Baked Salsa Chicken Casserole is the perfect one pan dinner recipe for busy week nights or any night that you want a quick and easy dinner that’s full of flavor!
Did you have a good weekend? We just got back from summer vacation. We went to South Haven, MI and it was gorgeous. The perfect mix (to me) of “up north”, quiet beach town and city (plenty of shopping and food within minutes). It was our first vacation and road trip with Julia but she did really well and we had a great time.
One Dish Baked Salsa Chicken Casserole
I can’t believe that Labor Day is this weekend and summer will officially be over. All my friends with older kids will be (or already are) back to the hustle bustle of school days.
Julia isn’t in school yet, but our evenings are constantly hectic and I’m always trying to think of quick and easy dinner ideas. I make a really easy slow cooker salsa chicken but sometimes, I forgot to set the slow cooker so this One Dish Baked Salsa Chicken Casserole is perfect.
McCormick has a new line of organic, non-GMO, seasoning mixes that help make flavorful dinners that you can feel good about. There is Brown Gravy Mix, Chili Seasoning Mix, Fajita Seasoning Mix, and the Taco Seasoning Mix, which I used in this dish. 
Baked Salsa Chicken Casserole Recipe
One Dish Baked Salsa Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed & butterflied
- 3/4 cup uncooked rice
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 Tb butter melted
- 1 packet McCormick Organic Taco Seasoning Mix divided
- ~1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Pour the uncooked rice, melted butter, water, and 1 teaspoon of the taco seasoning into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Stir to combine.
- Place the butterflied chicken breasts and remaining taco seasoning into a large zip top bag and shake to fully coat.
- Lay the seasoned chicken breasts on top of the rice and pour salsa over the top.
- Sprinkle with cheese, cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, open and test rice to make sure it's tender. If not, give it a stir, re-cover and bake up to 15 more minutes.
- Stir rice then serve.
Nutrition
Or maybe you’ll like…
Blender Salsa (On The Border copycat)
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Would this work well for a freezer meal? Can you cover with foil and then freeze?
Great question! I’m terrible at freezing meals but hope to start before Baby #2 gets here in a few months. I think it should work fine covered with foil. I would bake it first and then freeze, then thaw overnight before re-heating but I’m wondering if the rice will hold up. I wish I could be more help, it’s not something I do often (…ever) & need to get better at!
I have made similar recipes with no problem freezing. Thaw overnight in refrigerator…should be fine.
Thanks!
I made the salsa chicken casserole and after the 30 minutes in the oven it was still very soupy. Has anyone else had this problem? I double checked the ingredients and I had them all right so I’m not sure what is wrong with it. I took the foil off and I’m cooking it longer hopefully it will absorb the liquid
I had the same problem
I’m having the same problem! :/ Did it work after you took the foil off?
Sorry you had issues. How’d it turn out? I’ll have to make it again soon – I haven’t had this problem!
Do you use quick cooking rice or regular rice?
Regular rice
This was so delicious & easy! My husband was particularly impressed which doesn’t happen often. It took closer to an hour for the rice to cook but was worth the little extra time. Highly recommend for a quick & tasteful dinner!
If freezing, I recommend using chicken or veggie broth instead of water. It helps keep the rice moist and adds a bit more flavor. Thanks.
Thanks for the tip, Laura!