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.
The recipe as shown on TipHero has a BIG error — like 1-1/2 t of cayenne pepper. Whoa Nellie!
Love this recipe! Will be making a post about it!
http://www.lifeonwaller.com
I made it tonight. It was tastey but I think I’ll add more seasoning next time. Also I have to cook it for over two hours for my rice to cook. I followed the directions to the T so not sure if others have had this issue? My chicken was completely thawed as was the corn…?
Just made this tonight! It is delicious! I had to tweak it a little bit. I used canned corn and red beans (no black beans on hand). I also used taco seasoning instead of the other spices since I did not have them. The rice came out perfect. The chicken was nice and tender. My picky husband devoured it. Thanks so much!!
Has anyone tried this with quinoa instead of rice? I assume the cook time would be the same??
Just put it in the oven! The only thing I did different was used Rice-a-roni because that was all I had on hand and added some extra broth to make up for the extra rice. Can’t wait for supper!!☺
Loved this! One of our favorite family dinners! Even my 4 and 5 year old like it. So easy and just delicious!!@
First and foremost, thank you for such an awesome site! I have tried a number of your recipes, and each one has been flavorful and simple. I found your site accidentally – I’m not really too concerned from a budgetary standpoint, but in the same breath, I’m not one who cares for overly exotic ingredients and cooking techniques. I’m a simple man who wants to be able to provide a tasty meal to my family after a long day at work.
Now, with all of this being said, I made your Salsa Chicken Cassserole tonight, and it was fantastic! I modified a few things (I’m a guy – it’s in our DNA), but I will definitely make this again! I cooked mine in a 12″ cast iron pan, and used 3 chicken breasts, cut in 1/2 (butterflied?). I know this goes against the grain of a 1 dish meal, but I browned the chicken breast a little, and also browned the rice a little prior to adding the other ingredients. When it was done, I plated for everyone, and added a small dollop of sour cream on the rice, and fresh chopped cilantro on top of everything. One thing I have noticed in the comments is that people say the rice wouldn’t cook – mine was just perfect, but I made sure that the tinfoil was quite secure on the pan. Next time I’m going to need to make a double batch, and I think I’ll have some corn tortillas on the side – it went QUICKLY!
So thank you for doing what you do! Keep up the fantastic work! I will continue to poach recipes from you!
What kind of rice did you use? Minute Rice or regular. I used Minute Rice and the rice tasted overcooked.
Regular rice.
I’m making this right now and though it’s been in the oven an hour, I just pulled it out and the rice is still hard! Could I have done something wrong??
Mines been in the oven 2 hours and the rice is still hard =[
Amazing food!It is one of my favourite foods. My family loves it.🎉🍜
Can you use Quinoq or other healthy grains instead of rice?
That would require changing the liquid ratios, so I can’t say exactly without testing it out.
You DEFINITELY can! I just made it tonight. I used the same amount of quinoa, made it in a bigger dish (9×13) and doubled the amount of chicken stock (2 cups instead of 1). We only cooked it about 40mins and the texture was fantastic. I added a little more chili powder and a little more oregano to offset the amount of liquid I added. AND we forgot the cheese and it was still delicious!! I also used canned corn instead of frozen, thawed corn and it also tasted lovely.
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!!
Alayna
This was good but I did cook the rice half way in microwave before adding after reading some of the other comments about rice not being done. I also thought that the chicken would be bland without seasonings on it so I added some kickin chicken spice and garlic pepper to the top of chicken. Family loved it
I can’t wait to make this! Can I used canned corn instead of frozen?
Yes, just make sure to drain it well. Frozen has a better flavor, but canned will work in a pinch.
I doubled this recipe for my family and they LOVED IT! I didn’t have any problems at all with my rice or chicken cooking- I cooked for about 1/2 hour longer because I doubled it.
Thanks for this recipe! :-) I shared it with my sister and my niece too! Everyone loves it :-)
Oops meant to give it 5 stars!!! :-)
Not sure why…but my rice did not cook. I ended up cooking it for 1.5 hours and the rice was not even close to being cooked. I gave up because my family was so hungry, and ended up just picking out the chicken to eat…what a waste of the rest of the ingredients.
Same thing happened to me.