Salsa Chicken Casserole is a fun dinner option that everyone raves about! We love Chicken Rice Casserole any which way it’s prepared but this Mexican chicken casserole definitely tops our list!
Spanish rice, corn, black beans, chicken, and salsa are topped with cheddar cheese then baked until hot and bubbly! Top this easy recipe with sour cream, Homemade Salsa, jalapenos and crispy tortilla strips for the perfect meal!
I am so excited to partner with Zatarian’s Rice to create this easy and delicious salsa chicken casserole!
Rice is my 14 year old’s favorite food, she loves it served plain, as fried rice or even garlic butter rice! When she finds out rice is for dinner, she’s always thrilled so it’s a staple in our house! No matter what cuisine we are in the mood for, rice becomes a part of most of our meals.
This month is national rice month, and to celebrate we are eating our fair share of rice at home. We quite often serve rice as a side dish, but when I need a complete meal, I go straight to a loaded chicken casserole like this one!
This easy casserole doesn’t require many dishes, can be prepared ahead of time and is comforting and delicious! I often make salsa chicken because it has so much flavor so I knew it would be perfect to incorporate those same flavors into this easy casserole!
How To Make Chicken Casserole
This chicken casserole recipe couldn’t be easier since it starts with Zatarian’s Spanish Rice Mix. It’s already loaded with flavor and seasonings makes this casserole a total breeze!
Combining Zatarian’s Spanish Rice Mix with a bit of onion, beans and some of our favorite veggies makes the perfect base for this dish.
To keep this recipe extra fast, I use rotisserie chicken but any cooked chicken will do. I often make a batch of poached chicken to use in casseroles as it’s easy and always comes out tender!
In a casserole dish simply layer your veggies, chicken, salsa, and cheese and bake until golden and bubbly. So easy and so good!
To serve, top this Salsa Chicken Casserole with your favorite toppings like sour cream, fresh jalapenos, cilantro, tomatoes or green onions, and dig in!
This chicken casserole is easy to make and I know your family is going to love it as much as ours does! Serve this with a fresh Cucumber Avocado Salad, some crusty bread (or 30 Minute Dinner Rolls) or even tortillas for scooping!
Can you Freeze a Chicken Casserole?
If you happen to have leftovers, this recipe reheats very well.
You can also make this ahead of time because this easy chicken casserole recipe freezes perfectly either before or after it has been baked. To bake from frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350°F 30-35 minutes or until heated through.
More Rice Dishes You’ll Love
- Mexican Rice Casserole – Great for leftovers!
- Baked Chinese Chicken and Rice
- Crockpot Chicken and Rice – Reader favorite!
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup (no cream)
- Broccoli Rice Casserole from Scratch – Great side dish!
Salsa Chicken Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 red bell pepper diced, or green bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 ¼ cups water
- 6.9 oz Zatarain's® Spanish Rice 1 box
- 1 ½ cup salsa divided
- 15 ounces canned black beans rinsed and drained, 1 can
- ⅔ cup frozen corn kernels thawed
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 4 oz
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease an 11"x7" casserole dish with butter. Set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook onions and peppers in olive oil until tender (about 3-5 minutes). Add garlic and butter and cook until fragrant and butter is melted.
- Add water, ZATARAIN'S® Spanish Rice and ½ cup of salsa. Stir well and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Add black beans, and corn and stir well. Transfer to prepared casserole dish and spread rice mixture in even layer into dish.
- Evenly spread shredded chicken over the top of the rice mixture. Top evenly with remaining 1 cup salsa and cover with cheddar cheese.
- Cover dish with foil and transfer to 375°F oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve, top with sour cream, cilantro, and corn chips, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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I have partnered with Zatarain’s Rice to bring you this belly warming recipe. Working with great brands I love allows me to keep bringing you the great recipes you love!
REPIN this Simple Casserole Recipe
If I double this recipe, would I have to increase the cooking time, and if so, by how much? Thank you.
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Roslyn. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Yummy, simple, my three year old loves it
My family of 6 loved this so much! However I added a can of squeezed plain diced tomatoes. This fed all of us with second’s and third’s and we still had leftovers! It’s super filling!
