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Salsa Chicken Casserole Recipe with cheese melted on top and scallions sprinkled over. A spatula is sitting in the corner where some of the casserole has been removed. A bowl of tomatoes is in the lower right and cilantro in the upper left.

Easy Salsa Chicken Casserole Recipe

This easy Salsa Chicken Casserole Recipe is filled with so much flavor you won’t believe it was so easy to make. You get hearty seasoned chicken with tangy chunky salsa that cooks with the rice, black beans, cilantro, scallions, and smoky Mexican seasonings. Then the whole thing is topped with melty cheese. Every bite is mouthwatering delicious. The best part is that the rice and and everything else cooks in the one casserole dish! This is a great one to make on a Sunday and enjoy on a busy weeknight.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword casserole, chicken, chicken and rice
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Carrie Tyler

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 lb Chicken Breast boneless skinless
  • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Casserole

  • 1 ½ cup White Long Grain Rice, uncooked
  • 15 oz Cooked Black Beans, canned (or 1 cup, 6 oz, dry beans soaked overnight)
  • 23-24 oz Chunky Tomato Salsa (about 2 cups)
  • 3 cups Chicken broth or stock, unsalted
  • ½ cup Fresh Cilantro chopped
  • 3 Scallions green onions
  • 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Cumin
  • 2 teaspoon Oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 10-12 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Taco Blend

Optional Toppings

  • ½ cup Sour Cream
  • 1 Tomato large
  • ½ cup Fresh Cilantro chopped

Instructions

Prep-Ahead Steps

  1. If your chicken is not already cut into thin strips, do that now. Sprinkle the chili powder, cumin, and salt over the chicken, then rub the seasonings to coat all of the chicken.

  2. Thin Slice the scallions. ¾ will go into the casserole, ¼ will be saved for the top.

Cooking Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Rinse the rice under warm water in a strainer until the water runs clear. Add the rice to the casserole dish.

  2. To the rice in the casserole dish, add the chunky salsa, black beans, Chicken broth or stock, chopped Cilantro, ¾ of the scallions (the remaining will go on top at the end), garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt. Stir to combine all of the ingredients.

  3. Preheat a skillet on high, add a teaspoon of Olive Oil and spread around. Add the chicken breasts strips to the hot skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side just to get browned. Then add the chicken to the rice mixture.
  4. Stir to combine, then tightly cover with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 30 minutes.
  5. After 30 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven and add a layer of cheese. Place back in the oven uncovered for 10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and melted.

  6. Plate, drizzle with sour cream, sprinkle with diced tomatoes, and garnish with scallions.