Salsa Chicken Casserole {Freezer Friendly}
This healthy freezer friendly salsa chicken casserole recipe was found at persnicketingplates and slightly modified. What I love about this chicken and rice dish is that it only requires a few ingredients, is relatively inexpensive, is quick to assemble, and tastes lovely. It was thank-you message worthy (i.e., the recipient of this meal left me a kind voicemail about the dish).
With just seven main ingredients, you can dress up this dish a bit more by adding a red or green bell pepper, onion, garlic, or black beans. Serve as is or top it with chopped green onions, avocado, crunched-up tortilla chips, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt.
The dish is gluten free and could even be dairy free by omitting the cheese. If the cheese is left out, I would definitely recommend adding black beans to the dish or serving with a avocado.
You can use brown or white rice; I used Jasmine because it adds more flavor. Also, just another recommendation, look for a taco seasoning with minimal preservatives. Why include MSG in a dish if you can avoid it?
One more note, for those who don’t know the term “butterfly chicken breast” (this was new to me), you simply slice the breast horizontally across the middle with a sharp knife. Doing so creates a thinner piece of chicken that cooks more evenly. Here’s a how-to butterfly a chicken breast video from tasteofhome.com. If this vegetarian can do it, you can, too!
Salsa Chicken Casserole {Freezer Friendly}
Ingredients
- ¾ c uncooked rice
- 1 ¾ c chicken broth
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut butterfly style
- ½ c salsa
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix
- 1 c shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place rice, olive oil, chicken broth, and 1 teaspoon of the taco seasoning into a 9" x 13" baking dish. Combine ingredients.
- Place chicken breasts and the rest of the taco seasoning into a large zip lock bag; shake bag to fully coat chicken.
- Place chicken on top of the ingredients already in the 9" x 13" dish. Pour salsa on top and cover to bake.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, then stir and add cheese. Recover, and bake for another 15 minutes. After about 45 minutes total, check to see if rice and chicken are done. If not, recover and bake until rice is tender and chicken is fully cook.
- Let dish cool slightly and stir dish to serve immediately. To freeze, let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and lid and put in freezer. To prepare, thaw in refrigerator. Warm individual portions in the microwave or the full dish in the oven at 375°F (covered but remove plastic wrap).