If your family loves Mexican food, whip together this chicken burrito casserole recipe for an easy, low-prep dinner! It tastes like your favourite burritos yet can be made in one big casserole dish with simple ingredients. Plus, it’s loaded with protein for a satisfying and healthy meal! {Gluten-Free}
Table of Contents
Baked Chicken Burrito Casserole Recipe
This delicious oven baked chicken burrito casserole is the ultimate comfort food. It has all those Mexican flavours and toppings you love in one hearty baked rice dish.
Either serve this recipe up as a shredded chicken burrito bowl with all of your favourite toppings, or pack the chicken and rice mixture into tortillas for easy burritos!
It requires minimal effort yet will reward you with tons of flavour. Plus, it can be baked up all in one dish!
If you love easy Mexican-inspired casseroles, you’ll also want to check out this Low Carb Chicken Fajita Casserole and Crockpot Mexican Casserole!
Why We Love This Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Easy: Use leftover rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetables to assemble this one-pot meal in no time! It’s ideal for a busy weeknight.
- Adaptable: Adapt this recipe to use your favourite veggies or protein.
- Family favourite: Loaded with flavour without being too spicy, the whole family will want seconds!
- Make ahead: Prep this casserole dish before work and simply pop your burrito bake in the oven when supper time rolls around for a no-fuss dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Rice: Parboiled long-grain brown rice or white rice will cook perfectly in the oven; no pre-cooking is necessary.
- Vegetables: Finely dice an onion and red bell pepper for lots of colour and flavour.
- Fajita seasoning: Either homemade or store-bought fajita seasoning mix will do!
- Cayenne pepper: This is optional, but cayenne adds an extra kick of heat.
- Corn: Add frozen kernels for Southwestern flair.
- Black beans: Drain and rinse a can of low-sodium black beans.
- Shredded chicken: Use leftover cooked chicken, prepare some of this Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken or cook some fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts in the Instant Pot for 15 minutes, then shred them.
- Chicken broth: Use reduced-sodium chicken stock as a base to make sure each bite of rice is loaded with flavor.
- Green chilies: One small can of mild green chilies will give this easy burrito casserole Southwestern flavour.
- Olive oil: Just use a little to help prevent the rice from sticking together.
- Tomato paste: Full of rich flavor, tomato paste is a great ingredient to make every grain of rice delicious.
- Cheese: Sprinkle shredded Monterey Jack cheese over the top for a perfect cheesy crust.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Add onion, bell pepper, uncooked rice, fajita seasoning, and cayenne (if using) to a 9×13-inch baking dish and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the chicken broth, green chiles, tomato paste, and olive oil until well combined.
- Add the broth mixture to the baking dish and stir to combine with the rice mixture.
- Add shredded chicken, black beans, and corn to the baking dish. Give it an additional stir until well combined.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and then transfer to the oven to bake for 65-70 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Once complete, remove the baking dish from the oven, remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle evenly with grated cheese. Return the baking dish to the oven for a final 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, and serve with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, green onion, salsa, and avocado, if desired.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Tips for the Best Mexican Chicken Casserole
- The amount of time this chicken burrito casserole requires will depend on your oven. I put mine in the oven for 70 minutes using parboiled long-grain brown rice, and an additional 5 minutes after the cheese was added.
- If your casserole is still a bit soupy when you check on it, it most likely needs more time in the oven. Give it a quick stir to redistribute the liquid and place in the oven until the majority of the liquid has been absorbed. Keep in mind that some of the extra liquid will absorb into the rice as it sits as well.
- I like to use my homemade fajita seasoning for this recipe, but you can also use store-bought or sub in taco seasoning instead.
- If you don’t have cooked shredded chicken, you can use a rotisserie chicken or boil chicken breasts on the stove and shred or bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Once cooked, place chicken on a cutting board and use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Since this Mexican chicken casserole with rice and beans doesn’t use any tortillas, it’s entirely gluten-free. If you’re especially sensitive, be sure to check that your additional ingredients are certified gluten-free, but the rice will be naturally free from gluten.
