Quick Look: Fajita Chicken Casserole With Rice
- Ready In: 1 hour
- Serves: 6
- Protein: 27 grams/serving
- Main Ingredients: White rice, chicken breasts, fajita seasoning, bell pepper, and chicken broth.
- Dietary Info: Dairy and gluten-free friendly.
- Why You’ll Love It: We love the flavors of our sheet pan chicken fajitas so much that we decided to turn it into a casserole! This easy chicken fajita casserole is a no-brainer for busy weeknights. Spend 15 minutes assembling and then let your oven do the hard work. Oh, and the flavor?! Out of this world good 👌.
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Why You’ll Add This One To Your Weekly Rotation
- Easy: With 15 minutes of prep, this recipe truly couldn’t be easier. Just assemble, pop it in the oven, set out your favorite toppings, and dig in!
- Great to meal prep: Save yourself time and chop the veggies and chicken ahead of time to make assembly a breeze.
- True Fajita Flavor: We tested this one SO many times to get the ratios right so that you can enjoy true fajita flavors in every bite!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Chicken Breasts: Chicken breasts are great for one-pan casseroles like this one as they’re a hearty piece of meat that cooks perfectly along with other ingredients.
- Fajita Seasoning: Grab a packet from the store or make homemade fajita seasoning with a few pantry staples.
- Rice: This bake worked perfectly with un-cooked long grain white rice. Using pre-cooked rice or 1-minute rice will result in a very mushy texture.
- Cheese: Swap shredded cheese for a dairy-free substitute or omit completely to make this recipe dairy-free.
How To Make Chicken Fajita Casserole With Rice
Step 1 – Toss chicken in seasoning mixture in a greased casserole dish.
Step 2 – Add broth/fajita seasoning mixture, rice, bell peppers, red onion, olive oil, lime zest, and lime juice and gently stir. Cover and bake.
For The Best Flavor
Whisk the fajita seasoning into the broth prior to adding it to the casserole dish. I did this right in the measuring cup. Mixing in advance ensures that the fajita seasoning is equally distributed throughout the rice, allowing you to get delicious fajita flavors into every bite. Then pour the broth and seasoning mixture around the chicken rather than right on top to help keep the chicken seasoning from rinsing off.
Step 3 – Remove casserole dish from the oven and remove foil.
Step 4 – Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and place back in the oven, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until the cheesy is melty.
Step 5 – Top with sour cream and cilantro or your favorite fajita toppings and enjoy!
Erin’s Testing Tips: What We Learned
- 🧂 Seasoning Ratios: We experimented with the seasoning a lot to make sure that you still got that fajita flavor without it being too overpowering. We started with two seasoning packets and eventually scaled it down to one with some additional seasonings added to the chicken.
- 🥄 Stir Lightly: Once all of the ingredients have been added to the casserole dish, stir lightly. This ensures that the chicken seasoning doesn’t get rinsed off from the broth.
- 🍋🟩 Fresh Lime: After round 2 of testing, we loved the the result, but something was missing. So we squeezed some fresh lime juice over the top of each serving and, chef’s kiss, it was perfect.
Easy Chicken Fajita Casserole with Rice FAQs
No, you can not swap white rice for brown rice in this chicken fajita casserole as brown rice requires different liquid ratios.
No, you can not swap white rice for 1-minute rice or cooked rice. This recipe was developed knowing that un-cooked rice is usually the more readily available option.
Nope! The beauty of this recipe is that everything cooks together in one casserole dish. You’re welcome ☺️.
Other Easy Weeknight Recipes You Might Like
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Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2½ cups chicken broth
- 1½ cups long grain white rice
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 1 ounce fajita seasoning packet
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime zest, about 1 whole lime
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, about ½ a lime
- 8 ounces colby jack cheese, shredded
Optional Toppings:
- sour cream, sub dairy-free sour cream
- salsa
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400℉ and spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set it aside.
- Season Chicken: In the center of the baking dish mix add the cut up chicken pieces along with 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Toss to coat the chicken.
- Broth: Whisk together 2½ cups chicken broth and 1 ounce fajita seasoning packet in a large measuring cup or bowl.
- Combine: To the baking dish, add broth/seasoning mixture, 1½ cups long grain white rice, bell peppers, diced onion, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lime zest, and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice. Gently mix to combine, being careful not to mix so aggressively that the seasoning comes off the chicken.
- Bake: Cover the whole pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. Remove the foil, sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, and return to the oven (uncovered) for 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve: Enjoy right away with a squeeze of fresh lime and all of your favorite toppings, like sour cream, salsa, and fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Storage: leftover casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Want traditional fajitas? Then try our Blackstone Chicken Fajitas or our Flank Steak Fajitas (cast iron skillet method).
- Fajita Seasoning: Use store bought or whip a batch at home with our homemade fajita seasoning recipe. We wouldn’t recommend a low-sodium variety as it will impact the overall flavor.
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