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This Mexican Chicken and Rice Recipe is an easy dinner the whole family will love! Chicken breasts spiced to perfection, but not too hot, and smothered with cheese and peppers, then oven-baked into a creamy finished meal. Serve this with Mexican rice or cauliflower rice.
I have this thing where I wing recipes. I throw a bunch of things together that sound good to me, and I generally have very good results. It’s how my Southwestern Shells & Cheese recipe was born and it’s our favorite meal. That’s how this Healthy Mexican Chicken Bake came about, and I am really happy with the results. My husband and I both said 10/10 we want to add it to the regular dinner rotation.
Healthy Mexican Chicken Bake
We try to eat healthy. I do pretty well during the day, and then evening comes and I turn into the Hungry Hungry Caterpillar and want to eat everything I see. I try to make as many healthy dinner recipes as I can, while still finding meals the rest of my family will enjoy. This Healthy Mexican Chicken Bake with cauliflower rice was actually REALLY good.
If you’re intimidated or weirded out by the cauliflower rice, don’t be. My husband is SUPER picky when it comes to tasting things like “healthy food” in his dinners, and honestly? You couldn’t tell this was cauliflower. It’s seasoned really well and it’s not overcooked so it doesn’t turn to mash. Give it a try today!
Ingredients
These ingredients are simple, but I like to break things down and suggest possible substitutions so you can customize the dish for your family and needs! The full measurements and printable recipe are available at the very end of this post.
- Chicken – We always use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can also use chicken thighs and it would work out really well!
- Rice – This recipe calls for cauliflower rice to make it low-carb and a bit healthier. However, if you want to use regular white rice (which I love!), you will just cook the rice as normal before proceeding with the recipe.
- Corn – I love that pop of corn in this Mexican Chicken Bake, but if you can’t have corn, just omit it completely.
- Taco Seasoning – You can make your own taco seasoning, or you can grab this organic taco seasoning if you don’t want to use the regular kind. The organic tastes just like “regular” taco seasoning!
- Chipotle Seasoning – I bought my chicken pre-seasoned because it was on sale, but it was just a chipotle seasoning that you can get anywhere. Chicken breast with a chipotle rub. So if you can’t find pre-seasoned, just add the seasoning yourself.
- Greek Yogurt – This adds a lovely tang and creaminess to the dish. If you prefer you can use sour cream instead.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – Adds liquid for the rice to cook in, and adds even more creaminess!
- Finishing Touches – We like to top these chicken breasts with cheese and jalapenos before baking, and then add a scoop of sour cream and cilantro to the top before serving. It really adds a wonderful depth of flavor, but they are all optional!
In addition to this base recipe, we like to add on some Mexican Black Beans and top it with my sister’s famous salsa recipe! Such a good and satisfying combination!
Even More Easy Dinners for You to Try Next
Healthy Mexican Chicken & Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts chipotle seasoned
- 10 oz frozen riced cauliflower (or 2 cups cooked white rice)
- 1 1/2 cups corn (can sub for bell pepper, green chiles or black beans)
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 4 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
OPTIONAL FOR FINISHING:
- cheese
- pickled jalapeno
- sour cream
- salsa
- cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Set a large pan to medium high heat.
- Once the pan is heated, place the four chicken breasts in the pan to cook. Allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes each side, allowing them to sear.
- In a 9×9 casserole dish, add your rice of choice, corn, taco seasoning, greek yogurt, and heavy whipping cream and stir until well combined. Once combined, evenly spread mix in the dish.
- Place the chicken on top and let it bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and optionally top with cheese and bake for another 5 minutes (or until cheese is melted). Remove from oven and top with cilantro, sour cream, salsa or pickled jalapenos as deisred before serving.
Notes
Ingredients
These ingredients are simple, but I like to break things down and suggest possible substitutions so you can customize the dish for your family and needs! The full measurements and printable recipe are available at the very end of this post.- Chicken – We always use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can also use chicken thighs and it would work out really well!
- Rice – This recipe calls for cauliflower rice to make it low-carb and a bit healthier. However, if you want to use regular white rice (which I love!), you will just cook the rice as normal before proceeding with the recipe.
- Corn – I love that pop of corn in this Mexican Chicken Bake, but if you can’t have corn, just omit it completely.
- Taco Seasoning – You can make your own taco seasoning, or you can grab this organic taco seasoning if you don’t want to use the regular kind. The organic tastes just like “regular” taco seasoning!
- Chipotle Seasoning – I bought my chicken pre-seasoned because it was on sale, but it was just a chipotle seasoning that you can get anywhere. Chicken breast with a chipotle rub. So if you can’t find pre-seasoned, just add the seasoning yourself.
- Greek Yogurt – This adds a lovely tang and creaminess to the dish. If you prefer you can use sour cream instead.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – Adds liquid for the rice to cook in, and adds even more creaminess!
- Finishing Touches – We like to top these chicken breasts with cheese and jalapenos before baking, and then add a scoop of sour cream and cilantro to the top before serving. It really adds a wonderful depth of flavor, but they are all optional!
Nutrition
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