Yes! If you really want to make your own chicken burritos, add a scoop of your fully cooked Mexican chicken and rice casserole to the middle of a large flour tortilla. Top with additional cheese, refried beans, salsa, and any other toppings, and roll it up. For a fun kid-friendly dinner, serve this casserole with a side of tortilla chips. It’s fun using the chips as a spoon!
Storage Guidelines
For the fridge: Store any leftover cheesy burrito casserole in an airtight container in the fridge. For easy reheating, portion it into meal prep containers. Microwave for 3-4 minutes until fully heated, then top with your favourite toppings.
For the freezer: Store any cooked leftovers in a freezer-safe container for 1-3 months. Let the food cool completely in the fridge before freezing. Thaw overnight before reheating, following the instructions above. Add your favourite toppings and enjoy!
Optional Toppings
Top this shredded Mexican chicken casserole with your favourite burrito fillings like:
- Sour cream
- Chopped green onions
- Black olives
- Fresh salsa (salsa verde or red – try this jalapeno salsa recipe!)
- Low sodium refried beans
- Diced jalapenos
- Diced avocado
- Guacamole
- Enchilada sauce
- Fresh lime juice
- Chopped cilantro leaves
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Hot sauce
What to Serve with Mexican Chicken Casserole
This Mexican chicken casserole with rice is hearty enough to be a complete meal on its own, but it’s also delicious paired with a salad like this Tossed Green Salad or Cilantro Lime Slaw!
You can also add some refried beans and your favourite fajita-style sauteed veggies for extra fibre and flavour.
Recipe Variations
- Change the protein: Replace the shredded chicken with beef for a beef burrito casserole.
- Vegetarian option: Use your favourite vegan protein alternative or add extra garbanzo beans for a plant-based meal.
- Dairy-free: The only dairy in this creamy burrito casserole comes from the cheese on top. Feel free to replace that with dairy-free cheese or skip it altogether.
More Similar Recipes
- Chicken Zucchini Casserole
- Authentic Mexican Chicken Fajitas
- Crockpot Taco Meat
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Healthy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Healthy Black Bean Burrito Bowls
- Mexican Ground Beef and Quinoa Taco Bowls
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Easy Chicken Burrito Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup uncooked parboiled long-grain brown rice (can also use long grain white rice)
- 3 tablespoons fajita seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 cup corn kernels frozen
- 1 14 ounce can low sodium black beans drained and rinsed
- 5 cups shredded chicken
- 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 4 ounce can mild green chilies
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Add onion, bell pepper, uncooked rice, fajita seasoning and cayenne (if using) to a 9×13 inch baking dish and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the chicken broth, green chiles, tomato paste and olive oil until well combined.
- Add the broth mixture to the baking dish and stir to combine with the rice mixture.
- Add shredded chicken, black beans and corn to the baking dish. Give it an additional stir until well combined.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and then transfer to the oven to bake for 65-70 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Once complete, remove the baking dish from the oven, remove the aluminium foil, and sprinkle evenly with grated cheese.
- Return the baking dish to the oven for a final 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, and serve with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, green onion, salsa and avocado, if desired.
Video
Notes
- The amount of time this chicken burrito casserole requires will depend on your oven. I put mine in the oven for 70 minutes using parboiled long-grain brown rice, and an additional 5 minutes after the cheese was added.
- If your casserole is still a bit soupy when you check on it, it most likely needs more time in the oven. Give it a quick stir to redistribute the liquid and place in the oven until the majority of the liquid has been absorbed. Keep in mind that some of the extra liquid will absorb into the rice as it sits as well.
- I like to use my homemade fajita seasoning for this recipe, but you can also use store-bought or sub in taco seasoning instead.
