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Mix and Bake Chicken Taco Casserole. Our new weeknight staple! Chicken seasoned with taco spices, baked, and shredded. Then everything goes right into the pan — dry rice, onions, peppers, corn, a can of tomatoes, and beans. Cheese on top and bake until bubbling. No need to cook the rice separately. Just mix, bake, eat, and finish with all your favorite taco toppings. It’s so simple and so delicious.
I always get excited to share these mix-and-bake recipes. They’re perfect for nights when you just want to toss everything together, bake, and forget about it until dinner. Zero fuss, maximum comfort.
When I had the idea for a taco casserole, I knew my family would love it, we all love tacos! And after making this a few times now, we’ve all agreed it’s best with shredded chicken and rice. So flavorful, so cozy.
Even my brother Kai got in on it. He made this the other night for game night and said it was the perfect dish. He swapped the beans for extra bell peppers and topped it with spicy cheddar and pepper jack – he loved it. Kai is a casserole guy through and through (chicken noodle is still his favorite #1)!
The Quick Details
Ingredients
- boneless chicken tenders or strips
- taco seasoning
- olive oil
- salted butter
- dry rice
- a yellow onion
- poblano peppers
- fresh or frozen corn – I use fresh summer corn when available
- Rotel tomatoes
- black beans
- mixed Mexican cheeses – I love a cheddar, colby jack, and pepper jack blend
Ingredients – for topping
- plain Greek yogurt – sour cream is good too
- shredded lettuce
- bcilantro and green onions
- cubed or sliced avocado
- lime zest and lime juice
- tortilla strips
Special Tools
You’ll need a large oven-safe casserole dish with a lid. No lid? Foil works too!
Steps
Step 1: Season and cook the chicken
In a casserole dish, toss the chicken with taco seasoning, olive oil, and butter. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked through.
Shred the chicken right in the dish using two forks. It should pull apart easily — shred into bigger or smaller pieces depending on what you like best.
Step 2: Add everything else
Stir in the dry rice, onions, peppers, corn, tomatoes, and beans — everything except the cheese. Pour over water to help the rice cook as the casserole bakes.
Step 3: Add cheese and bake
Sprinkle cheese over the top, then cover and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the rice is tender. Uncover and bake a few more minutes until the cheese is bubbling and just turning golden. The rice will finish cooking and the edges will get a little crispy — so delish!
Top it and serve
Finish with shredded lettuce, fresh cilantro, a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, sliced avocado, lime zest and juice, and green onions. Add a pinch of flaked sea salt for extra flavor.
Serve with tortilla strips or chips for crunch. Yum!
Looking for other easy chicken and rice dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice
One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Spicy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice
One Pan Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice
Lastly, if you make this Mix and Bake Chicken Taco Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Mix and Bake Chicken Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken tenders/strips
- 1/4 cup taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cups dry rice
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, chopped
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
- 1 can (10 ounce) Rotel tomatoes
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.2. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, toss the chicken with taco seasoning, olive oil, and butter. Bake 15 minutes, until fully cooked. Reduce the oven to 400°F.3. Shred the chicken in the casserole dish using 2 forks. 4. Add the rice, onions, peppers, corn, tomatoes, and black beans. Pour over 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix it up. Top with cheese. Cover and bake 25 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 10 minutes. If the rice is hard, add 1/3 cup more water and cook for an additional 10 minutes.5. Serve the casserole topped as desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
So, delicious. I used fresh roasted chilies, well because roasted chilli season here in Colorado.
I did add extra water and cook time, we are at high altitude. May have added a splash of bone broth too.
Love your recipes and how adaptable they are. Always so, so good!
Thanks so much for your kind message, Sara:) Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed and so many others! Have a great Friday! xT
This was quick and easy and super yummy! Perfect weeknight dinner. Love that there are plenty of leftovers. Thanks Tieghan! Will definitely make again.
Hey Christy, Happy Friday! I’m so glad to hear you loved the recipe, thanks so much for making it! xT
I made this last night. It was delicious. I made a few modifications.
*Sautéed the pepper and onion before adding to casserole
*Added powdered ranch dressing mix along with the taco seasoning.
*Used chicken thighs and 2lbs instead of 1lb
I did add the extra 1/3c of water at the end to finish off the rice. It was super easy and yummy!
