An easy Chicken Fajita Casserole Recipe that is made in one pan with only a few ingredients. A healthy, quick and delicious dinner.
You will love this Fajita Chicken Casserole recipe
We absolutely love easy, healthy chicken recipes and this Chicken Fajita Casserole is just that!
Made in one pan, high in protein, gluten free, and delicious – this casserole is one of our favorite quick weeknight meals.
Over the past few months, we’ve changed our point of view on casseroles. Many of them aren’t the most balanced meal – usually combined creamy canned soups and other mystery ingredients into a mushy one casserole dish dinner.
Not our casserole recipes!
From the Best Mexican Chicken Casserole to The Best Buffalo Chicken Casserole – we’ve got delicious casserole recipes that taste amazing and are good for you too!
This Chicken Fajita Casserole is no exception and I know you’re going to love it. It has all the flavors of fajitas in one pan meal.
We also love these crock pot chicken fajitas!
The easiest way to make Chicken Fajita Casserole
There are so many reasons why this is the best fajita chicken casserole recipe
- One Pan – This cheesy chicken fajita casserole is made in the casserole dish that it is cooked in, which means fewer dishes and less clean-up!
- High Protein – This casserole has 40g of protein per serving.
- Easy To Make – Everything cooks in the same casserole dish with very minimal ingredient prep. You probably have everything you need to make it!
Chicken Fajita Bake Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make Chicken Fajitas Casserole:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- taco seasoning
- bell peppers, onion, garlic
- jalapeño (optional)
- salt, pepper
- nonfat greek yogurt
- Mexican blend cheese
- frozen brown rice-uncooked
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR CHICKEN FAJITA CASSEROLE
Rice: You can find frozen brown rice in the freezer section at most grocery stores. I usually get mine from Walmart or Trader Joe’s. Do not use dry rice products. Do not use white rice. The brown rice holds texture. Frozen rice works best here, but you can also use the 90 second bags of rice in the dry goods aisle if you can’t find them. Just don’t cook them first. Take them straight from the bag and add them to the pan. We haven’t tried quinoa or any other grain in this recipe so I don’t know how it will work.
Jalapeño – Jalapeño is optional, omit it for less spice.
Chicken Breasts– Chicken breasts can be subbed with chicken thighs or chicken tenders
Beans – Beans would make a great addition to this meal. Black beans or pinto beans would work best.
Taco Seasoning– I recommend using our homemade Taco Seasoning, it’s lower in salt. You can also use store bought taco seasoning.
Low salt – This can easily become a high sodium meal. We recommend omitting the salt if you’re using store bought homemade taco seasoning or this will be much higher in salt. We used our homemade taco seasoning which is much lower in salt.
Cheese – Mexican, cheddar, or pepper jack cheese all work in this recipe. You can also omit the cheese.
Garlic: If you don’t have fresh minced garlic, substitute with 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
Onion: If you don’t have fresh onion, substitute with 1 teaspoon onion powder.
How to make Fajita Chicken Casserole
Making chicken fajita casserole is easy! Here’s how to make it:
- Spray a pan with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Season the outside of the chicken breast with taco seasoning.
- When the pan is hot, brown the chicken on each side for about 2 minutes per side. When it’s brown on each side, remove it and set it aside on a plate.
- Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic, and jalapeño to the pan. Sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent.
- Move the pan off the heat and add in the frozen brown rice, Greek yogurt, ¼ cup shredded cheese, 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir together then place the chicken breasts on top.
- Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 25-27 minutes or until the chicken is 165 in the center.
- Remove the foil and add the remaining ¼ cup of shredded cheese. Turn the oven to broil and broil until the cheese is melted and starting to crisp.
We love this instant-read thermometer for checking the internal temperature to make sure your meat is cooked thoroughly!
How to serve this Chicken Fajita Casserole Recipe
This Chicken Fajitas Casserole is great on its own. It’s a complete meal with protein, fat, and carbs.
