I found this recipe as I was searching around for a dish that used creamed soups so I could use up my canned stockpile faster. As soon as I use up all the canned soups, I will be able to start making my own from scratch. I would just do it now, but you know the saying, “waste not; want not.” I probably could go through the entire stash in a few weeks depending on what recipes I made, but then the entire family would end up weighing 20 pounds more. Blah! Not a good idea. Hahaha! Instead, I will pace myself and simply experiment with new recipes that call for the use of the creamed soups maybe once a week or every other week until we run out of the convenient stuff.
Another thing I liked the recipe for when I found it was that it didn’t use instant rice like so many other recipes out there use. Regular rice is far less expensive than the instant and you can use any type you want – for instance brown rice or raw Basmati rice.
This type of dish is what I like to refer to as a “pantry special.” Every ingredient was already stocked in my pantry or freezer so it didn’t involve any special grocery runs to throw it all together. By using my cooked, cubed chicken breasts from the freezer, I was able to cut down on the overall cooking time of this recipe. Plus the bite-sized chicken pieces are much easier for my boys to eat. 🙂
All the needed ingredients.
In a separate bowl whisk together soup, 1 can water and taco seasoning.
Pour soup mixture into the 9×13 pan and stir in 1 1/2 c. rice. If you want a lower glycemic value, only add 1 C. rice and 1 can chili beans.
Place chicken breasts (or cubed chicken) on top of the soup and rice mixture.
Cover chicken with beans and tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour or more depending on if you are using frozen chicken breasts or cooked, cubed chicken.
After removing from the oven, sprinkle with shredded cheese until melted. (For mine, I mixed everything together in the pan before sprinkling cheese on top. Don’t think it would work that way if I was using whole chicken breasts.)
The finished product! Top with your favorite salsa and either plain yogurt or sour cream. This was definitely a family hit – not too spicey and perfectly moist!!! Love it when a recipe ends in success. 🙂
I would really encourage you to take a look at the recipe link below and read all the reviews of this dish. There are just so many helpful hints to preparing it in several different ways. For instance, you can make it in a crockpot, use different types of rice or beans, use different toppings, etc. The list goes on and on…. I’m satisfied with how my own recipe tweaking turned out. It only took a total of one hour to cook to perfection.
Mexican Chicken & Rice Casserole
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can water
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chilies
- 1 1/2 C. rice
- 1 pkg. taco seasoning
- cilantro and green onions chopped (optional)
- Frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Shredded cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS: Spray 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Whisk soups, water and taco seasoning in bowl then pour into bottom of dish. Sprinkle rice over soups. Place frozen chicken breasts over soup and rice. Pour beans and tomatoes over chicken. Sprinkle cilantro and green onions on top. Cover with foil and bake @ 350 degrees 1 hour, 40 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle cheese over to melt. Yields: 12 servings.
Are We There Yet? 