This Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole can be on your dinner table in just 50 minutes. You’ve got all the makings of a chicken enchilada but with rice. It’s simply delicious! The cheesy, hearty flavor is what makes this dish simply stand out instantly. Absolutely delicious!
Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
This Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole has been on the blog for quite a few years now and it’s one of my top recipes for a reason. It’s super simple to make and it’s really delicious. You have all the flavors of a chicken enchilada but in a rice casserole.
- Pantry staple ingredients
- Easy to make
- Enough to feed a crowd
- Crowd favorite
- Ready in LESS than 1 hour
All you need is cooked chicken, enchilada sauce, cheese and a couple pantry ingredients to make this loaded, comforting casserole. The whole combination of cheese with rice and chicken makes this dish the best weeknight dinner you could ask for! Plus, being able to have it done and ready in less than an hour is a total win for me!
Ingredient Notes
- Rice – Basmati rice works great with this, so does Jasmine rice but you can work around any white rice you have at home, long, medium or short grain. I wouldn’t use brown rice, risotto, or wild rice.
- Cheese – I used a mix of white cheddar and Monterey Jack, but feel free to use whatever you have in the fridge. Great options would be regular cheddar cheese, Colby or a Mexican blend.
- Chicken – I used 3 cooked chicken breasts which I shredded with 2 forks. A rotisserie chicken is also a great option here.
- Sauce – I used my homemade red enchilada sauce, but a store bought version would work as well.
- Refried Beans – You can make your own refried beans or use store bought.
- Corn – Frozen or canned corn are great options.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
How To Make Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
- Cook the rice: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot and cook for about 18, or until rice is tender and the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let it sit, covered for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.
- Prep the oven: Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine everything together: In a large bowl combine the shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce, refried beans, corn and half of the Monterey Jack and white cheddar cheese. Add the rice, season with salt and pepper if needed, and mix well. Pour rice mixture into a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Top with remainder of cheese.
- Bake: Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm.
FAQ’s and Expert Tips
FAQ’s
You can use chicken thighs as well, or you can even buy a rotisserie chicken and shred the breasts and the thighs and use that.
Rinse and drain rice thoroughly before cooking. This is crucial to remove the extra starch from the rice so it doesn’t cook up sticky and mushy. To rinse, place rice in a fine mesh sieve and thoroughly rinse rice under cool running water until the water runs clear.
Definitely! The recipe is quite versatile, so you can very confidently add in more preferred veggies such as mushrooms, sliced bell peppers, chili peppers to give it a kick, peas, chickpeas or even some extra corn to have more of a yummy flavor.
Some Tips
- To save time, feel free to use a rotisserie chicken, shred the breasts and thighs and use in this recipe.
- You can definitely use store bought sauce for this recipe. However, if you wish to make your own Enchilada sauce at home, you can try out my recipe to get the best results.
- Use white rice only, whether it’s long, medium or short grain. I don’t recommend using brown rice, risotto or wild rice in this recipe.
- Feel free to add other veggies to this dish, such as bell peppers, mushrooms, etc. Also if you want to spice this up a bit, feel free to add in any spices you may like such cumin, coriander, garlic powder, etc.
Leftovers
Fridge
If you have leftover chicken enchilada rice casserole, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
Freezer
If freezing, store this dish in a freezer bag with the air pressed out or cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven when completely thawed. This dish will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
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Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain rice uncooked, such as Basmati
- 3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (about 1½ lbs)
- 20 ounce red enchilada sauce
- 16 ounce refried beans
- 1 cup white cheddar shredded
- 11 ounce corn kernel drained (1 can)
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the rice: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot and cook for about 18, or until rice is tender and the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let it sit, covered for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.
- Prep the oven: Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine everything together: In a large bowl combine the shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce, refried beans, corn and half of the Monterey Jack and white cheddar cheese. Add the rice, season with salt and pepper if needed, and mix well. Pour rice mixture into a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Top with remainder of cheese.
- Bake: Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
- To save time, feel free to use a rotisserie chicken, shred the breasts and thighs and use in this recipe.
- You can definitely use store bought sauce for this recipe. However, if you wish to make your own Enchilada sauce at home, you can try out my recipe to get the best results.
- Use white rice only, whether it’s long, medium or short grain. I don’t recommend using brown rice, risotto or wild rice in this recipe.
- Feel free to add other veggies to this dish, such as bell peppers, mushrooms, etc. Also if you want to spice this up a bit, feel free to add in any spices you may like such cumin, coriander, garlic powder, etc.
- If you have leftover chicken enchilada rice casserole, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
- If freezing, store this dish in a freezer bag with the air pressed out or cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven when completely thawed. This dish will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Recipe originally published July 2014.
Doubling this recipe and taking half or more (15 servings) to a volunteer commitment tomorrow at lunchtime. Could i prep and assemble everything in the pans tonight, refrigerate then bake in the morning so I am taking it warm to the volunteer commitment ? (They can also reheat things there) or should I bake it tonight then they can reheat it there. (I may actually do it all tonight so I can try some for dinner too 🙂 ) Looking forward to trying it out ! Have not attempted something like this yet 🙂
You can absolutely do that!
It’s not that great as is, but the suggestions to add more spices and veggies mages it pretty good. Basically it’s a good base to add more to your liking.
I love this recipe! I make it all the time. I’d like to make it as a freezer meal for a friend. If freezing it, do I bake it first, or just assemble and freeze? Thanks so much!
There are freezing instructions under the Freezing section of Leftovers. But yes, you want to bake it first and then freeze it.