• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Dinner Bell

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Main Dishes
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
    • Mocktails
    • Dietary
      • Gluten-Free
      • Keto
      • Vegan
    • Breakfast
    • Soups
    • Casseroles
    • Instant Pot
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
  • About / Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Home » Casseroles » Southwest Chicken and Rice Casserole

Southwest Chicken and Rice Casserole

March 8, 2020 by Joanie Simon 5 Comments

I loved it when my Mom made this Southwest Chicken and Rice recipe when I was a kid. We called it Pueblo Chicken. It’s chicken and rice mixed in a creamy tomato sauce of salsa and sour cream with black olives and lots of melty jack cheese. It’s super easy to make and also gluten free!

a casserole dish with a slice of the Southwest Chicken and Rice removed
yummy melty cheese over southwest chicken and rice

No Soup for You

I admit to being a big fan of casseroles. Something about them reminds me of childhood and symbolizes comfort food.

But, many casseroles call for canned soups, notoriously filled with additives and preservatives. I’ve re-worked some of my favorite casseroles, like Spinach Fandango, so they can be made without canned soups. This recipe, luckily, is in its original form, no modifications needed since it doesn’t call for any canned soup.

Shortcut for the Chicken

This recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked, diced or shredded chicken. Obviously, you can go to the store and buy chicken breasts, cook them and then dice them. But, I like to get a rotisserie chicken, shred it and use that for this recipe. It’s one less step when the chicken is already cooked.

The ingredients for southwest chicken and rice casserole with chicken, onions, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, salsa, chilies, rice and olives.
the ingredients for this favorite family recipe

Grate Your Own Cheese

The magic of the melt when it comes to cheese is in shredding your own. The pre-shredded stuff, though convenient, is treated with potato starch to prevent clumping in the packaging while waiting on store shelves. So if you want maximum melt-ability, get a regular block of jack cheese and shred it yourself. I use my box grater.

Pay Attention to the Type of Rice

I have seen other versions of this recipe that call for Instant Rice. I do not use Instant Rice here. I like to use a regular long grain rice because it has better texture and flavor.

The instructions and cook time I list in the recipe below are based on using long grain white rice.

the first step in the recipe for Southwest Chicken and Rice Casserole is to cook the rice with broth and aromatics
first step is to sauté the rice with onion than add the broth and salsa and cook until the rice is fluffy
once the rice is cooked it will soak up all of the liquid, leaving you with cooked rice
this is what the rice will look like after you’ve cooked it
once you've mixed the ingredients for the casserole together, put them into a 9 x 13 casserole dish
then mix it all together, put it in a casserole dish and top it with cheese
a casserole dish full of chicken and rice casserole topped with cheese, browned from baking in the oven
Hot and bubbly, right out of the oven!
overhead view of a casserole dish of southwest chicken and rice casserole topped with cheese and black olives
weeknight dinner is waiting!
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
overhead view of a casserole dish of southwest chicken and rice casserole topped with cheese and black olives

Southwest Chicken and Rice Casserole

★★★★ 3.5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Joanie Simon
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 65
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 – 10 1x
  • Category: main dish
  • Method: casserole
  • Cuisine: southwest
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

A creamy, cheesy, southwest chicken and rice casserole made with salsa and sour cream, topped with black olives and melty jack cheese. A super easy family favorite main dish recipe.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 Tbs oil
  • 1/2 cup diced white or yellow onion
  • 1.5 cups long grain white rice
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup jarred mild salsa (unless your family likes spicy!)
  • 4.25 oz can sliced black olives
  • 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1.5 cups sour cream
  • 7 oz can diced green chilies
  • 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
  • 16oz shredded monterey jack cheese, divided

