An easy to make casserole full of flavor! This green chile chicken and rice casserole is made with uncooked rice and chicken and no canned soup added!
Just put everything into one casserole dish, cover and bake. Out comes a delicious meal!
Why make this casserole
Sometimes we need easy, but without sacrificing flavor and quality. This casserole is made by just adding everything to a casserole dish and then baking.
No premixing of ingredients. No precooking anything, including the chicken. And no canned soup!
Once everything is in the casserole dish, you just cover with foil and pop into the oven until the rice and chicken are cooked through. The final 10 minutes, the foil is removed so you get that golden brown topping.
This is an easy and delicious dinner and the leftovers are just as delicious! My son kept coming back for more the second day and even took some in his lunch.
Key ingredients
- Chicken - boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into small chunks
- Roasted chiles - I use the ones I roast and freeze in the summer, but canned roasted chiles work too.
- Rice - long grain white rice, do not use instant rice
- Chicken broth - homemade or store bought
- Grated cheese - I like to use a mixture. Use your favorite cheddar or jack cheese
- Cream cheese - adds a little extra cheesiness. Can be omitted if you prefer
Step by step directions
- Lightly spray a 2 quart baking dish. I used a 7x11 inch dish.
- Pour milk, chicken broth and seasonings into baking dish. Stir lightly to combine.
- Add rice. Stir lightly and spread rice in an even level.
- Place chicken throughout casserole dish
- Add green chilies and cream cheese
- Top with grated cheese
- Cover with foil and place in a preheated 375° oven for 1 hour
- Remove foil and continue cooking for 10 minutes until top browns slightly
Recipe tips
- Use any type of roasted chiles - I used a mixture of poblanos, anaheim peppers and a jalapeno. You can also buy a can of roasted chiles with different levels of heat. Select what you like best.
- Place a baking sheet underneath the casserole dish while baking. This helps prevent any spills in the oven - just in case the casserole spills over.
- For the cream cheese, first cut into small cubes and then when adding, break apart cubes into even smaller pieces. The cream cheese melts, but doesn't blend into everything. I prefer smaller bits of cream cheese.
- Check your dish at 50 minutes. If the liquid has evaporated and the rice is cooked, remove the foil and then brown the topping.
- Allow casserole to rest 5-10 minutes before serving
- Top with freshly chopped parsley or cilantro
Recipe Faqs
This casserole will be good for 3-4 days after baking. Be certain to store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
You could use a whole chicken breast, if you prefer. Be certain to make certain the chicken is cooked all the way through. Larger pieces of chicken will take longer to cook.
Serving suggestions
Serve with a green salad and a few baked tortilla chips with some homemade salsa and you have a meal!
More delicious casseroles to try
- Chicken Broccoli and Rice
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
- Chicken Pasta Bake
- Spinach Stuffed Shells
- Ham Tetrazzini
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Be certain to check out all my main dish recipes!
Green Chile Chicken and Rice
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 ½ cups rice (long grain white )
- 1 pound chicken breast (boneless, skinless, cut into chunks)
- ½ cup roasted chiles (diced)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (cut into small pieces)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar and monterey )
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Lightly spray a baking dish. I used an 7x11" dish.
- Pour milk, chicken broth and seasonings into baking dish. Stir lightly to combine.2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- Add rice. Stir lightly and spread rice in an even level.1 ½ cups rice
- Place chicken throughout casserole dish1 pound chicken breast
- Add green chilies and cream cheese. (Cut cream cheese into small pieces)½ cup roasted chiles, 4 ounces cream cheese
- Top with grated cheese1 cup shredded cheese
- Cover with foil and place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and place both in a preheated 375° oven for 50 minutes. The baking sheet will catch any drips that may occur.
- Carefully remove from oven and remove foil. The casserole isn't finished yet. Give it a gentle stir to make certain the rice in the corners of the pan doesn't become dry. I also stir the cream cheese to help spread it around.
- Recover pan with foil and return to the oven for 10-20 minutes until rice is fully cooked. If the rice still isn't cooked, keep in oven for another 5-10 minutes. Every oven is different, and this may vary according to your oven and the size and type of pan you use.
- Remove foil and continue cooking for 10 minutes until top browns slightly
- Remove from oven and tent loosly with foil for 5 minutes. This allows the casserole to cool a bit and for everything to meld together.
- Top with freshly chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish, optional.
- Serve hot
Notes
- Use any type of roasted chiles - I used a mixture of poblanos, anaheim peppers and a jalapeno. You can also buy a can of roasted chiles with different levels of heat. Select what you like best. Drain any liquid off the chiles if using canned.
- Place a baking sheet underneath the casserole dish while baking. This helps prevent any spills in the oven - just in case the casserole spills over.
- Allow casserole to rest 5-10 minutes before serving
- Top with freshly chopped parsley or cilantro
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Lynnette Ward says
Hello, this sounds delicious but would love to freeze this. Could I cook this, then freeze it? My elderly parents would love it, but I can’t be there to cook it fresh for them.
Kathy says
Hi,
This should freeze well after it’s fully baked.
Kathy
Sara says
Really great flavors! I followed recipe and used jasmine rice (I think that's considered white long grain?) and it took about 90 minutes in oven, covered.
Kathy says
Hi Sara,
Thanks so much.
Kathy
Terri says
It’s been in the oven for 1.5 hours and the rice is still crunchy. Followed the rice/liquid measurements.
Kathy says
Hi Terri,
Was there liquid left after the 1.5 hours? What type of rice did you use? I have tested this with long-grain white rice. It's important to keep the dish sealed with the foil while it's baking otherwise the liquid may evaporate before it's absorbed into the rice.
Kathy
Candi says
I had the same issue. I was so upset. I did everything according to recipe. How could this be so off?? Was it supposed to be instant rice?
Kathy says
Hi Candi,
Sorry this didn't work for you. I don't use instant rice, but the casserole could use 5-10 minutes longer in the oven. I've updated the recipe to make a few of the steps clearer and also added the range of cooking time. I'm sorry this wasn't clear at the beginning for you and didn't work.
Kathy
Laurel says
This is delicious! I am not a fan of sour cream, though, so I substituted an equal amount of full fat plain Greek yogurt. Also used pre-cooked chicken breast meat, a light amount of cheddar and jack cheeses, and a light layer of finely grated parmesan on top. Turned the broiler on for the last three minutes to brown the top. We really enjoyed the result!
Kathy says
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Using plain Greek yogurt is a great substitution!
Whitney says
I have an 8x8in 2-quart casserole dish. I figured, "the recipe said 2 quarts so it must work."
Nope. After 50 mins you wind up with a soupy mess. Shallower dish is better yhan a deeper dish with this recipe. Use 7x11, not any 2-quart dish as implied.
Kathy says
Hi Whitney,
I'm sorry this didn't work for you. Hopefully you cooked it longer than the 50 minutes. 50 minutes is just a checking time to see how everything is progressing. Yours probably took the full hour or even an additional 10 minutes before removing the foil to finish.
Thank you,
Kathy
David @ Spiced says
Oh, this sounds like a delicious casserole! I love roasted green chilies, and this is the perfect kind of comfort food on a snowy night. The rice is a fun twist here - well done, my friend!!
Kathy says
Thanks, David! This is perfect for these cold winter days! 🙂
Valentina says
I love dishes where the rice is baked in the oven like this. The texture is always dreamy -- and so delicious with all the other flavors seeping into it. Such a great cozy flavor packed meal! 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy says
It really makes it easy too!