Serving: We like to top this with guacamole or avocado, salsa (this Pineapple Mango Salsa or Corn Salsa is my favorite!), red onion, or fresh cilantro. You could also try sour cream, flour tortillas, or tortilla chips.
You can also make these Fajita Veggies if you’re looking to add more vegetables to your plate
Enjoy with a Lighter Watermelon Mojito or Cucumber Vodka Cocktail with Lemonade.
How to store this Fajita Chicken Casserole Recipe
Yes, this fajita chicken casserole is easy to store.
Refrigerator: You can store this southwest casserole in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing: You can freeze this casserole recipe, but we do not recommend it. We’ve found it can get a little mushy once thawed.
What is the best way to reheat Fajita Chicken Casserole?
Reheating: This Chicken Fajita Casserole tastes great when reheated! You can reheat in the microwave, in the oven set at 350°F until the center is warmed through, or sauté on the stove.
It’s best to store this casserole in the refrigerator and enjoy it fresh.
Fajita Chicken Casserole FAQ
Every casserole recipe is different but most chicken casserole recipes call for covering them before baking.
Yes, you cut chicken fajita meat before cooking. Cutting the chicken before hand helps you have evenly cooked pieces with lots of flavor!
Different fajita casserole recipes will have different nutrition facts but this recipe has 411 calories for a large 2 cup serving.
Other healthy casserole recipes:
We love healthy casseroles! Here are some of our favorites:
- Best Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Easy Taco Casserole
- The Best Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Stuffed Bell Peppers Casserole
Love chicken? If so – here are some of our other favorite healthy chicken recipes like our Orange Chicken Recipe!
Chicken Fajita Bake
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3-4 breasts depending on size ) pound to even thickness. Should be no more than 1.5 inches thick
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning divided 2.5 for chicken and ½ tbsp, for rice mixture
- 1 cup bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon jalapeño deseeded & minced- OPTIONAL
- 3 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup nonfat greek yogurt
- ½ cup Mexican blend cheese or cheddar, divided
- 16 ounces frozen brown rice-uncooked
Instructions
- Note: You want to use a pan you can transfer to the oven (stainless steel, cast iron , or a cast iron enamel braising pot are all great. Do not use Teflon or anything with a plastic handle).
- Spray a pan with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Season the outside of the chicken with 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning.
- When the pan is hot, brown the chicken on each side for about 2 minutes per side. When it’s brown on each side, remove it and set aside on a plate.
- Add in the onion, pepper, garlic, and jalapeño to the pan. Sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent.
- Move the pan off the heat and add in the frozen brown rice, Greek yogurt, ¼ cup cheese, 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir together then place the chicken breasts on top.
- Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 25-27 minutes or until the chicken is 165 in the center.
- Remove the foil and add the remaining ¼ cup of cheese. Turn the oven to broil and broil until the cheese is melted and starting to crisp.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, garnish with fresh pico and avocado and serve.
Video
Nutrition Facts
Important Note: This is not an authentic Mexican recipe. My goal is always to share recipes that are a bit healthier and made with affordable, accessible ingredients so everyone can enjoy them regardless of their food allergies or dietary restrictions.
Yvonne says
I used left over cooked chicken, therefore didn’t need to bake.
I also used 1 tblsp less of taco seasoning….still spicy enough for me (I’m a lightweight spice person).
Very yummy!! We all loved it!!
Linda says
Recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning. It said to put 2 tablespoons on chicken and 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning in with the yogurt mixture that goes into rice. Where does the other half tablespoon go? Is there a mistake in recipe?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Sorry for the confusion there was a typo. 2 tablespoons goes on chicken, 1 tablespoon goes in the rice! Just updated it
Anita says
I’m not familiar with frozen brown rice. Is it already cooked? Could you use instant brown rice instead or regular brown rice.
