Mildly spicy, cheesy, hot, and juicy. Toss everything in a casserole dish and let the oven do all of the work. Low in fat and calories, high in protein, my recipe for a Cheesy Southwestern Chicken Casserole is what you should be cooking for dinner tonight. The hardest part of the is recipe is waiting for it to bake while the delicious aroma fills your home.
This chicken casserole recipe uses boneless skinless chicken breasts and a few canned items. The Southwestern chicken casserole works great with chicken thighs as well. The only actual work you do is dicing the red bell pepper and the onion. Oh yeah, and using a can opener.
The chicken breasts are actually poached in the black beans, corn, and tomato mixture you can leave them whole or dice them into smaller pieces. The southwestern flavors and spices work together and flavor each other. Serve this easy chicken casserole with a side of rice and you have your main course and a healthy side in one dish.
The only downside to this Southwestern chicken casserole recipe is that it takes an hour in the oven. Boo. The good news is that brown rice or Texmati rice like I used, takes 45 minutes, so in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that bad.
Southwestern Chicken Casserole Ingredients
- Chicken: I like boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, or thighs in this chicken casserole. You can leave them whole or dice them.
- Canned Goods: Black beans, corn, and enchilada sauce are the backbone of the chicken casserole and the southwestern flavors.
- Fresh Produce: Onions, and Red Bell peppers. Chopping these two items is the only real work in this casserole recipe. Cilantro is used to garnish the Southwestern Casserole for serving.
- Spices: Red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and salt. Simple seasoning is all this delicious chicken casserole needs for great flavor.
- The Hot Stuff: Pickled jalapeños and tomato salsa. You can adjust the amount of each of these ingredients to suit your personal heat tolerance.
- Cheese: Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese. Cheddar cheese is a great substitute.
The liquid bubbles vigorously at the end of cooking, so always put the chicken casserole dish on a larger sheet tray. This will protect the bottom of your oven from spills and splatters as well as making it easier to pick up and remove your casserole from the oven.
Here is my recipe for a Southwestern Chicken Casserole
Southwestern Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts 2-Pounds
- 1 15-Ounce Can Corn Drained
- 1 15-Ounce Can Black Beans Drained and rinsed
- 2 10-Ounce Cans Enchilada Sauce Mild or spicy (I used mild)
- 1 Cup Tomato Salsa Mild or spicy (I used medium)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper 1/2-inch dice, seeds removed
- 1 Medium Red Onion 1/2 diced, 1/2 sliced
- 1 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese Shredded
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
- Pickled Jalapenos
Garnish
- 1/4 Cup Cilantro Chopped, optional
- Pickled Jalapenos
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the rinsed beans, corn, diced red pepper, diced onion, 1-can of enchilada sauce, oregano, and tomato salsa. Mix to combine then pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish
- In the same bowl, add the chicken breasts, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1-can of enchilada sauce. Mix well, lay the chicken breasts on top of the bean mixture in the casserole.
- Set the casserole on a large sheet tray, place in the oven, and bake for 1-hour
- Once the chicken breast registers 165F with an instant-read thermometer, sprinkle the shredded cheese, pickled jalapenos, and sliced onions on top.
- Turn on the broiler in the oven
- Place the casserole under the broiler until the cheese is melted and a little browned
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, and additional jalapenos if desired, serve with rice.
Nutrition
