I’m still all about these easy, one dish dinners. This one is very similar to the ultra popular Taco Chicken Bowls, but it’s made in the oven and takes about an hour, as opposed to eight in a slow cooker. The directions go something like this: dump, stir, cover, cook, eat, be happy.
One little jar of salsa adds so much flavor to this dish that I almost feel like it’s cheating and the little bit of cheddar on top really made it rich and satisfying. Next time I might even try a little dollop of sour cream! Either way, this recipe was a no brainer to make and a definite tummy pleaser!
I used a couple Budget Bytes tricks to make it more affordable. As usual, I used reconstituted bouillon for the broth instead of canned chicken broth. I’ve also been buying big 2lb. bags of shredded cheese and then dividing them into four freezer bags (2 cups each, the same size as normal bags of shredded cheese) and this really saves me a lot. Then there’s the chicken. I still only buy my chicken breasts on sale. I can usually get them for $1.99/lb. (sometimes less!) if I really keep an eye out. I know not everyone will be able to find this deal, but it’s worth mentioning and looking out for!
Salsa Chicken Casserole
Salsa Chicken Casserole
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice ($0.33)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed ($0.52)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($1.39)
- 1 16oz. jar salsa ($1.99)
- 1 cup chicken broth ($0.15)
- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.03)
- 2 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs. total) ($2.99)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($0.94)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.17)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drain and briefly rinse the black beans. Add the dry rice, black beans, corn, salsa, chicken broth, chili powder, and oregano to an 8×8 inch casserole dish. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Cut the chicken breasts into three pieces each. Push the chicken pieces down into the rice salsa mixture in the casserole dish. Try to push them down as far into the liquid as they’ll go. Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil. Bake for one hour.
- Take the casserole dish out of the oven, test the rice with a fork to make sure it is tender. If it is not, recover the dish, return it to the oven, and bake for 10-15 minutes more. When the rice is tender, sprinkle the cheese over top and return the casserole to the oven for a few minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Add the sliced green onions on top after baking and serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Add the rice, beans, corn, and salsa to an 8×8 casserole dish. BUT, drain and rinse the beans first and thaw the corn first. I didn’t thaw my corn and it slowed my casserole down.
Add a cup of chicken broth to give the rice enough liquid to cook in (it will also get some liquid from the salsa). I decided after the fact to add a little extra chili powder and oregano, but you don’t have to stir the other ingredients together first. Stir those spices right in.
Cut each chicken breast into three pieces. My chicken was still partially frozen (I forgot to put it in the fridge the night before). If it was completely thawed, I would have flattened these pieces out a little bit more.
Push the chicken pieces down into the rice mixture – probably more so than I did here (I learn as I go, too).
Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil to hold all the steam in, and bake it in a preheated 375 degree oven for one hour. After an hour, use a fork to test some of the rice and make sure that it’s tender. If it’s not, simply recover the dish and bake a little bit longer (10-15 minutes). If your chicken and corn were thawed (unlike mine), you probably won’t need to put it back in the oven.
Once you know the rice is fully cooked, sprinkle some cheese over top and pop it back in the oven for just a few more minutes to melt the cheese. Then, when it comes out, add the sliced green onions on top. The end!
Want to look closer? Why not! nom.
Easy dinners make me happy.
Could you do this in a crock pot? How long would you cook it?
As the writer said at the very start of the article, “This one is very similar to the ultra popular Taco Chicken Bowls, but it’s made in the oven and takes about an hour, as opposed to eight in a slow cooker.”
Made this last night! I doubled the recipe, added 1 chopped red pepper, and used chicken tenders instead of breast. My rice was still a little firm after an hour (even though the chicken and corn were thawed) so I put it back in for 12 minutes and then it was perfect. We all loved it.
I used plain white rice (not instant)… brown rice does take quite a bit longer to cook than white rice normally, so I’m not sure how long it would take with this method.
I put this in with uncooked brown rice and after an hour the rice wasn’t cooked at all. Did you use instant rice when you made it?
Jennifer – I think it might be difficult to stir in smashed beans like you can the whole beans. I think you’re better off using whole.
I just made a big batch of (not) refried beans. Do you think they would work in this, in place of the canned beans?
This looks fabulous. I might have to try (but shred the chicken)
Kathy, i bet you could use bone-in thighs and it would be amazing. It may add to the cooking time, but the bones would add to the flavor too!
I don’t know which one I like better know, the chicken bowls or the casseroleeee :O I guess I will have to make both and see! :D
Looks great. I’m in Canada, where boneless, skinless, chicken breasts are super-expensive, unfortunately.
Mmm this looks delish! I love your taco chicken bowls and this looks even better…think I’ll be making this on the weekend. YAY!! LOVE your site Beth :)
Excellent! I’ve been buying my chicken breast at Sam’s – they’re usually $1.99 or $1.88 there!
Mina – I think this would freeze excellently!
I’d love to make several pans of this and freeze them for other families! Now, would I put it all together and freeze without baking first? Or would I bake it all first, let cool,freeze, and then just thaw and warm back-up?…worried about drying it out.
I think I would bake, cool, then freeze. As long as you keep it covered while reheating, I don’t think it will dry out. I think baking first is a better idea because it already takes quite a while to bake as is, so if you try to bake it from frozen it will take even longer and possibly not bake evenly because the center will take so long to reach temperature. That’s just my guess, though, I’ve never tried it.
How well do you think this would freeze? It looks amazing for work lunches!
Looks fabulous and easy peasy! I wonder if Instant Brown Rice would work??? I may have to try it and report back.
I used a cup of brown rice with about 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, because I wanted a soupier base. I had to add on about an extra thirty minutes, and the rice was perfect. There actually wasn’t much liquid leftover by the time we’d pulled it out to cool, either.
Just made this and it was amazing!! Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, added half a packet of taco seasoning and used 10 min success right. Everything was cooked perfectly in 1 hour. Added some diced jalepenos and sour cream on top to serve. Delicious and so easy for a weeknight meal.Thank you for a new recipe in our rotation!