- If you don’t have cooked shredded chicken, you can use a rotisserie chicken or boil chicken breasts on the stove and shred or bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Once cooked, place chicken on a cutting board and use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
Delicious! I used an 8k Virgo saffron yellow rice mix, and instead of the 4 ounce green chilies I used a small can of rotelle, diced tomatoes and green chilies. I used half the cheese and did not add the seasonings. It turned out amazing! I was surprised too because I’m big on spices but the saffron rice seasonings in the bag flavored the whole dish perfectly. I also did not use low sodium but regular chicken stock. Thank you!
So glad you were able to find a way to modify the recipe and make it work for you!
Is there anyway to get the saturated fat down on this recipe?
The saturated fat is primarily coming from the cheese, so I would use less cheese or use a cheese with lower % milk fat, like part-skim mozzarella. Hope that helps!
Can you supplement the protein with ground beef? If so, does that change the time frame in the oven?
I haven’t personally tried it, but ground beef should work too. The cooking time would probably remain the same since sufficient time is needed in order for the rice to absorb all of the liquid. Keep me posted if you decide to try it out!
Very good! Just curious though on how much 1 serving is?
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed it! A serving would be about 1 – 1 1/2 cups or 1/8th of the casserole. Hope that helps :)
Forgot my rating….on my previous comment!
This was delicious, and will be added to my rotation!
Awesome! So happy you found a new favorite! :)
Maybe I used too much chicken, but it doesn’t quite have enough flavor for me. If/when I make it again I’ll add extra fajita seasoning.. other than that I love the ease of the recipe!
It’s possible that you used too much chicken, but I find that the amount of seasoning used is a personal preference. Some prefer more, some prefer less! Feel free to increase it next time if desired :)
Hi, can you make this (until the baking part) the night before to put in the oven the next day?
I haven’t tried it, but I think that would work! Keep me posted on the outcome if you decide to try it out!
very easy to make and change up some of the ingredients if you need to. I loved it and had plenty leftover for the week!
So happy you enjoyed the casserole! Definitely very versatile and makes great leftovers for the week!
What is the serving size for this recipe?
I haven’t measured it out exactly, but I would say a serving would be about 1 – 1 1/2 cups :)
Can I freeze this?
Yes, you can freeze it for up to 3 months!
Would you freeze it once it’s cooked?
I apologize for the delay! You could freeze it once it’s cooked. Just put it in the fridge overnight to thaw and then reheat. Hope that helps!
Can I use just normal brown rice for this?
I haven’t personally tested it with normal brown rice, but you could give it a shot! You may have to adjust the cooking time though since regular brown rice usually takes longer to cook and absorb all of the liquid. Keep me posted if you decide to try it with the regular brown rice!
I did use brown rice, I thought it turned out great for me!
Awesome, thanks so much for the feedback!
Love this recipe. So easy. I added sliced Black Olives on top of the cheese. I think next time I will use Cheddar Cheese.
So happy you’ve been loving the recipe! Love the addition of the black olives and I bet it would be really tasty with cheddar too. Thanks so much for returning to leave a rating and review :)
Really enjoyed this casserole, it was very flavorful. I love the added bonus of healthy and packed with protein. This was very easy to make and quick to put together. Plus, I love the fact that it’s all made in one dish for easy cleanup!
So happy the casserole ticked all the right boxes! Can’t beat those one pan meals :)
Can you use something besides rice?
Hmm, I haven’t personally tried making this recipe with anything other than rice. You could maybe try quinoa, but you’d probably have to adjust the amount of liquid added. Keep me posted if you decide to try it out!
Is parboiled rice the same as instant rice?
No, parboiled rice (also known as converted rice) is different than instant rice. Instant rice cooks up much faster than parboiled rice since you’re basically just reheating it, so unfortunately it won’t work for this recipe. If you can’t find brown parboiled rice, you can also just use regular parboiled or converted rice. Hope that helps!