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F
  • Heat a medium sauce pot or dutch oven that has a lid over medium high heat and add in 2 Tbs oil
  • Once it’s heated, add in the 1/2 cup diced onion and 1.5 cups long grain white rice and stir frequently for five minutes until the onion is soft and fragrant and the rice is slightly toasted
  • Next, add in 2 cups of chicken broth and 3/4 cup of jarred mild salsa and stir until it’s all combined.
  • Then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid and let it continue to cook over a low simmer until the rice has absorbed all the liquids (approximately 20 minutes).
  • Once the rice is cooked, remove the lid and stir the rice to break it up. 
  • Then, in a large bowl (or in the pot, if the pot is large enough) combine the rice with 4.25 oz can of sliced black olives, 14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, 1.5 cups sour cream, 7oz of diced green chiles, 3 cups of cooked diced or shredded chicken and half of the shredded jack cheese.
  • Mix that all together and put it into a large 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.
  • Smooth the mixture out in the casserole dish then cover it with aluminum foil and bake covered for 30 minutes at 350F.
  • After 30 minutes and the casserole is heated through, remove the foil, add the remaining 8oz of shredded jack cheese to the top of the casserole and bake uncovered for an additional 15 – 20 minutes until the cheese on top is melted, bubbling and slightly browned.
  • Remove the cooked casserole from the oven and allow it to rest out of the oven for at least 10 minute to allow the casserole to set.
  • Slice the casserole into square servings and serve topped with sour cream, guacamole, avocados, cilantro, or anything you like with southwest flair!

Keywords: casserole, southwest, chicken, rice, pueblo chicken, black olives

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thedinnerbell.recipes on Instagram and hashtag it #thedinnerbell

Filed Under: Casseroles, Chicken, Dietary, Gluten-Free, Main Dishes

Joanie Simon is a food photographer and stylist and family recipe keeper. In addition to The Dinner Bell, Joanie shares photography education at TheBiteShot.com.

Recent Posts

  • Tropical Kombucha Mocktail
  • Grammy’s Ice Cream Pie
  • Mexican Style Rice
  • Spaghetti Pie
Previous Post: « Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
Next Post: Instant Pot Mexican Pork Stew »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chinazor

    March 26, 2020 at 1:41 pm

    I tasted chicken casserole for the first time last Christmas. I am glad that I came across this recipe. Let me try this out immediately and see how good it will taste. I will definitely let you know.

    Reply
  2. Jimmy Walter

    July 21, 2020 at 9:20 pm

    I didn’t like it…. kinda flavorless

    ★★

    Reply
    • Joanie Simon

      November 9, 2020 at 4:08 pm

      Thanks for letting me know! Next time I make it I’ll keep that in mind and perhaps make adjustments.

      Reply
  3. Tracy W

    January 31, 2022 at 8:48 pm

    This is almost exactly like the “Pueblo Chicken” my mom used to make when I was a kid! Thanks for conjuring up fond memories of my childhood:)

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Joanie Simon

      January 31, 2022 at 9:15 pm

      I love it! I wonder where that original Pueblo Chicken recipe came from. Wondering if perhaps it was in a popular magazine or on the back of some box. Fun to know that it was a part of your growing up!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I'm Joanie! This website is where I catalogue my "greatest hits" recipes and ideas for entertaining. I am my happiest when my table is full. Read More…

Recent Posts

  • Tropical Kombucha Mocktail
  • Grammy’s Ice Cream Pie
  • Mexican Style Rice
  • Spaghetti Pie
  • Mandarin Orange Salad

Featured Favorites

image of a close up of a chocolate chip cookie with flake salt on a cookie sheet

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

A white bowl filled with kale salad topped with goat cheese, bacon, pepitas, and apple

Bacon Apple Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing

ice cream pie in a pie dish with a slice removed

Grammy’s Ice Cream Pie

Overhead view of three bowls of cream of mushroom soup with garnish, a spoon and a side of seed crackers

Cream of Mushroom Soup (vegan, keto, gluten free)

A dish of Mexican Style rice in a serving dish

Mexican Style Rice

Copyright © 2023 The Dinner Bell on the Foodie Pro Theme