4 Can Mexican Chicken Casserole

This 4 Can Mexican Chicken Casserole comes together in about 5 minutes and can be prepared ahead of time for a family-friendly easy dinner on busy nights!

So you don’t like to cook? Or you just don’t have time to prepare a meal each night? Maybe you just come home from work exhausted, and it take every ounce of your remaining energy to just get your kids to do their homework and take baths…forget about even dreaming of slaving over a hot stove!

Well guess what? If you can open a can, then YOU can pull together this dinner. And it only requires about 5 MINUTES! We can all find that much time in our schedule, right?

I call this a “4 Can” casserole, but it’s really more like 3 cans and 1 jar! Whatever…”4 Can” sounds better, so we’re rolling with it. Oh, and you could make this vegetarian by adding a fifth or sixth can — beans — in lieu of the “Mexican Chicken!”

I always seem to make way more rice than our family needs at any given meal, so this Mexican Chicken Casserole came about when I was staring at a tupperware container full of leftovers that needed to be used. Casseroles are always the answer, right?!

You can also take advantage of leftover meat for this dish, or just buy a rotisserie chicken or precooked chicken at the grocery store to cut down on the prep time. I say keep it as easy as possible!

And if you don’t even have 5 minutes to spend preparing this Mexican Chicken Casserole on a crazy evening, you can go ahead and put the meal together in the morning, the day before, on the weekend, or any time that you have a few extra moments. Cover and refrigerate (or freeze) the dish before baking and pop it in the oven when you need it most!

Go ahead, add these ingredients to your shopping list NOW and you can thank me later (when you have the time)! Your family will gobble up this easy dinner!

[Tweet “An easy weeknight #dinner: 4-Can Mexican Chicken Casserole! #recipe”]

5 from 3 votes

Print

4 Can Mexican Chicken Casserole

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 6

Author The Seasoned Mom

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 2 cups cooked brown rice can substitute with cooked white rice or cooked quinoa
• 1 15.25 ounce can corn, drained
• 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, NOT drained
• 1 4.5 ounce diced mild green chiles, NOT drained
• 1 cup taco sauce
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese divided
• Optional toppings: diced avocado guacamole, sour cream, halved grape tomatoes, chopped green onion, sliced olives

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside (an 11-inch x 7-inch dish works well, or a medium oval dish would also be fine).
2. In a large bowl, stir together chicken, rice, drained corn, diced tomatoes (not drained), chilies (not drained), taco sauce, and HALF of the cheese.
3. Place chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes (or until cheese is melted and dish is heated through).
4. Garnish with optional toppings and serve!

If you’re looking for other quick-prep meals, be sure to check out my cookbook, Fast, Fresh & Fit! It’s full of 30 of our family’s favorite go-to recipes for easy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that come together in minutes! You can learn more HERE.

And if you’re looking for more easy dinner ideas, try these:

Slow Cooker Ravioli Casserole

Dump-and-Bake Chicken Pot Pie

Sheet Pan Supper: Hawaiian Chicken