Chicken and Rice Enchilada Casserole
This cheesy, savory, and easy chicken enchilada casserole uses leftover chicken, and is ready in just 35 minutes! It’s completely customize-able too!
Quick cooking meals are perfect for this time of year… and this chicken enchilada casserole is no exception. Using leftover chicken, and rice and beans to make it extra hearty, plus plenty of Southwestern flair… it’ll soon become a family favorite!
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Who’s a fan of quick weeknight meals? Everyone’s hand should be raised right about now lol. At the end of a long day, the last thing I feel like doing is standing over a hot stove for an hour. Which is saying something, because in general I love to cook! That’s why I love recipes like this chicken enchilada casserole! It uses leftover chicken and a really great quick cooking rice to make your prep time nearly non-existent.
My absolute favorite way to make this casserole is to use leftover Tequila Lime chicken. You’ll love the hints of spice and incredible flavor it lends the casserole! But if you don’t have any of that, or would prefer another kind of chicken… the sky is the limit. You can poach it, season it any way you want and bake it, saute it, even slow cook it. In an absolute pinch, you can even make this with canned chicken. Granted, that’s not my preferred method, but if it’s all you have, it’ll work.
You can also play around with the mix-ins for this enchilada casserole. I chose to go with seasoned black beans, green chiles, and corn, but there are definitely other choices!
Other Mix-In options for this Enchilada Casserole:
- Swap out the black beans for refried beans
- Omit the beans all-together
- Add in some sauteed onion
- Add in some chopped jalapeno
- Add in some roasted poblano peppers (see how HERE)
- Add a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles (drained)
In case you’re wondering how you can make a 35 minute meal that bakes for 20 minutes AND has rice in it… I find this easy to do when I use Success® Boil-in-Bag Rice! Success is the original no measure, no mess boil-in- bag rice that cooks perfectly every time and is ready in 10 minutes. The bags are BPA free, and the cooked rice can even sit in the hot water for up to 30 minutes without losing quality and getting all mushy. Totally foolproof!
For this enchilada casserole recipe, you’ll need the 14oz size package, but Success also offers a larger family size box (32oz) in the white and brown rice varieties.
Give this casserole a try and make your back to school, weeknight dinners easy on yourself!
For more great Success info, check out their webpage!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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- 2 breasts Tequila Lime Chicken shredded (or any other shredded chicken will work as well)
- 1 bag Success boil in bag white rice about 1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 batch homemade enchilada sauce or 1 1/2 cans of store-bought sauce
- 16 oz can seasoned black beans drained and rinsed,
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheeese blend divided
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese divided
- 15 oz can Mexican blend corn drained,
- 15 oz can yellow corn kernels drained,
- 4.5 oz can green chiles drained
- Cilantro for garnish
- Sliced green onions for garnish
- salt and black pepper to taste
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Boil the rice according to package directions, then set aside.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9" baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
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Mix the two cheeses together and set aside.
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To a large mixing bowl, add shredded chicken, black beans, green chiles, Mexican corn, cooked rice, 1/2 of the cheese, and enchilada sauce. Season with salt and pepper, stir to combine.
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Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Top with additional corn and remaining cheese.
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Bake for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and melted.
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To serve, sprinkle with sliced green onions and minced cilantro.
1. Recipe adapted from Jo Cooks
My family loves this recipe! Wegmans makes pre-made double packs of 2 chicken thigh pieces, so I use those. I always double the recipe and put the second batch in a store bought aluminum tray for my college kids to take back to school. It is a very easy recipe to make and delicious. Thanks!!!
How big are the cans of enchilada sauce? Making it tonight.
I don’t buy enchilada sauce much anymore, but I believe they’re about 10 ounces
This looks so delicious. I have a question though. How do you find 1oz. Cans of beans and corn? Are you saying 1 oz beans and 1 oz of corn? It seems like there should be more than that.
Hi Susan 🙂 Thank you! There was a coding error, which I’ve fixed now (thanks for the heads up!)… but it should be one 16 oz can seasoned black beans, one 15 oz can of Mexican blend corn, and one 15 oz can of yellow corn.
By the way I made it tonight and everyone loved it. What’s not to love, right! Thanks again!
I’m SO happy to hear that!!! 😀
This all looks really delicious! It’s so much more practical to eat a larger meal that is packed with nutrients when you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Nicely done! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Oh my.. I am literally drooling looking at this. i love cheese so much the whole family will surey enjoy it 🙂
This is the perfect kind of dinner for our busy school nights. Love the flavors here.
This is my idea of the perfect comfort food! Looks delicious!
This is exactly the kind of dinner I need these days, and I love that you can use leftover chicken!
This looks so stinking delicious. Rich and cheesy and just… well, stinking delicious! My fam is going to go crazy for this!
Enchiladas are my FAVOURITE! Placed into casserole form means less effort on my part, so I am totally going to make these!
I love everything about this! Delicious dinner!
My life is all about quick weeknight meals! This casserole is one I know my whole family would devour!