Southwest Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked Carolina® Whole Grain Brown Rice or Carolina® Organic Brown Rice
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced
- ¾ cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 (4 oz) chopped green chillies, drained
- 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced (optional)
- 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
Topping Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- Pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
This has got to be the best weeknight casserole! The savory chicken and veggies, whole grain Carolina® brown rice with spicy green chilies and jalapeños topped with a flavorful sour cream blend and melted Monterey Jack is not just quick, it’s unbelievably tasty.
Step 1
Grease a 3-quart casserole dish or 9x13x2 inch baking pan and spread the brown rice over the bottom.
Step 2
Top with remaining ingredients; layering in the order listed.
Step 3
Mix topping ingredients together except for the cheese. Spread them over the casserole and, lastly, sprinkle with cheese.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 350º F and bake for 30 minutes.
Recipe Tips
To make this dish vegetarian, omit the chicken and add in cooked black beans where it should be added within the list.
Looking for a more sustainable way to eat? Why not try Carolina® Organic Brown Rice. Non-GMO Project Verified.
Want more greens in your life? Layer in spinach or chopped broccoli.
The Best of Tex-Mex
This easy chicken and rice casserole has all of the flavors of your favorite tex-mex dishes and not to mention it’s made from all real ingredients that don’t involve any canned soup! Fill your plate with fresh zucchini, tomatoes, jalapeñoes and chili peppers baked with 100% Whole Grain Brown Rice topped with Mexican seasoned sour cream and melted Monterey Jack.
This recipe is perfect for a cheesy weeknight casserole for the family when you just don’t have the energy to put together a great meal. Now you can! Assemble the ingredients and let the oven do the rest.
You can also use it as a meal prep dish. Simply prepare a casserole tray full on Sunday and separate into different containers to bring for lunches throughout the week or keep it for dinner leftovers.
Lifehack: buy extra green chilies and prepare a Green Chili Rice Casserole for next week.
Ingredient Substitutions
No Brown Rice? Swap with 3 cups cooked of any Carolina® Rice variety.
No cooked chicken breast? Swap with rotisserie chicken or turkey, cooked ground chicken, turkey, beef, or pork. Leftover fajita meat, chopped, will also be a good substitute. Make it vegetarian with tofu, extra veggies, or your favorite meat substitute.
No zucchini? Swap with your favorite vegetable: eggplant, yellow squash, chayote, pumpkin…
No Monterey Jack cheese? Swap with Pepper Jack, Mexican cheese blend, Gouda, Havarti, Colby, cheddar, Panella, or Oaxaca cheese.
No chopped green chilies? Swap with red or green salsa, hatch chilies, or chopped poblanos.
No jalapeño peppers? Swap with canned jalapeños, Serrano peppers, Padron peppers, or hatch chilies.
No tomatoes? Swap 2 cups canned tomatoes, roasted red peppers, or cooked sliced beets.
No sour cream? Swap with plain greek yogurt, pureed cottage cheese or ricotta. You can also make your own sour cream by combining 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons vinegar.
No onion? Use 1 teaspoon onion powder or shallots.
No cumin? Try ground coriander, caraway, chili powder, or paprika.
