Name: Southwest Chicken Casserole
Prep time: 6 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 6 h 30 min
Ingredients: 1 package taco seasoning mix; 1 can black beans; 1 can corn; 8 oz of canned green chiles; 2 tablespoons garlic salt; Optional: 2 tablespoons best seasoning ever; 3 limes limes; 1 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican style cheese (cheddar would work too!); 1 bunch of cilantro; Sour cream or garnish; Optional: hot sauce for garnish; Optional: Serve with tortilla chips

You’re going to love this easy, healthy, and scrumptious Southwest Chicken Casserole recipe!

Image of Southwest Chicken Casserole, topped with cilantro in a blue baking dish and sitting on a striped dish towel on a grey and white quartz countertop.

This Southwest Chicken Casserole recipe is easily one of my favorites!

Whenever one of my friends text me, asking for a weeknight go-to dinner recipe, I almost always respond with this Southwest Chicken Casserole recipe.

And it never disappoints!

This dish is totally comfort food but it’s also healthy and high in protein. And you can put it together in no time at all! Oh and for our family of 3, we always have leftovers too!

I also love brining this dish to new moms for a nourishing postpartum meal.

Ingredients

3/4 cup rice (any kind will do!)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 shredded chicken breast, about 1 cup of shredded chicken (Make shredded chicken out of both and freeze half)
6 oz Salsa verde (Trader Joe’s brand is my favorite!)
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 can black beans
1 can corn
8 oz of canned green chiles
2 tablespoons garlic salt
Optional: 2 tablespoons best seasoning ever
3 limes limes
1 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican style cheese (cheddar would work too!)
1 bunch of cilantro
Sour cream for garnish
Optional: Tortilla chips and best hot sauce

Instructions

Step 1: Prep/Make shredded chicken. There are a couple of ways you can go about this…

Prep crockpot shredded chicken in the morning, and it will be ready by the time you need it later in the day.
You can make shredded chicken over the weekend or at an earlier date and freeze it.
Because shredded chicken can be added to so many recipes (like this one – just swap it out for the chicken sausage), whenever I make it, I double the recipe and freeze it in Ziplock bags.

Step 2: Assemble and bake Southwest Chicken Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a 9×13 glass baking dish combine 3/4 cup rice with 1 cup vegetable broth.

easy southwest chicken casserole recipe. Image of broth and rice in blue casserole dish on white quartz countertop.

Evenly distribute shredded chicken on top of rice and broth. Do not mix to combine, you want the remaining ingredients to be layered on top of the rice and broth.
Add 6 oz of salsa verde.

easy southwest chicken casserole. Image of shredded chicken topped with salsa verde in blue casserole dish on white quartz countertop.

Next, drain and rinse 1 can of corn and 1 can of black beans. Layer on top of mixture.
Pour 8 oz green chiles (do not drain).
Season with 2 tablespoons of garlic salt and (optional) 2 tablespoons best seasoning ever.
Add 3 juiced limes.
Top with 1 1/2 cups cheese.

Image of healthy southwest chicken casserole topped with cheddar cheese in blue casserole dish next to bowl of sliced limes on top of white quartz countertop.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until broth as absorbed.
Optional, but highly recommended: Broil for 1-2 minutes at very end to make top layer crispy!

Step 3: Top with cilantro and dish up! Serve with dollop (or two!) of sour cream, hot sauce, and tortilla chips.

Note: This can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.