Green Chile Chicken and Rice Casserole
on Mar 15, 2021, Updated Jul 08, 2024
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This easy to make Green Chile Chicken and Rice Casserole is perfect to make on days when you’re craving Southwest comfort food. Loaded with diced green chiles and green enchilada sauce, it’s sure to be a family favorite!
It was definitely a comfort food kind of weekend here in Denver this past Saturday and Sunday. We got our biggest snow of the year and were pretty much confined to the indoors. I know we need all the snow we can get, but man I missed being outside in the sun.
Aside from cleaning, working and doing some organization projects around the house, we did a lot of comfort food eating. Pizza was a priority. Then yesterday, I couldn’t help but make this green chile chicken and rice casserole again.
If you’re a follower of my blog then you are probably aware of my love of anything made with green chiles. This slow cooker creamy green chile chicken enchilada soup really hits the spot on a cold day. And this skinny green chile chicken enchilada dip is a personal favorite of mine along with everyone else I’ve ever made it for.
Today it’s all about this green chile casserole. It’s easy to make, all made in one pan, is delicious for leftovers and it’s made with more wholesome ingredients. There’s no canned soup, unlike many of the casseroles we grew up on and it happens to be gluten free in case you follow a gluten free diet.
Ingredients Needed to Make Green Chile Chicken and Rice Casserole
- green onions
- chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano
- chicken breasts
- brown rice
- diced green chiles
- fire roasted tomatoes
- frozen corn
- green enchilada sauce
- plain Greek yogurt
- Colby Jack cheese
How to Make Green Chile Chicken and Rice Casserole
This chicken and rice casserole is a one pan recipe and doesn’t take long at all to make. Heat the oil in a large oven safe skillet and add the green onion and spices to it. Sauté the onions for a couple minutes and then add in shredded chicken, rice, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, enchilada sauce, and a 1/4 cup of the cheese.
Stir everything together until the cheese melts and it’s heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and quickly stir in the Greek yogurt. Removing it from the heat will prevent the yogurt from curdling.
Top the casserole with the rest of the cheese and then put it in the oven to bake. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes since everything is already cooked and warm. You basically just want to get the cheese melted. Once it’s out of the oven, top it with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro.
Frequently Asked Questions
What brand of green enchilada sauce should I use?
My two favorite brands of green enchilada sauce are Hatch and Frontera. Both of these brands are gluten free if that’s important to you.
Can I use a different kind of cheese?
Absolutely. Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or a combination of any of these would all be delicious.
What can I use instead of brown rice?
Not a fan of brown rice or don’t have any? Try using white rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice. If you use cauliflower rice I recommend using a 1/4 cup less of the green enchilada sauce as it won’t absorb into it as much like it does the rice.
How to keep the Greek yogurt from curdling in the casserole
To keep the Greek yogurt from curdling add it in last. Remove the pan from the heat and stir it in quickly. You don’t want the yogurt to be boiling away on the stove while you’re heating all of the other ingredients. It also helps if you use a plain Greek yogurt with a higher fat content versus non fat. Low fat or whole milk work well.
More Green Chile Recipes
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Quinoa Casserole
Creamy Green Chile Chicken Tacos
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Mexican Corn and Green Chile Dip
Green Chile Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 green onions, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 8 ounce can diced green chiles
- 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes drained
- 1/2 cup frozen corn defrosted
- 3/4 cup green enchilada sauce
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2% or full fat work best
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large oven safe skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the green onions and spices and sauté for a couple minutes.
- Add the shredded chicken, rice, green chiles, fire roasted tomatoes, corn, and green enchilada sauce and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Stir everything together until it's combined. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Once the cheese is melted and everything is heated through, remove the skillet from the heat and quickly stir in the Greek yogurt. Top with the remaining cheese and then bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot.
- Serve the casserole as is or top it with diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I saw a comment that said this was okay to freeze – what are the reheat instructions for if you freeze it? I loved this. I grated a whole zucchini (squeezed out the water) in it to add some more veggie and it was perfect. Thanks!!
Let the casserole defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then you can either reheat it in the oven at 350° F. until it’s hot or microwave individual portions.
This is so easy and so good, especially now that green chiles are in season. I fire roast my own and put them in the freezer. I always have shredded chicken on hand in the freezer. Seasoned for the humans and plain for the German Shepherd. If you have a Trader Joes close to you, buy their frozen brown or even jasmine rice. In 3 minutes you’ll have perfect rice for this recipe. I just put out a bowl of tortilla chips and it makes and easy Friday night dinner. Also Hatch green chile enchilada sauce is the best.
So glad you like the casserole and I completely agree, Hatch green enchilada sauce is the best!
Could jasmine rice be used in place of the brown rice? If so, would anything about the prep or cooking time change?
Absolutely. Since the rice goes into the casserole cooked, nothing about the prepping or cook time will change.
I just made this. Since I baked and shredded the chicken myself and fire roasted the tomatoes, it was a lot of prep time but it is also extremely delicious. The prep time could be cut down significantly by buying pre-prepared ingredients. But I was using up food I had in the kitchen.
Isis it 2 cups of rice, cooked OR 2 cups of cooked rice?
2 cups of cooked rice.
Danae, I see that you say in your article (one of the last paragraphs) that you should use a higher fat Greek yogurt, but then the ingredients call for a non-fat Greek yogurt. So, inquiring minds want to know, which is it?
Thank you.
Using either 2% or full fat is recommended and will give you a creamier consistency and richer flavor. It’s also less likely to curdle when you use a higher fat yogurt.
Would this be good with refried beans?
I’m not sure if you mean as a side or mixed into the casserole. As a side it would be great! I haven’t tried mixing refried beans into the casserole but drained and rinsed black beans or pinto beans are a nice addition.
Riced cauliflower???