Easy and Cheesy- Green Chile, Chicken and Rice Casserole
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This Cheesy Green Chile, Chicken and Rice Casserole is a flavorful and hearty casserole that will definitely keep you warm and full in the upcoming winter months.
September is National Family Meal Month
Did you know September was National Family Meal Month? Family meals eaten at home have been proven to benefit the health and wellness of children and adolescents, fight obesity, substance abuse and to make families stronger.)
Who would say no to that?
To celebrate and give you one more easy and yummy meal option for your family’s meal, I’m sharing this Cheesy Green Chile, Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe with you today.
Cheesy Green Chile, Chicken and Rice Casserole
This hearty Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole will definitely keep you warm and full in the upcoming winter months.
My family loves just about anything made using green chiles as an ingredient. (I have several recipes featuring green chiles, you can check them out here ==>> green chile recipes.)
I personally prefer green chiles over jalapenos. I think their flavor is better and they are less spicy. (Foods with too much spice just don’t go over well with the kids or me for that matter, lol.)
If you are someone who likes a bit of kick, definitely add in some diced jalapenos to crank the flavor up a notch.
I make a similar casserole (with just the rice) as a side dish to go with taco or enchiladas; but for this dish, I wanted to make it a complete meal. I doubled the recipe and added in a generous serving of diced chicken and make it into a dinner casserole.
Ingredients in this Green Chile Chicken and Rice Casserole:
(Ingredients at a glance. Grab the full recipe at the bottom of the post.)
- Olive oil
- oninon, bell peppers and diced green chiles
- pre-cooked chicken
- milk
- egg
- sour cream
- Spices | cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and pepper
- Shredded cheese | (I used a combo of white cheddar and pepper jack, but Monterey Jack is really good too.)
- Rice | Precooked
Diced Rotisserie chicken is delicious in this recipe, but if you don’t have any Rotisserie chicken on hand, canned chicken will work in a pinch. (I always keep a can of chicken in my pantry for last-minute recipes just like this one.)
This Tex-Mex Version of a Chicken and Rice Casserole is Easy to Make!
Since this Cheesy Green Chile Chicken and Rice Recipe is made with pre-cooked chicken (like rotisserie or canned) and precooked rice. (I usually do minute rice in the microwave.) Pretty much all you are doing is sauteing your peppers and onions then tossing everything together and then baking in the oven.
I like recipes like this – once I put it in the oven, the 30 minute baking time is perfect for rounding up the kids and having “cleaning time”, lol! (Or maybe do a workout – although cleaning tends to be a pretty good workout for me.)
My favorite aspect of this Green Chile, Chicken and Rice Casserole dish, is that it covers all the bases: protein, carbs, fat, and dairy. Just add a side salad and it’s a perfect well-rounded dinner.
Dare I say, it’s even better the next day as leftovers?
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Easy and Cheesy- Green Chile, Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 4 oz cans diced green chiles, drained well
- 10 oz diced, pre-cooked chicken
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- Plenty of salt and pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combo of white cheddar and pepper jack, but Monterey Jack is really good too.)
- 4 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. rub olive oil on the sides and bottom of a large casserole dish.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute onions and bell peppers with olive oil until they begin to brown. Set aside.
- Combine the rice, chicken, 1 1/2 cup of the cheese, green chilies, sour cream, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper and onion mixture to the casserole dish and combine well. (Give the mixture a taste to make sure you have enough salt, pepper and cayenne.)
- In a separate bowl, whisk together milk and egg. Add milk and egg to the rice mixture
- Top the casserole with remaining shredded cheese and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Serve with an extra dollop of sour cream and enjoy!
Notes
- Double the chicken for extra protein.
- Make sure to taste your mixture to confirm it has enough salt, pepper and cayenne.
- If you like lots of cheese, you can add more on top!
Still hungry? Be sure to check these recipes out:
Slow Cooker Corn and Sausage Chowder
Cheesy Penne w/ Meatballs (20 minute meal)
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Do you stir in/combine the milk/egg to the rice mixture or simply pour it over the top before adding the cheese? Thanks!
I give it a good stir so it is combined throughout the dish.
Good recipe, tasted great. I used pork loin. Great with Tostitos or cornbread.
★★★★★
Very Good, but I added sautéed Broccoli.
★★★★
I tried it! It came out great!
★★★★★
This is beyond delish. Have made it several times and it is always a big hit.
★★★★★
Delicious & easy. I put it into single portions and freeze for my aging MIL. IT’s one of her favorites.
★★★★★
Delicious! Definitely one to put into the rotation, family loved it!
★★★★★
So good! Used Spanish rice instead.
★★★★★
easy to make, added shrooms & peas..
★★★★★
This was good. Will make again, will also find a way to not use so many pots, skillets and bowls that are required before getting it into the casserole dish.
★★★★
This good and will make again! I will change a few things. Double the meat and maybe use Andouille sausage or Chorizo sausage with the chicken. More cheese!
★★★★★
I love this recipe and I have very picky eaters- husband and 3 kids! They all loved it. Thank you. And it was so easy to make.
★★★★★
I am going to make this tonight. I only have a green bell pepper, not an yellow. Will that work?
sure, if you like green bell peppers, it will be fine.
Two thumbs up from two picky eaters that don’t particularly like chicken.
Can you make before hand and cook the next day?
I don’t see why not.
This is one of the best recipes using canned chicken breast I’ve found. It isn’t immediately obvious that the chicken is canned, which is the case most of the time in my opinion. I cooked Mahatma long-grain white rice to use in this casserole, doubled the chicken (I always rinse canned chicken in a colander with warm water to help with the canned taste), only used 1 can of green chilies plus around 3-4 Tbsp of chopped, tamed jalapeno slices, and used sharp cheddar. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Even the very picky BF (think 5 year old picky) loved it! I’m sure it’s even better with “real” chicken. Thank you so much for sharing! This one goes in my regular rotation.
★★★★★
I never even thought of rinsing th3e chicken, I will try that next.
We loved this. I added twice as much chicken and half as much rice.
★★★★★
Really liked how easy this was to make and used up a lot of pantry staples. I think next time I will add 1 can of black beans, it would go great with all these flavors. I loved her suggestion of using sharp white cheddar, really tasty! I used 2 cans of canned chicken and also only had 1 can of green chiles and it still tasted fine.
★★★★
I didn’t use canned chicken. I cooked chicken thighs after soaking in pickle juice and milk.
Deliciouso! Just the way it’s presented.
★★★★
I just made this and it is in the oven. In your recipe, you did not mention adding the chilies. I did, but thought you might want to edit the recipe.
★★★★★
thank you for the comment, I have made the adjustment.
It says 4 cups cooked rice. So recipe wise your cooking rice on stove top first and then adding to casserole? Please specify
Yes, 4 cups cooked rice. Leftover rice, precooked rice. However you want to do it.
I did make it will cauliflower instead of rice. I used already ‘riced’ cauliflower that I got in the freezer section at Costco. Next time, I will make sure it is thawed and patted dry. I also add 1 egg to the egg/milk mixture. I used a 9×12 cake pan covered in foil until the last 10 minutes. My husband LOVED it, so that’s a good thing for me. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★
Does this casserole freeze well?
I was wondering the same, does it freeze well and would you freeze it before or after baking it? Thank you.
I have no attempted to freeze this dish, so I cannot speak on freeze-ability. Maybe someone who has will chime in.
Looking for good freezer meals. How would this freeze? Looks so yummy
I haven’t tried it, let us know if you do… Maybe someone else will chime in.
The recipe didn’t specify, did you use raw chicken?
Oops, It used to say canned chicken, but I took that out and meant to say cooked chicken. So yes, cooked chicken, thanks!
This looks and sounds so yummy! I can’t have eggs. Can I make it without the egg?
I have not tried it, but give it a shot, but I bet it will be fine. Let us know how it goes.
Planning to make this for dinner tonight. What type of rice did you use?
You also don’t say how much cheese goes in the casserole so that I know how much should go on top.
Reserve about 1/2 cup for the top.
It was just regular instant white rice.
I made this tonight and it was very dry. What did I do wrong? I mixed the ingredients together in a bowl before putting it into the casserole. Yours looks so juicy!
It’s hard to say, the fat content of the milk, chicken and cheese might play a role. Did you use anything low fat? Or maybe your rice still needed to cook more and ended up absorbing a lot of the liquid?
Has anyone tried making this with cauliflower rice?
I haven’t, but I think you should do it! Let us know how it turns out.
I made this with a 12 oz can of chicken and only one can of chili’s. It was more than spicy, we used sour cream to tone it down.
I would make this again but with way less green chilis
I have just finished making this and love it. Thank you for a recipe that’s easy to cut in half. Did it exactly but added corn and black beans for more of a one dish, add saslad. Love the idea of using as a filler for tacos!
I can’t wait to try this! I added a can of corn and poured a can of green enchilada sauce over the top before adding the last of the cheese. Thank you for this recipe!
I made this today and it was very, very good and so easy!! The 2 cans of green chilies really gave it a good flavor. We are going to use some of the leftovers in tortillas with a green chili sauce (and cheese of course!). Thank you for such a great recipe!!
Sounds delicious! I'm always on the lookout for a new recipe to try. Thanks for sharing on "Best of the Weekend" so that I could discover your recipe.
This sounds so good! I love green chile!
You had me at easy! Always on the lookout for fast weeknight meal ideas!
I do like casseroles that can be put together in a jiffy. They are especially good for sports event nights!
This looks like it would make a yummy dinner! I'm not sure the rest of my family would eat it but I know I'd enjoy it!
Yum! That looks and sounds amazing. I think my hubby would really like this!
Oh my goodness…This looks delish! I love how quick and easy it is. Perfect comfort food on a busy day!
This reminds me so much of my childhood! My mom is the queen of casseroles. I can't wait to share this one with her.
Oh that looks so good! I love how easy the canned chicken makes it.
That sounds like a great idea. I always have canned items like that in my pantry waiting for a good idea to come along