A Healthy Southwest Chicken Casserole Recipe that is so easy to make! This Mexican Chicken Casserole is perfect for a one-pan dinner.
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We are so obsessed with easy dinners in our house, but we also like meals that are healthy and high in protein, and lower in salt.
For so long, I didn’t think casseroles were a good fit for our family because so many are high in salt and use canned creamy soups (loaded with preservatives and mystery ingredients).
However, I then discovered that you can easily make casseroles with much better ingredients (like our Healthy Spaghetti Squash Casserole).
This southwest chicken casserole with black beans is simple, yet so tasty and will be one of your family’s go-to’s for an easy weeknight dinner!
Why we love this Spicy Chicken Casserole Recipe
This is such an easy and delicious meal and we love it for so many reasons:
- One Pan – This cheesy southwest chicken and rice 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 35g of protein per serving!
- Easy To Make – Everything cooks in the same casserole dish with very minimal ingredient prep! You also don’t have to cook the chicken before because it fully cooks in the recommended time. As easy as a crockpot dinner, but made in only an hour!
Ingredients for the Best Mexican Chicken Casserole
To make this southwest chicken casserole, you’ll need:
- white rice
- chicken breasts
- chicken broth
- black beans
- frozen corn
- jarred salsa
- cheddar cheese
- onion
- minced garlic, chili powder, and paprika
How to make Healthy Southwest Chicken Casserole
- In a casserole dish, add white rice, minced garlic, onion, and chicken broth and stir together.
- Then add chicken breasts, black beans, corn, salsa, chili powder, and paprika and stir, trying to keep the rice on the bottom and covered.
- Top with cheese and cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Then bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Enjoy this cheesy southwest chicken and rice casserole with tortilla chips or a watermelon mojito!
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR SOUTHWEST CHICKEN CASSEROLE
This casserole is very versatile. Here are some ways to customize it:
Chicken: Chicken thighs or chicken tenders could be substituted for chicken breasts in this recipe.
Beans: Black beans can be substituted with pinto or kidney beans.
Salsa: Any brand of jarred salsa will work in this recipe.
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
Corn: Corn is optional.
Cheese: Cheddar cheese can be substituted with Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese. You can also omit it if you are dairy-free.
WW Note: The only points in this recipe are for the rice (20SP) and cheddar cheese (16SP). You can save 2SP per serving by using low-fat cheddar cheese
Rice: You can’t substitute brown or short grain rice in this recipe. It will not work.
Southwest Chicken Casserole FAQ
Yes, you can. This Mexican chicken casserole calls for raw chicken. It fully cooks in the recommended time. Cooked chicken can also be substituted and you can cut the cooking time down by half.
Yes, but we do not recommend it, because we’ve found it can get mushy
Is it best to store this casserole in the refrigerator or freezer?
Refrigerator: You can store this southwest casserole in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing: You can freeze this recipe, but we do not recommend it. We’ve found it can get mushy once thawed.
Reheating: This Mexican casserole tastes great when reheated! You can reheat in the microwave, in the oven set at 350°F until the center is cooked through, or sauté on the stove.
It’s better to store this casserole in the refrigerator and enjoy fresh.
What is the best way to reheat this casserole after its been frozen or refrigerated?
You can reheat in the microwave, in the oven set at 350°F, or sauté on the stove until the center is cooked through.
How to serve this Spicy Chicken Casserole
This cheesy southwest chicken and rice casserole is a delicious and complete meal on it’s own.
It’s also great:
- with a salad on the side
- with a watermelon mojito or strawberry mojito
- or with pineapple salsa on top.
Other healthy casserole recipes:
Here are some of our other healthy casserole recipes that we think you would love:
- Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Healthy Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Chicken Fajita Casserole Recipe
Southwest Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup black beans cooked, rinsed & drained
- 1 cup frozen corn defrosted
- 16 oz jarred salsa
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large casserole dish, lay down white rice, minced garlic, onion and chicken broth. Stir until combined.
- Add chicken breasts, black beans, corn, salsa, chili powder and paprika. Gently stir together. Try to keep the rice on the bottom and covered.
- Top with cheddar cheese.
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
- Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Trudi
This sounds like a winner I think I will try using beans instead of rice ( to get more protein instead of rice.)
Love your recupes Thank you
Mindy
I have to admit, I had my doubts about this one— not because I doubt your recipes AT ALL, but just because it seemed too easy to be true, and also a lot of dump-and-go recipes (specifically ones involving rice) can end up being either too mushy or not cooked at all. Boy was I wrong. This turned out great! Perfect texture. Just as easy to put together as the recipe says. I used my favorite salsa (Kroger’s Private Selection Red Jalapeño salsa- I think that might just be a southeastern thing but wanted to throw it out there for folks who have Kroger stores) which has both sweet-and-heat. The only thing I did differently from the recipe was that I used canned corn instead of frozen (because that’s what I had on hand) and it worked perfectly. We topped with avocado, jalapeño, and tortilla strips. This is truly a perfect weeknight meal since there is virtually no prep.
Just one question: when you say “white rice” does it matter if it’s long-grain or short-grain? Thanks!
The Clean Eating Couple
So glad you liked it, Mindy! Thank you!! I used long grain white rice
Elizabeth Taylor
This casserole was so delicious! My husband and I added lettuce on top after and ate with tortilla chips. Next time I want to add cilantro and lime on top. Highly recommend!
The Clean Eating Couple
So glad you liked it!! Thank you! I think the cilantro and lime would be a great addition
Carol Sherman
Can you use brown rice?
The Clean Eating Couple
Unfortunately you can’t substitute brown or short grain rice in this recipe. It will not work.
Jenifer Grazian
Would Quinoa work instead of long grain white rice?
The Clean Eating Couple
I don’t think so but I’ve never tested it so I can’t be sure. I wouldn’t substitute anything for the rice because it can be finicky!
Jenifer Grazian
Subbing Quinoa worked great & everyone loved it! Thank you!
The Clean Eating Couple
Glad it worked!
Mikenna
So quick and easy for a Monday night! I used already cooked chicken so I baked it for 25 mins and it turned out perfect!
The Clean Eating Couple
So happy to hear you liked it, Mikenna!
Cebi
This is DELICIOUS!! So flavorful and filling. Easy to make following the directions and only one dish to clean afterwards. This is going into regular rotation at my house!
The Clean Eating Couple
Thank you so much, Cebi! I’m so glad you liked it!
Lia
This was sooo easy and delicious to make. I love these recipes because not only are they healthy, they are quick and simple!
The Clean Eating Couple
So glad you liked it, Lia! Thank you!
Brian
This is a phenomenal and easy recipe to make! Packed full of flavor and now a go to in our house. Did I mention EASY!?
The Clean Eating Couple
So glad you liked it, Brian! Thank you!