Hey Kimm, Amazing! Thanks so much for giving this dish a try and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Reading the comments, would it be better to cook the rice ah ad of time?
Hey Julie, I haven’t tested this, but you would probably want to reduce the liquid if you did. I hope you love the recipe! xT
So great!! It came out perfect for me! I made it in a 16 x 12 pan and kept everything else exactly like Tieghan’s recipe specified!! Gosh so delicious!
Hey Elizabeth,
Awesome! Love to hear this dish was a winner, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy September! xx
I made this last night, and it was good in the end, but not sure I’d make it again (the jury is still out on that). I pretty much followed the recipe, although I shredded the chicken breasts in the food processor rather than shredding them with a fork because I was pretty sure the breasts would be overcooked and dry in bigger pieces. After cooking it all for 25 minutes, the rice wasn’t even close to being done, so I added 1/3 cup of water then and cooked for what turned out to be 20 more minutes, after which the rice was soft. Given the large amount of taco seasoning, 2 poblanos and Hatch Rotel tomatoes, it wasn’t very spicy and really needed salt. In any case, if my husband thinks I should make it again, I will, but like I said I’m undecided at this point in time.
Hi Helen,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe. So sorry to hear you didn’t love it! Let me know if you make again and have a better outcome:) xx
Good flavor in the end, but baking time needs serious tweaking. Baked covered for 40 minutes, rice hard and very watery and completely unfit to eat. Uncovered and put back in for 10 more minutes, way better, but rice still not there….stirred a bit. Covered again, baked for 10 more minutes…and finally looking good. Topped with cheese and baked uncovered for 5 minutes…Good to go!
I personally feel, based on other recipes, if you want to cook for only 40 min you need to use instant rice, long white rice baked at this temp/time with the number of additives is not nearly enough.
I did use a full packet of taco seasoning, half on the chicken and then the remainder in the mixture before baking. Flavor was good.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m sorry to hear you had to make some adjustments, but glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor. Thanks again! xT
Mad this and loved it! But would prefer more rice. Would you recommend any adjustments in order to double the rice?
Hey Erin,
So glad to hear this dish was a winner! If you want to add more rice, you will also need to increase the water. The measurements would really just depend on how much rice you add. I hope this helps! xx
This recipe is fantastic! I did the chicken in the crock pot for a couple of hours and then shredded it and followed the recipe for the rest except I used chicken stock instead of water. Thanks for sharing it, Tieghan!
Thanks so much, Barbara! So glad this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Happy September:)
This was delicious! I have food allergies so instead of tomatoes, I used roasted red peppers. And I made a white sauce to replace the cheese. Definitely going in my recipe rotation!
Hey Jania,
Love to hear it! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your input! Have the best week ahead! xT
Can I use refried beans instead of black beans?
Hi Phil,
Totally, I would just add the beans after everything in step 4 has been mixed up, that should work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe! xx
Was not a success for me. Followed exactly except bell pepper instead of poblanos. Ended up being very watery but somehow chicken was very dry.
Hey Emily! I am so sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, thank you for the input! xT
Excellent! My husband and I really enjoyed this. It would be a perfect dish for a group of people. You can also make it for dinner, either a hard or soft taco. The one thing I didn’t do and should have was drain the Rotel, but maybe that made the rice cook better? And I used Basmati. We will definitely make this again.
Hi Kim! Thank you so so much! I am so glad you loved this casserole, hope you have a great day! xT
Needs a little salt but other than that it is a definite hit and will be made again. Thanks for this recipe!
Hi Sharon! Thank you so much for trying out this casserole! Love to hear it was a hit! 🙂 xT
Can I use instant rice?
Hi Jennifer! This recipe is written for dry rice so it can cook and soak up liquid in the oven. I worry that instant rice won’t work the same, it cooks too quickly and may turn mushy or soggy! xT
Can you make ahead of time and reheat? What would you recommend to make sure it doesn’t get over cooked.
Hey Lee! Yes, you can definitely make it ahead! Just assemble, cover, and keep it in the fridge up to a day before baking. If reheating, cover with foil and warm in the oven at 350°F until hot (this keeps it from drying out)! 🙂 xT