This Green Chile Chicken and Rice is an easy one dish meal packed with Southwestern flavor! It is quick and easy to put together and feeds a crowd so it is a great meal to make when you have a crowd or need something to bring to a potluck. As a bonus it is just as delicious as it is easy with tender chicken nestled in creamy rice, all flavored with delicious southwest flavors like green chile, cumin, and garlic.
Green Chile Chicken and Rice
At the beginning of the year I posted a recipe we really love for Green Chile Chicken. The dish is awesome because it has these delicious southwest flavors, it bakes all in one casserole dish and everyone loves it so much so that I even reworked it once before to be a Green Chile Chicken Crock Pot Recipe. I have had so much great feedback on the recipe in emails, messages, and comments on the blog, but in one comment, the reader asked if she could bake rice right in with the chicken and it got me thinking.
What a great idea! I knew it was possible, but also was certain that the recipe would have to be modified for it to come out with perfectly fluffy rice, tender chicken and everything combining just right. So it was time to get to work.
I tweaked and reworked a few things, then crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t have to make this recipe 8 more times before I got it right.
It was my LUCKY day! It came out perfect. SO PERFECT!
Out of all the recipes that I had made that week, this was the one that I just couldn’t stop eating. So with a little skill and a lot of luck, I am excited to pass on this recipe for Green Chile Chicken and Rice.
How to Serve Green Chile Chicken and Rice
In this recipe, everything is baked all in one dish. You do have a lot going on between the rice, the chicken, the cheese and all the flavors. Since the chicken breast is just laid right on top to bake, when it is finished cooking you have a few options on how to serve it.
You can serve a whole, or half chicken breast right on top of the rice it is cooked in for a full meal of course, or you can take the chicken out of the dish and either shred it or chop it up into bite sized pieces and then stir it back into the rice. It is really up to the preference of the person and the presentation you are going for. My husband prefers a chicken breast whole, while the kids like it shredded and mixed in. My only tip for this is that when you shred it and stir it in, it tends to make the casserole go a lot farther so if you made this Green Chile Chicken and Rice up for a crowd then I recommend shredding or chopping the chicken and stirring it in to the rice.
How to Make Green Chile Chicken and Rice
This recipe is super simple, the beauty of it being that you can make something so delicious all in just one dish. I am going to walk through the recipe below step by step and give you all of my tips and notes from when I made it to hopefully answer all of your questions, but if you just want the quick version feel free to scroll down to the recipe card below.
Green Chile Chicken and Rice Ingredients
This dish has very simple ingredients that you mostly keep on hand, so it makes a great recipe that you can just throw together on a crazy night.
- 4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed– This will be about 2 pounds of chicken breast. If your chicken breasts are extra thick, you may want to slice them in half butterfly style, otherwise just trim any fat or gristle on the chicken.
- 2 cups chicken broth- You can use canned, or try out this easy homemade chicken broth that I keep in the freezer. It has so much flavor!
- 2 cups quick cooking rice- I use Minute brand white or brown rice depending on what I have on hand
- 1 8 oz package Philadelphia cream cheese, softened- Use original or light cream cheese
- 2 4 oz can chopped green chiles– I prefer Old El Paso brand because they are more crushed and the flavor really incorporates well in the dish. You can also use one of the larger 7 oz cans which is slightly less total volume but it will still work.
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Garnish (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Green Chile Chicken and Rice Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- In a large bowl, mix chicken broth, rice, cream cheese, green chiles, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper together until combined. Then pour the mixture in a large casserole dish.
Make sure that the cream cheese is very soft so it will evenly combine in the mixture. If it isn’t softened, you can put it in the bottom of the bowl first and heat it in the microwave on 15-30 second increments, stirring in between until the cream cheese is soft and smooth. - Lay the chicken breasts evenly spaced on top of the rice mixture and gently press them into the mixture. Cover the top of the casserole with cheese.
You will want to use a large casserole dish so that it has enough space for everything to cook and for the chicken to lay flat on top of the mixture without overlapping. If they are packed in too tight, it will take longer to cook. - Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (165˚F internal temperature.) Depending on how deep your dish is may impact how long the casserole needs to bake. Start at 40 minutes and check it adding 5 additional minutes until it is done.
- Serve hot, either with full chicken breasts, or shred chicken and mix into rice. As I mentioned before, both methods are really tasty, it just depends on your preference and how you want to serve it up! Garnish it with cilantro to finish it off and enjoy!
Make sure that the cream cheese is very soft so it will evenly combine in the mixture. If it isn’t softened, you can put it in the bottom of the bowl first and heat it in the microwave on 15-30 second increments, stirring in between until the cream cheese is soft and smooth.
If you get a chance to make it, I would love it if you would take a moment to leave me a note. It just makes my day to know people are making my recipes. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @easyfamilyrecipes so I can see what you are cooking! And before you go… don’t forget to sign up for my Hungry Email Club for more easy recipes, where I send out a hefty serving of dinner inspiration each week.
Green Chile Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups quick cooking rice
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 8 oz chopped green chilis, (2 cans)
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- In a large bowl, mix chicken broth, rice, cream cheese, green chiles, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper together until combined. Then spread the mixture in a large casserole dish.
- Lay the chicken breasts evenly spaced on top of the rice mixture and gently press them into the mixture. Cover the top of the casserole with cheese.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (165˚F internal temperature.)
- Serve hot, either with full chicken breasts, or shred chicken and mix into rice. Enjoy!
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