Southwestern Casserole

I came up with this recipe when I was trying to decide what I wanted to cook for my grandparents one week. My grandmother loves southwestern food so I wanted to try something different. I thought this recipe rocked, but since it was the first time I made it, there were things I would definitely add. They loved it though, so it must have been good! It’s pretty simple to make so I’d totally suggest trying it out.

Ingredients:

• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup salsa
• ¾ cup rice, uncooked (not minute rice)
• 1 can corn
• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 4 chicken breasts
• Taco seasoning
• ½ cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican cheese blend)

So what would I add? Some diced onions, bell peppers and tomatoes. I think that would have sent this dish way over the top. Sometimes it’s the small touches that make a simple casserole turn into something great.

Grease a large baking dish and preheat your oven to 375°. In your baking dish, stir together the cream of chicken, water, salsa and rice. Next, layer on your corn and black beans.

As you can see in the picture, someone didn’t want the beans! That’s why I love casseroles like this… they are so easy to personalize. Don’t like corn? Take it out. Want some green chilies? Add em! Make this recipe perfect for you. If you wanted to add the veggies I mentioned earlier (onion, bell pepper, tomato), I’d suggest just mixing them in with the rice and salsa.

Next, place your chicken breasts on top. Space em out a little bit and then cover them with taco seasoning (you know I have to mention the best taco seasoning ever… don’t buy it from the store, make your own with this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker!). Be generous, this is the only real seasoning you are giving the chicken.

Cover this with foil and bake it about an hour. Uncover it and make sure your chicken is done. If it isn’t, let it cook a little longer. My chicken breasts were kind of small so they only took about 50 minutes. Cover your chicken with the cheese and let it bake until your cheese starts to melt.

This totally southwestern casserole was sooo simple and way better than I expected. It went perfect with cornbread (check out my recipe over @ Cocktails with Mom – Perfect Cornbread!). This is a great meal to make in a hurry because you can just throw it all together and let it bake while you take care of things. I plan on making this a regular meal in my house!

Related posts:

1. Chicken and Rice Casserole
2. Southwestern Basmati Rice
3. Chicken Parmiagano
4. Personal Chicken Pot Pies
5. Sweet and Sour Cashew Chicken

Tags: baked, chicken, featured, rice, southwestern

Category: Dinner, Meat