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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.
I loved how quickly this came together and everyone enjoyed it. It was delicious (even better?) the next day. I froze half of it for a quick dinner another time.
Hi Aimee,
Thanks for making this recipe! Love hearing it turned out just right. Have the best week!
This was delicious! I just love your recipes! I did use chicken broth instead of water.
Hey Keri,
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win! Happy Sunday!
Same comments as the others – rice took an extra 20-30 minutes to cook. What rice do you use? Just did plain white rice.
Hi Jessica,
Thanks so much for trying this dish! I just use plain jasmine or basmati rice. So sorry it took longer to cook, I am stumped as to why that is happening for some but not for others!
Disappointing! Sauce was watery-rice was undercooked. Next time I would cook rice before adding. flavours were good!
Hi Lori,
Very sorry to hear this. Let me know if you try the recipe again using a different method! Have a nice Sunday!
Hi Tieghan! Can I sub ground beef for chicken here? If so, any revisions needed? I’d like to make tonight.
Thank you!
Hey Jillian,
Totally, that will work well for you, you can keep the recipe as is. Please let me know if you give this a try! xx
It’s not often I find a HBH dud, but this one was it. I think the flavors are close but agree with the others who struggled with the excess liquid (even after letting it rest to hopefully absorb some of it) and the cooking time. Needs salt, probably clarification on liquid ratios (ie drain the beans/tomatoes?), and def an adjusted cooking time.
Hi Stephanie,
So sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you. I did drain the beans but I did not drain the tomatoes. Thanks for the comment! xx
Easy to put together. A great chilly night meal. I added chopped jalapeños and topped the finished dish with cilantro. Yummy!
Hi Cindy, I appreciate you trying this dish and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well for you! xT
This is delicious and super easy! My reason for four stars is that even with the addition of more water and a little longer cooking time some of my rice still seems hard. Overall, I love the recipe!
Thanks so much for giving this dish a try, Jamie! Love to hear it was enjoyed, I appreciate your comment! xx
Can brown rice be used in this recipe? thanks!
Hey Julie,
Sure, that will work nicely for you! You may need to increase your cook time slightly. I hope you love this dish! xx
Based on the reviews, I made changes to the recipe and it turned out better better than I thought it would.
Recommendations: While I did not have extra, I think this recipe needs more chicken (maybe 1.5lbs), omit butter (not needed), drain the beans, use instant rice, (YES, you can use instant rice using the cook times in her recipe but cut down on the water. I added 1/2 can of water to the empty tomato can), your could probably add more rice (maybe 1.5 cups) I used frozen corn (fine, but fresh would be better), used shishito peppers (because I had them) which seemed to have more spice & flavor, and instead of Rotel tomatoes I used one can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and one small can of diced green chilies (I think the chilies added more spice and flavor). I sprinkled additional taco seasoning over the top before the cheese stage (I also added more cheese).
I baked it per the instructions and the rice was perfect. It still needs absolutely needs salt. I also squeezed fresh lime juice in each serving along with sour cream, and tortilla strips. Overall it turned out to be tasty! Easy, quick prep and short baking time. However I will tweak the recipe before sharing with my daughters.
Thanks so much, Marlene! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you. I appreciate you sharing all of your notes for others!
Happy Fall Monday! xx
Flavour was great, and I love that it’s a one pan meal, but it definitely needs more time to cook the rice. Next time I’ll try 45 covered and 15 uncovered.
Hi Corinne,
Amazing! So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you giving it a try!
Have a great week!
Amazing!!!!
Thanks so much, Anna! Have a nice Monday!
I had high hopes for this recipe but it was a flop. It took way longer than an hour to make and the rice was still too firm even after adding more water on top of a cooked dish which just left it a sloppy, watery mess. I had to spoon some of the liquid out to salvage it after baking an additional 15 minutes.
Hi there,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
We loved this! I used orzo and chicken broth instead of water after reading some of the comments and that worked really well. I cooked it an additional 15 minutes covered after the orzo was still a little crunchy. I also used canned diced tomatoes instead of rotel and bell pepper instead of poblano to avoid the heat. Will make this again!!
Love to hear this, Rae Lynn! Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing what worked well for you! Have the best fall weekend! xT
I thought this was SO good!! Reminded me of chipotle bowls. The whole family loved it. The one adjustment I would make next time is to cook the rice separately then add it in with everything else after the chicken is cooked. I left mine in the oven for about an hour and some of the rice still wasn’t cooked all the way through. But that one simple adjustment would make this a super quick and easy dinner! Definitely adding this to my staples
Hey Rebekah, Yay! Love to hear this! Thanks for trying this dish and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed by the fam! xT