Enjoy the best parts of taco night with easy Mexican chicken rice casserole recipe. The whole family will love this hearty, flavorful dish combining tender chicken, rice, cheese, beans, and tortilla chips (or swap out some zesty Doritos). If that is not reason enough to dive in, the simple required ingredients makes this a gluten-free Mexican casserole all can enjoy!
In large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the peppers and onions until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds longer.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 red pepper, 1 small onion, 2 cloves garlic
Add the chicken to the skillet and cook 4-5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink on outside (it will finish cooking through later). Stir in taco seasoning.
Add the salsa, chicken broth, and rice to the skillet. Bring to boil, cover, turn heat down and simmer for 22 minutes, our until rice is tender. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350ºF.
1 cup salsa, 1 cup chicken broth, ½ cup white rice
Remove lid (there may still be liquid on top, but once mixture is stirred the extra liquid will be absorbed). Stir in beans, sour cream, cilantro, and ½ cup shredded cheese. Remove from heat.
15 ounce can black beans, ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
In a 9X13 pan, greased with cooking spray, layer half of the chicken mixture and top with half of the chips. Repeat layer with second half of chicken and chips. Sprinkle remaining cheese over chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is hot throughout. Serve with desired toppings.
3 cups lightly crushed tortilla chips or Doritos, 2 cups shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese
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Notes
Make-Ahead Notes
Prepare the skillet portion up to two days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. When ready to serve, for best results, let the chicken rice filling sit at room temperature or warm slightly before using.Layer casserole as instructed with slightly warmed or room temp filling. Depending on the temperature of the filling you may have to bake for 10-15 minutes longer than recipe calls for.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days. For the best reheating, I recommend using an oven so the chips become crunchy again. Loosely cover with foil and bake in an oven-safe dish in a 300ºF oven. You may also microwave single-serving portions, but the chips will become a little soggy. For a shortcut, rewarm in the microwave, sprinkle on a little more cheese, and then transfer to an oven or toaster oven to broil and crisp!ADDITIONAL NOTES:Recipe was updated 3/20/20 to reduce the amount of rice, broth, salsa and sour cream. Original recipe was posted with 1 cup uncooked rice, 2 cups chicken broth, 2 cups salsa, and 1 cup sour cream. Update 2/13/24: I removed 1 cup canned or frozen corn from the recipe, but you may stir it in with the beans, if desired. I found it made the rice filling a little creamier to not add an extra ingredient.