This would be so handy with leftover chicken,Turkey or pork. I am curious, could I use long grain brown rice in this recipe? I always have some on hand. Does this freeze well?
Hi Michelle, we have never tried this recipe with long grain brown rice but would love to hear how it turns out for you. It freezes perfectly though, either before or after it has been baked.
This looks amazing! I am looking forward to trying it but I can’t find the brand of rice mentioned in the recipe in Canada. Can I substitute any brand of Mexican or Spanish rice as long as the ingredient list on the box looks familiar?
Also, how much is the quantity of ▢ 1 Zatarain’s® Spanish Rice you used? I am assuming it is the box size shown by the link which shows a 6.9oz (195g) size box. Could you please confirm this?
Thanks so much!
Hi Parm, I can’t say for sure but that should work and yes we do use the entire box for this recipe.
Thanks so much for the quick reply! I can’t wait to try this and your cabbage roll recipe.
P.S. I made your cheesy chicken casserole recipe (with slight modifications as I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand) last night and it was a hit with the family! Thanks again Holly, for making these delicious recipes that are so easy to follow!
Parm
So glad you loved it Parm, thank you for your reviews!
What can i use instead of zatarains rice. We dont have in Ontario. Would spanish rice a roni work?
I haven’t tried this with Rice a Roni so I can’t say for sure how long the cook time would be. Let us know how it works out for you!
Just wanted to point out:
PREP TIME 30 minutes
COOK TIME 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME 30 minutes
Should be “TOTAL TIME 40 minutes”, unless this is a magic recipe.
Now wouldn’t that be wonderful! But thanks for catching that Kimarie, the recipe has been updated.
I would like to make this using Spanish rice from scratch instead of a box mix. How much raw rice would I use to replace what comes in the box? Or, how many serving of Spanish Rice would I use for this specific recipe?
Hi Rosanna, Check out this homemade Spanish Rice recipe for the proper amounts and cooking time.
I love this all i did was add a small can of green chili’s to it…I had left over Roasted Chicken that i used.
So so good! This was one of the best casserole dishes I’ve made in a while! Definitely a keeper and will be making many times more.
So happy to hear that Rachel! It’s so delicious.
New Family favorite! One pot dishes where chicken and rice cook together never turn out great for me, so I loved that these actually cook separately. Easy to prepare and delicious!!! I actually forgot the salsa on the top – but it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.
That’s awesome Melanie! So happy to hear it’s a new family favorite.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this casserole. It is so good that I could eat it every night.
Amazing job. So good and delicious.
So glad you loved it Nicole!
I’d like to make with just plain rice..sorry but I dont like packaged food…what spices would I need to add
I have only made this recipe as written.
Holly has a Spanish rice recipe on her website. I plan to make this using her homemade Spanish rice recipe.
You will too Iryna :)
This was delicious. We all liked loved, definitely adding this to the rotation.
This chicken and rice casserole sounds so tasty! I love the combination of flavours here. Don’t think I’d be able to find the Spanish rice here in Italy but I’d love to try it!
It is delicious. Hope you can find the Spanish rice. You’d love it!
Amazon!
This recipe looks like it would be a huge hit in my house!
It’s certainly a hit in our household Kelli. Kids dig it!
Yum Holy!! What a great recipe. The photos are fantastic. I especially like the one in the baking tray with the melted cheese. It makes for a great idea for dinner tonight!!
Melted cheese, yes yum! Enjoy it Adrianne.
This totally would hit the spot today! And how did I not know that it is national rice month!!!
Thank you Sarah! We love this dish!
This is an easy recipe for a great meal. I ran out of salsa by 1 cup but it turned out delicious! Will definitely make this many more times!!
So glad you enjoyed it Laura!
On your Salsa Chicken Casserole if you replace the salsa with Rotel Fire Roasted Tomatoes, it has a better flavor. I made your recipe as written, which turned out bland. The next day I added Rotel Fire Roasted Tomatoes to the left overs and mixed it up. Then added more sharp cheddar cheese to the top. It was really good. Much better, but still not spicy. Husband took remainder for lunch the next day. Next time I’m going to try pepper jack cheese. Think you for all your hard work with your blog.
Thanks for the dip, so glad your husband enjoyed it!