Dump-and-Bake Fiesta Chicken and Rice Bake

This amazingly delicious casserole is an entire dinner that cooks in one dish! There's no need to boil the rice, cook the chicken, or sauté the veggies -- just dump the raw ingredients into a pan and pop it in the oven! The end result is a cheesy, flavorful, and soul-satisfying Fiesta Chicken and Rice Bake!

Easy Fiesta Chicken Bake - Low Prep

Oh goodness, I love this dinner! It's got everything that you want in a meal...and it's SO EASY to throw together. That's right -- I wouldn't even call it "prep work," because there's not really much prepping involved.

Have you tried risotto before? It's a fairly time-consuming dish to prepare because you have to stand at the stove and continually stir a pot of rice, slowly adding the liquid in small, regular intervals. While the rice simmers and absorbs the liquid, it releases starches that thicken the sauce and create a creamy consistency.

As soon as I tasted my first bite of this Fiesta Chicken and Rice Bake, risotto instantly came to mind -- and it's not really surprising, actually. As the rice bakes slowly in this dish, it releases starches that thicken the "sauce" -- in a process that's very similar to making risotto...with one HUGE exception: there's no need to stand over a pot, constantly stirring the rice.

Instead, the oven does all of the work, making this chicken and rice bake the "Lazy Girl's" version of risotto! I'll take it...

What You Need;

• Chicken breasts
• Rice
• Onion
• Bell pepper
• Cream of chicken soup
• Cream od celery soup
• Cheese
• Water

If you're a busy home chef who can use a few shortcuts in the kitchen, then you're definitely in the right place. My dump-and-bake recipes make weeknight meals a breeze, and this Fiesta Chicken and Rice Bake is no exception!

The uncooked rice, raw chicken, and raw veggies are combined with a thick, creamy sauce and finished with gooey, melted cheese. You'll only have one dish to wash at the end, and your carbs, protein, and veggies are all cooked together in one recipe. Serve it with a salad on the side for fresh greens if you like, but that's not even necessary!

By the time you pull the casserole out of the oven, everything will be cooked to perfection. There's no need to stand over a hot stove, and there's no need to babysit a pot of rice. Just dump, bake, and EAT!

More Dump And Bake Recipes You Might Like;

• Dump and Bake French Toast Casserole
• Dump and Bake Chicken Fajita Quinoa
• Dump and Bake Taco Casserole
• Dump and Bake Crispy Garlic Butter Shrimp

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5 from 1 vote

Dump-and-Bake Fiesta Chicken and Rice Bake

An amazingly delicious chicken and rice bake that requires minimal prep, you don't even have to boil the rice. Just dump the ingredients in the dish and bake!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken and rice bake, chicken bake

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 363kcal

Author The Seasoned Mom

Ingredients

• 1 sweet bell pepper any color, finely diced
• 1 cup finely diced sweet onion
• 1 ½ cups uncooked regular white rice
• 1 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (NOT diluted)
• 1 10.5 ounce can cream of celery soup (NOT diluted)
• 1 cup water
• 1 lb. thin-sliced chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders diced into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Optional garnish: sliced green onion additional diced red pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• In the prepared dish (or in a separate bowl), stir together bell pepper, onion, uncooked rice, chicken soup, celery soup, water, and uncooked chicken.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour (or until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through).
• Remove cover, stir, and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.
• Garnish with sliced green onion and diced red pepper just before serving.

Notes

Cooking Just for Two? This is an easy dish to cut in half! Just use half as much rice, chicken, and other ingredients, and pick 1 can of soup to use. Prepare the casserole in a small baking dish (about 1 quart). Cooking time will remain the same.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 7.2g | Saturated Fat: 3.5g | Cholesterol: 63.6mg | Sodium: 712mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 3.4g