Chicken Enchilada Rice Bake

If you follow along with me at all – you know that I love to make casseroles and bake. They are so perfect for weeknight meals. You get the stuff together and into the baking dish, then pop it in the oven so you can get a few more things down around the house before sitting down to dinner. It makes weeknight cooking so easy. This Chicken Enchilada Rice Bake is no different. A homemade enchilada sauce with rice and pinto beans – and lots of cheese!

You might wonder why I didn’t cook the rice, at least parboil it, before putting it in. But really don’t fret about putting uncooked rice into this bake. But adding extra broth into the enchilada sauce, along with covering the dish is foil for a majority of cook time, you get fully cooked rice that isn’t mushy at all. I added in the beans for a little extra protein and to stretch it a little further.

If you want a great hearty meal then this Chicken Enchilada Rice Bake is exactly what you want. I didn’t serve a side dish with this one, because it really is that filling with both the beans and chicken. I did consider serving it with a warm tortilla but forgot by the time I served up.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Chicken Enchilada Rice Bake

Delicious homemade enchilada sauce packed with chicken, cheese, beans and rice!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Keyword Chicken, enchilada sauce, rice, Rice Dishes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 lb Chicken Breast
• 2 qt Chicken Broth
• 3 Garlic Cloves minced
• 2 cups Long Grain Rice
• 1 15oz can Pinto Beans drained
• 1 7oz can Green Chilies
• 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
• 2 6oz cans Tomato Paste
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Minced Onion
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded

Instructions

• Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 400deg.
• In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add chicken broth, chicken and minced garlic. Cook for 10 minutes and remove chicken. RESERVE CHICKEN BROTH (you can strain it if you prefer). Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• In a smaller sauce pan over medium-high heat, add oil. Cook two minutes then add tomato paste, cumin, minced onion, chili powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Cook three minutes then add to reserved chicken broth. Stir to combine.
• In a 13×9 baking dish, add rice, cooked chicken, pinto beans, and green chilies. Pour sauce over top and stir to combine. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and place in oven to cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes.