Southwest Chicken Casserole
Easy, cheesy, family-friendly dinner coming in hot! This Southwest Chicken Casserole is loaded with tender chicken, black beans, corn, salsa, rice, and plenty of melty cheese.
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This is one of my favorite kinds of recipes—it’s a “shop your pantry” dinner. On nights when I don’t feel like cooking much or just haven’t made a big grocery run, this is my go-to. It’s packed with black beans, canned corn, salsa, rice, and chicken. Best part? It’s pretty healthy, too. Bonus!
Just swing by the store to grab a rotisserie chicken on your way home and you’re all set. I also love using my 3-Ingredient Salsa Chicken in this recipe when I make a batch.
This recipe is super forgiving and totally customizable. Don’t have rotisserie chicken? Use leftover chicken, cook up some breasts or thighs and chop them, or even use canned chicken in a pinch. You can swap black beans for pinto or navy beans, use Rotel with green chiles instead of salsa, and toss in whatever veggies you have—think bell peppers, spinach, or even broccoli florets.
My favorite part (aside from the five-minute prep time and being ready in under 30 minutes) is all the toppings. Creamy avocado, a dollop of sour cream, crisp shredded lettuce, juicy tomatoes, or spicy jalapeños—pile them on!
Save this recipe for those nights when you need dinner fast and want to use what’s already in your kitchen. It’s a lifesaver!
Ingredients
- 9×13 Baking Dish
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, cubed (or cooked chicken), or use the chicken from a batch of Salsa Chicken
- 1 cup minute rice, uncooked (white or brown)- this is the instant rice. You can use long grain rice, but it will take up to 1 hour to cook through, so keep that in mind.
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth– you can also use vegetable broth or water. Chicken broth adds great flavor to the rice.
- 15oz can corn, drained – or frozen, but thawed, corn
- 15 Oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 16oz jar salsa– your favorite! Salsa Verde works as well. Tip: if the salsa is watery (such as a Pico de Gallo type), be sure to drain it first because the extra liquid will mess up the casserole.
- Jalapeños– chopped, optional
- Seasonings– chili powder, cumin, onion powder
- 2 cups fiesta blend shredded cheese
How To Make It
Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly coat a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Combine: Add the rice and chicken broth to the baking dish and stir to combine.
Make the Filling: In a separate bowl, mix together the chicken, corn, black beans, salsa, jalapeños, and seasonings until well combined.
Put It Together: Spoon the chicken mixture evenly over the rice. Do not stir—make sure the rice remains submerged in the broth to cook properly.
Bake: Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
Make It Cheesy: Remove the foil, gently fluff the rice with a fork, and mix in the chicken filling. Sprinkle the shredded fiesta cheese over the top and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Finish It: Top with your favorite garnishes—green onions, cilantro, avocado, sour cream, or extra salsa—and enjoy!
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Help! My Rice Didn’t Cook
If your rice came out crunchy in a chicken and rice casserole, don’t worry—it’s a common issue! Here are the most likely reasons and how to fix them:
- The dish wasn’t tightly covered – Steam is what cooks the rice in a casserole. Always cover the dish tightly with foil before baking to trap the steam inside. If the foil is loose, the liquid evaporates and leaves the rice undercooked.
- Oven temperature differences – Every oven runs a little differently. Begin checking the doneness of the chicken and rice at around 25 minutes. If the rice is still firm, keep baking another 5-10 minutes. My casserole always takes 25 minutes. My oven tends to run hot.
- Wrong type of rice – Long grain rice and instant rice behave very differently. If you are using long grain rice, it will need more time; about 1 hour, but up to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Also be careful to not bake the casserole too long when using instant rice because it can turn mushy.
- Not enough bake time – Sometimes the casserole just needs more time. A few extra minutes in the oven can make all the difference in getting perfectly fluffy rice.
There’s a lot of liquid in my casserole after baking
When assembling the casserole, be mindful of any ingredients that may add extra liquid. If you’re using a watery salsa or pico de gallo, drain off the excess liquid first to keep the rice from becoming soggy. Also, be sure to drain the black beans and corn well before adding them to the casserole.
Can I use regular brown rice instead of instant rice?
Yes! You can use regular uncooked brown rice, but it will need more liquid and a longer cooking time than instant rice.
For this recipe, substitute 1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice for the instant rice and increase the chicken broth to 2 cups.
Cover the casserole tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for about 60 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Start checking around 50 minutes. If the rice is still firm, add a splash of warm chicken broth, cover, and continue baking until tender.
Once the rice is cooked, fluff it gently with a fork, stir the casserole together, add the cheese, and return it to the oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Keep in mind: Regular brown rice will make this casserole take longer to cook than the instant-rice version, so it won’t be a 30-minute dinner when made this way.
More 30 Minute Meals
- Sheet Pan Lemon Butter Shrimp
- Mississippi Burger Sliders
- Doritos Taco Casserole
- American Goulash
- Marry Me Chicken with Orzo
- Chicken a la King
Southwest Chicken Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken shredded (or cooked chicken)
- 1 cup minute rice uncooked (white or brown)
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 15 oz canned sweet corn drained
- 15 Oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 16 oz jar salsa drain if your salsa is extra watery, see note
- Jalapeños minced, optional
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 cups fiesta blend shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly coat a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- Add the rice and chicken broth to the baking dish and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the chicken, corn, black beans, salsa, jalapeños, and seasonings until well combined.
- Spoon the chicken mixture evenly over the rice. Do not stir—make sure the rice remains submerged in the broth to cook properly.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- Remove the foil, gently fluff the rice with a fork, and mix in the chicken filling. Sprinkle the shredded fiesta cheese over the top and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top with your favorite garnishes—green onions, cilantro, avocado, sour cream, or extra salsa—and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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So good! My family devoured an entire pan for dinner. No one complained… that’s a first for my picky crew! I guess I’ll need to double this recipe next time.
That’s a HUGE win! Thank you for sharing!
How did this recipe turn out when it called for 1 cup rice and two cups chicken broth ? I thought ratio was one to one on instant rice. Mine is like soup. So disappointed. Still have it in the oven trying to salvage it.
Hi Judy- I sent you an email on this
This is oh oh so delicious that my husband asked me to make it again few days later. Thank you for this recipe as well as others.
Happy Cookin’ 💕
So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing!
Can this be made in the InstaPot?
I haven’t tested it in an instapot, but I’m sure it could be converted. Let us know if you try and how it works out!
The whole family enjoyed this meal tonight. It was easy to fix and that is a win in itself.
That is a win! Woo!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times! Do you think you can make this in the crockpot!
So happy to hear! I haven’t tried it in a crock pot but that’s a good idea
How do you suggest swapping out instant rice for regular brown rice?
Yes, you could use brown rice instead-use 1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice and 2 cups chicken broth instead of 1¼ cups (everything else the same) and then cover tightly in foil and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the rice is tender. I’ll add the instructions to the post.