This Cheesy Mexican Chicken and Rice is a hearty, one-pot meal that takes just 15 minutes to prep! This casserole features long grain rice, pepper, onion, and tender bites of chicken smothered in a creamy sauce and topped with melty cheddar cheese.
1½poundsboneless skinless chicken breastcut into chunks
2cupsshredded sharp cheddar cheesedivided
10ouncessalsa
1cupfrozen peppers and onions (thawed)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375˚F.
Whisk together the cream of chicken soup, heated chicken broth, and taco seasoning. Set aside.
In a deep 9x13 inch casserole dish, pour the rice over the bottom. Layer on the cubed chicken, half of the cheese, bell peppers and onions, and salsa.
Pour the chicken broth mixture evenly over the casserole.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 50 minutes. Remove and carefully stir the casserole. Then top with the remaining half of the cheese and return to the oven for an additional 15-25 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
Serve warm and enjoy with your choice of toppings.
Notes
I like to microwave the chicken broth so that it is piping hot. This helps the casserole to cook more quickly and the long grain rice to fully cook through. If you choose not to heat the broth, you can bake the dish 10-20 minutes longer.