Name: Dump and Bake Taco Chicken and Rice Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked (rinsed well); 1 ¾ -2 cups chicken broth (low sodium preferred); 1 can rotel (10 oz. (tomatoes with green chiles)); 2-3 garlic cloves (minced); 1 cup corn (frozen or canned); 1 can black beans (15 oz., drained and rinsed); juice of one lime; 1½ lb chicken breast (cut in bite-sized pieces); taco seasoning packet, 1- 1.31 oz. ((approx. 3-4 Tbsp, we like siete foods)); ½ cup chopped cilantro (more for topping); ⅓ - ½ cup sour cream (room temperature); 1½ cup freshly shredded pepper jack or your favorite cheddar!

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These super simple dump and bake taco chicken rice casserole is the easiest taco inspired dinner recipe the whole family will love! Add ingredients to the pan you cook them in, stir and bake and then add sour cream, cilantro and all the cheese on top. This dish is simple to customize, uses a pack of your preferred taco seasoning and is even better with all the taco toppings!

Baking pan with cheese topped chicken and rice casserole.

Why We Love This Cheesy Chicken Taco Rice Bake
Ingredient Notes
Ways To Vary This Recipe
Step-By-Step Instructions
Recipe Tips
Storage
More One-Pan Meals
Dump and Bake Taco Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
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Grab some chicken, rice, beans, rotel and your favorite taco seasoning and you have almost all you will need to make these easy cheesy chicken rice bake, a dinner so worth repeating!

We love meals that take literally a handful of minutes to toss together and this one has stolen the hearts of my family and is on the weekly rotation now–can’t wait to hear what you think!

Why We Love This Cheesy Chicken Taco Rice Bake

If you have been around here long enough, you know that dinner is my least favorite dinner to make. My mission in life is to make dinner as simple to prep while still remaining super delicious. This dump and bake dinner recipe has been a new kick for me–you will have to check out some of the others!

This dump and bake chicken taco casserole:

requires only one pan to make–you add all the ingredients to the dish and bake, that’s it!
uses your family’s favorite taco seasoning to keep the flavors familiar to the kids and more likely to eat it–huge win if ya ask me
is simple to customize to your family’s needs and likes
makes dinner a BREEZE and allows you to hang out with the family while it bakes

If you love one pan meals like this one, try these others: Creamy Baked Chicken Orzo, Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice, Greek Chicken and Orzo, or this Chicken Ramen Noodle Bake!

Ingredient Notes

Chicken cubed, rice, rotel, cilantro and other labeled ingredients.

Make sure you use long grain white rice and rinse it well before making this dish. Rinsing the rice removes excess starch so the grains stay separate and fluffy instead of ending up sticky or gummy in this dish.
Boneless skinless chicken breast is what we have tested when making this dish. I have not use chicken thighs to date so can’t say for sure if they will work just yet!
If you aren’t a fan of black beans, pinto beans will work well too in this dish.

Ways To Vary This Recipe

add some more veggies: you can add in some sautéed diced peppers, jalapeños, baby spinach, etc.
amp up the spice level: add a touch of your favorite hot sauce, sprinkle some cayenne pepper into the mix or select a spicy taco packet
vary the cheese you top it with: we love adding pepper jack cheese, but whatever you love on your tacos will work well–a cheddar mix, queso fresco, etc.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Baking pan with beans, corn, broth, lime juice and rice.

Step 1: Add rice, broth, rotel (don’t drain any liquid), beans, corn and lime juice to a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Beans, rice, broth, and other ingredients in pan.

Step 2: Stir to combine

Chicken breast cubed in baking dish with taco seasoning over top.

Step 3: Add the cubed chicken over top and sprinkle over the taco seasoning packet.

Taco chicken and rice mixture before baking.

Step 4: Gently stir to combine.

Baked chicken and rice taco casserole in pan.

Step 5: Cover the pan with foil and seal very tight. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the chicken has reached 165°F and the rice is tender.

Sour cream and cilantro stirred into chicken and rice mixture.

Step 6: Once cooked, remove from oven and stir in the sour cream and cilantro.

Shredded pepper jack cheese on chicken and rice bake before melted.

Step 7: Sprinkle the cheese over top to cover and broil on high for about 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.

Chicken taco rice bake with serving spoon.

Step 8: Allow the dish to rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Add your favorite toppings, we like jalapeños, more cilantro, crushed tortilla chips and tomatoes. Oh and more sour cream!

Recipe Tips

Add lots of toppings! This chicken rice taco bake is so good with all the taco toppings: sour cream, jalapeños, olives, tomatoes, avocado, pickled onions, crushed fritos, and more.

Make sure your rice is not par-boiled or precooked in any way. Using uncooked rice is imperative to the success of this taco bake. If you use a rice that has already been cooked in some way, you will end up with a mushy mess for sure.

Cut your chicken into similar sized pieces. About 1 – 1 1/2 inch pieces are ideal for the cook time in this recipe, and making sure they are all similar in size will keep them from becoming overcooked or dry.

Bowl with serving of chicken and rice with jalapeños and tomatoes on top.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container for about 4-5 days in the refrigerator. This dish can be frozen up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

To reheat, bake at 350°F uncovered for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through. You can microwave leftovers, but the chicken can become a bit dry doing it this way.