The Clean Eating Couple says
All of our blog posts have a green substitutions section. Pasting the info about the rice here: You can find frozen brown rice in the freezer section at most grocery stores. I usually get mine from Walmart or Trader Joe’s. Do not use dry rice products. Do not use white rice. The brown rice holds texture. Frozen rice works best here, but you can also use the 90 second bags of rice in the dry goods aisle if you can’t find them. Just don’t cook them first. Take them straight from the bag and add them to the pan. We haven’t tried quinoa or any other grain in this recipe so I don’t know how it will work.
Hannah Garcia says
We have a dairy allergy in our home. I have a hard time finding a cheese for Mexican dishes. Mykonos works great for Italian dishes. Do you have anything you recommend to make this dairy free?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I haven’t tried making this dairy free! If you’d like to try dairy free yogurt and cheese feel free and let me know how it comes out! or if you just skip the dairy I’m sure it would also be fine. good luck 🙂
Lily says
Love this recipe – made it over the summer and it was great! Could you do all the steps for this recipe except the baking a day ahead and bake the next day?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I wouldn’t recommend it, think the rice would get a funny texture. You could maybe sear the chicken/saute the veggies ahead of time, but I think you’re better off to bake it and reheat it when ready to serve
Jenny says
Super tasty and easy to make! Used frozen bell pepper, onions and tossed in some frozen corn and black beans. Also, used the frozen rice medley from Trader Joe’s and it came out wonderful!
Taylor says
This was delicious!!! I couldn’t find frozen brown rice (only had time to check Aldi) but used a 90 second quinoa/brown rice mix like the substitutions suggested. It was so good! I can’t stand Greek yogurt and was a little nervous about using it, but happy to report I couldn’t taste it at all!! My husband was a huge fan, too. Adding it to our meal rotations- thank you!
Ethel Sweed says
can I used chicken thighs instead of breasts? What brand of organic taco seasoning do you prefer?
Ethel Sweed says
can I use quinoa instead of brown rice?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Please read our substitution section.
Rice Substitutions: You can find frozen brown rice in the freezer section at most grocery stores. I usually get mine from Walmart or Trader Joe’s. Do not use dry rice products. Do not use white rice. The brown rice holds texture. Frozen rice works best here, but you can also use the 90 second bags of rice in the dry goods aisle if you can’t find them. Just don’t cook them first. Take them straight from the bag and add them to the pan.
Chicken Substitutions: Chicken breasts can be subbed with chicken thighs or chicken tenders
Ethel Sweed says
can I use quinoa instead of brown rice?
Ethel Sweed
The Clean Eating Couple says
We haven’t tried quinoa or any other grain in this recipe so I don’t know how it will work.
Shawna Camden says
This recipe was so easy, not too many ingredients and delicious! My husband, who does not like “healthy” food enjoyed it as well!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Shawna! Thank you!
Lyndi Zavy says
This was a HUGE hit for my family (2 kids 3 & 8 and my husband, all fairly picky!). It was super easy and so flavorful, we even fought over the leftovers the next day. This is definitely going into our weekly rotation!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Lyndi!!
Tayler says
We love this casserole! Can you substitute frozen cauliflower rice?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I haven’t tried making it with frozen cauliflower rice but I think it would result in a mushy mess. If you are going to try it, I would use raw cauliflower rice instead of frozen because it will be less watery, but I honestly don’t think it will come out very good. If you try it let me know!
Griff Neilson says
Wow, the brown rice really does give this a great texture and deep flavor. This one is a keeper because healthy casseroles have become an oxymoron but this one is certainly the exception. Thank you so much for this one! 😉
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Griff! Thank you so much!
Berni says
I ordered my groceries online for this so I received 2 lbs. of chicken. I don’t cook so I felt like this was going to be hard to make for me, but this was actually super easy. The chicken took the full amount to cook since I had to stack the 2lbs of chicken, but now I have lunch for the whole week. It smells delicious and tastes so good. I did forget the salt and pepper (whoops) but I can add that when I warm up my meal. Thanks for another great meal idea, Liz!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it Berni! Thank you!
Hayley Navey says
So good! Easy to make, super delicious, and really filling!