Chicken breasts and rice are smothered in a Tex-Mex seasoned queso sauce, then topped off with fresh chopped tomatoes in this comfort food casserole the whole family will love!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sometimes, you just have to fix something smothered in cheesy goodness for dinner. And this Queso Chicken and Rice Bake is perfect for when you’re in the mood to indulge a little.
Yes, it contains and entire jar of queso. Plus some extra cheese for good measure. But everyone will clean their plates and come back for seconds. So it’s totally worth it!
This casserole takes chicken and rice to a whole new level, with tons of southwest spices, plus bell peppers and tomatoes. Because we had to sneak some veggies in there somewhere!
This hearty meal is perfect for any time comfort food is in order. It was definitely a hit with my hungry teenagers.
You can easily adapt this recipe to include more or less chicken breasts, depending on how many people you’ll be serving.
And while I like to top this casserole off with some fresh tomatoes and chopped cilantro, you could add any of your favorite taco toppings–avocado, chopped lettuce, diced onion, sour cream….you get the idea.
No matter how you finish it off, it’s going to be a hit. Honestly, I would have happily eaten just the cheese smothered rice.
Which is why I love this dish. You get your main course and side dish all in one delicious meal.
Obviously this isn’t low in fat or calories, but it’s definitely going into the recipe file because it’s easy to make and my whole family loved it.
This meal is totally worth the occasional indulgence!
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Ingredients
- Olive or vegetable oil
- Chicken breasts
- Taco seasoning
- Salsa con queso
- Milk
- Diced green chilis
- Produce: red pepper, green onions, tomatoes, fresh cilantro
- Rice
Queso Chicken and Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1 oz. package taco seasoning mix
- 1 15 oz. jar salsa con queso
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 4.5 oz. can diced green chilies
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 2-3 green onions chopped
- 2 1/2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Chopped tomatoes and chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with half of taco seasoning mix. Cook chicken for 6-8 minutes, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Chicken may not be cooked all the way through, but will finish baking in the oven.
- In large bowl, stir together salsa con queso, milk and diced green chiles; stir in bell pepper, green onions and remaining taco seasoning. Reserve 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Stir rice into remaining sauce mixture.
- Place rice mixture in casserole; place chicken on top of rice. Top with reserved sauce mixture, and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 10 minutes more, or until sauce is bubbly and chicken is cooked through. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and cilantro before serving.
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Nutrition
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1 comment
Linda
This looks great, do you have a favorite brand of salsa con queso? I am not familiar with this product and if you have a recommendation it would be great. Thanks for all of your fantastic recipes and beautiful pictures.