This Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake is an easy weeknight recipe loaded with a fiesta of flavors! Layers of tender veggies, shredded chicken, beans and spices are topped with melty cheese for a delicious Mexican-inspired casserole.
Good Monday morning to everyone 🙂 Can anyone else believe it’s almost the end of the school year! Summer is going to be here before we know it.
I’ve got a great weeknight recipe for you today. Lots of delicious Mexican flavors, we really enjoyed this one last week! I took lots of pics, so I’ll let my photos do the talking……
Heat your olive oil into a large skillet….
Pour your veggi’s in! I used onion, anaheim pepper and sweet peppers to start.
Saute for about 5 minutes…..
Then stir in your minced garlic…
Stir in 4 Cups cooked steamed rice…
Break out the cumin….
Sprinkle into rice…..lots of it!
Add your kosher salt and pepper…
Use any shredded chicken breast you would like. I was having a lazy night, so yes, I used my canned Costco chicken 🙂
Here’s what I seasoned the chicken layer with…Lawry’s, ranch dry seasoning and some salsa, yum!
Let the layering begin..start with the corn, then the beans, the cilantro, the chicken then top with cheese and Bake!!
Delish!!
Layered Mexican Chicken Rice Bake
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 anaheim chili pepper (it’s mild), finely diced
1 1/2 Cups chopped sweet peppers
1 1/2 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic
4 Cups cooked/steamed rice
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
2 Cups shredded chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt
1/2 teaspoon dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
1/2 Cup prepared Salsa (I used Herdez, mild)
1 can corn, drained
1 can red kidney beans (or any bean of choice), drained
1/2 Cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and peppers for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in cooked rice, season with cumin and reduce heat to low. Transfer mixed rice to a 9×13 inch baking dish.
2. Place chicken breast into a medium skillet over medium heat. Season with Lawry’s, ranch seasoning and salsa; mix and reduce heat to low. Pour corn over rice. Next layer the beans, cilantro, chicken and top with cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.
3. Serve with hot sauce if desired 🙂
8 servings
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Have a great new week! Come back soon for a new cookie that is going to knock your socks off! 🙂
Layered Mexican Chicken Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium white onion finely chopped
- 1 chili pepper (I use Anaheim chili since it's mild), finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups sweet peppers chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 cups shredded chicken breast
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt (I use Lawry's Garlic Salt)
- 1/2 tbsp Dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
- 1/2 cup salsa (I used Herdez, mild)
- 1 can corn drained
- 1 can red kidney beans (or any bean of choice), drained
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and peppers for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Stir in cooked rice, season with cumin and reduce heat to low. Transfer mixed rice to a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Place chicken breast into a medium skillet over medium heat. Season with Lawry's, ranch seasoning and salsa; mix and reduce heat to low. Pour corn over rice. Next layer the beans, cilantro, chicken and top with cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with hot sauce if desired.
Nutrition
Welcome to my online kitchen! Picky Palate is where you’ll find family friendly recipes along with the best Disney eats, tips and copycat recipes! 
We made this tonight. My family gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. That’s really high for my family. My hubby says he could use a little more spice but otherwise no changes. We did follow the recipe as written. Next time maybe I’ll use chili beans and hot salsa. This recipe is amazing on it’s own.
Glad to hear your family enjoyed!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for the huge review, but I m really love the new Zune, and i wish this, as well as the bad reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it s the right choice for you.
This looks really good! I’m glad I came across your blog, the recipes all look so yummy!
This dinner was so yummy!! The whole family loved it. I used black beans and canned chili’s instead of the anaheims. We had it the next night as a burrito filling. I chopped up a mango to add inside and it was DELICIOUS!!! Thanks for the great recipes.
I was looking for a new mexican recipe to try out and this one looks perfect. I think I’ll make it this weekend for Memorial Day and report back how well everyone enjoyed it.
My goodness, that just looks like it’s exploding with flavor! And of course, anything with rice gets my attention. 🙂
I adore anything Mexican, this looks marvelous!
Yay! So glad I stumbled across your blog!! Made this for dinner tonight and now I’m bummed because I have to leave for a meeting. Tasted it and its sooooo yummy! Thanks for sharing! I’ll be wading through your backlog of recipes with glee now. 🙂
YUM! This looks fabulous, my mouth is watering! It looks SO good I had to share your link on my blog.
What a fresh and pretty dish (not to mention easy)!
I just found your blog. You have RIDICULOUSLY amazing recipes!
Thanks Jessica!! Great to have you at Picky Palate 🙂
I LOVE Mexican food, so you automatically had my ears perking up with this one!
Sounds like an amazing dish, love it!
This looks absolutely delicious! I would love this for dinner.
Now I have a reason to buy the chicken in the can. I am always at costco and pass by it wondering how I would use it. Your recipe looks soooooo delicious!!!!
Looks yummy! Love the colors!
Making this tonight. Looks delicious, quick, and simple. I think it’s going to be a winner.
This looks wonderful! Good home-cooked mexican, great recipe!
Thanks for the inspiration. I am making a variation of this for dinner,based on what I have in my pantry and fridge, of course. Also adding some crushed up bottom of the bag tortilla chips as a topping.
What a great chicken recipe! My husband would love this dish!
Oh this looks delicious! Definitely going to try this recipe. Thanks! 🙂
Love your step by step photos! Great flavor in this dish too!
That looks like the perfect meal for tonight. I just have way too much to do to worry about dinner!
Wow, that’s my kind of meal. It look super easy and delicious. I”ll be making this soon.
This looks really good!
I love mexican, this looks great! Thanks!
Mmm this is gonna be dinner one night this week. We love Mexican!