoning.
- Uncover the casserole dish for a few minutes before the end of the cooking time if you’d like a golden brown crust to form on the melted cheese topping.
- Speed up the cooking time in the skillet by using an instant rice mix instead of cooking dry, uncooked rice.
- Squirt some lime juice into the mix ingredients in the skillet while they simmer for a bit of a zing.
- Chopped chicken breast also works in this dish otherwise consider the convenience of rotisserie chicken. Turkey is another option.
- For added spice level, select a hot salsa.
- You can cook your own beans for this dish but then I recommend soaking and cooking them at least the day before.
- For extra meaty flavor, add in some cooked bacon pieces in addition to the shredded chicken.
Nutrition
Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 531mg | Potassium: 538mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 408IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 2mg