Chicken and Rice Enchilada Casserole

Chicken and Rice Enchilada Casserole features all the flavors of authentic enchiladas in the form of an easy chicken and rice casserole! This healthy dinner recipe requires little prep and is amazing for meal prep!

If you tried my Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Casserole I posted several months ago, I’m back with a brand new version 2.0!

For those of you who love enchiladas with red enchilada sauce and are looking for the easiest, most comforting Mexican casserole, this Chicken and Rice Enchilada Casserole was made with you in mind.

It boasts a big enchilada flavor without all the hassle of making actual enchiladas. Truly, even the novice cook can excel at preparing this goof-proof casserole! It’s just one of those incredibly easy recipes.

In addition to the delicious authentic Mexican flavors infused in this simple casserole recipe, I love how quickly it comes together and how easy it is to make.

We simply dump all of the ingredients into a large casserole dish, give them a stir, then bake!

In the words of Ina Garten, how easy is that?

Ideal for weekly meal prep for busy weeknights, for serving friends and family, or for any special occasion, this well-seasoned cheesy casserole is an absolute dream and amazing comfort food.

Let’s discuss the simple healthy ingredients needed to make this delicious chicken and rice casserole recipe.

Ingredients for Chicken and Rice Enchilada Casserole:

Onion, Bell Pepper, and Garlic: The veggies used in this easy casserole recipe! The combination of onion, bell pepper and garlic brings a great deal of flavor and adds to the authentic Mexican enchilada flavors.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: We chop up a couple boneless chicken breasts for lean protein and deliciousness! The combination of rice and chicken in this cheesy casserole recipe makes for a highly satiating and palatable meal. Use chicken thighs instead of breasts if you’d like! If you happen to have rotisserie chicken on hand, you can easily swap out the breasts for shredded chicken.

Chili Powder: A little chili powder is used to help season the meal with yummy flavor. Swap it out for homemade taco seasoning if you’d like.

White Rice: Rather than using flour tortillas or corn tortillas, this casserole recipe uses rice as the starch and the element that brings everything together nicely in a flavor factory of bliss. We use white rice because it doesn’t require very much time to cook, making it ideal for a dump and bake casserole recipe like this.

Stick with white rice, as brown rice requires more baking time. If you truly want to use brown rice, you can cook 2 cups ahead of time and add the cooked rice to the casserole.

If you go this route, you can reduce the chicken broth to ½ cup as the rice will already be cooked and won’t need to absorb as much liquid.

Enchilada Sauce & Chicken Broth: The combination of enchilada sauce and chicken broth acts both as the delicious flavorful sauce to give the casserole that iconic enchilada flavor, and as the liquid to cook the rice. Because the rice is tossed in the casserole dish uncooked, it requires liquid for absorption to become soft.

Use store-bought canned red enchilada sauce (this is what I do) or make homemade enchilada sauce. Green enchilada sauce works too!

The chicken broth can be swapped for cups of water but a little of the rich chicken flavor will be lost.

Cheese: Not only does cheese add utter undeniable deliciousness to everything it touches, but it also brings a gooeyness and a glue-ness to the casserole. It helps hold everything together, similar to lasagna so you end up with easily scoopable, thick and delectable delicious cheesy chicken and rice.

The recipe calls for three cups of grated colby jack cheese, but you can use cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, white cheddar, or your favorite melting cheese.

You can also scale the amount of cheese up or down according to your personal taste. The more cheese you use, the more flavorful and enticing (and calorically dense) the casserole will be.

Salt: Seasoning the casserole with salt helps enhance all of the individual flavors so that the meal turns out teeming with flavor. Add black pepper to taste.

Optional Additions:

• Add 1 can of black beans, green chiles or corn (or both) if you’d like.
• Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of garlic powder or onion powder for even more flavor.
• If you have leftover chicken and leftover cooked rice on hand, you can employ them in this casserole recipe. Simply omit the chicken broth and bake the casserole just until everything is thick and bubbly (about 30 to 40 minutes).

For Serving:

Pick and choose any of your favorite toppings or enjoy the casserole as it. It’s delicious on its own! Avocado, cilantro, sour cream, salsa are amazing options for topping the casserole. 

Hearty chicken for protein, starchy white rice for carbs, and plenty of ooey-gooey melty cheese for flavor, this win of a recipe will surely please the whole family. Plus, it is also easily adjustable for those who track their macros for specific fitness goals.

Now that we’re experts on the ingredients for this easy chicken enchilada casserole, let’s make it!

How to Make Chicken and Rice Enchilada Casserole:

If you’re making your own Homemade Enchilada Sauce, you can do so up to 5 days in advance.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the chopped onion, bell peppers, garlic, chopped chicken, chili powder, white rice, and corn to a large (13” x 9”) casserole dish or baking dish.

Stir in the enchilada sauce, chicken broth, and sea salt and stir well. Similarly, stir in half of the cheese (1 ½ cups).

Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, give everything a stir, then sprinkle with the remaining (1 1/2 cups) of grated cheese. The casserole will appear very liquidy at this point – this is normal!

Turn your oven on the high broil setting and broil for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the cheese is golden-brown.

Serve the chicken and rice enchilada casserole with tortilla chips and any additional favorite toppings, such as cherry tomatoes, avocado, lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream, etc.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also cover the casserole dish tightly with plastic wrap. 

Like most casserole recipes, this chicken enchilada casserole recipe tastes even better the next day!

And that’s it! A delightful hearty casserole with blow-your-mind flavor that you’ll want to keep coming back to over and over.

If you love healthy casserole recipes, also check these out!

More Healthy Casserole Recipes:

• Wild Rice Chicken Casserole 
• Tuna Noodle Casserole 
• Greek Sausage Breakfast Casserole with Spinach and Feta
• Cheesy Vegetable and Brown Rice Casserole 
• Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole 
• Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Casserole 
• Tuna Rice Casserole

The next time you’re craving enchiladas but want dinner on the table in under an hour, whip up this chicken and rice enchilada casserole!

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