Mexican dishes are an absolute delight, and enchilada is one of my favourites to order when we eat out. Chicken enchilada casserole with rice is a delicious one pot meal which has all the flavours of chicken enchilada, but with less fuss. It simplifies enchilada by chucking all the ingredients into a casserole dish, topped with cheese, which makes it great for busy times.
Jump to RecipeThe taste of this chicken enchilada casserole with rice is just out of this world and the aroma is amazing. As with most casseroles is not a quick meal as all the ingredients need to come together for the flavours to develop in oven; so, it takes more than an hour. Don’t allow this to discourage you as it is very easy to prepare. Just start the rice casserole; place in the oven; and get on with other things while it bubbles away.
The question, I suppose is why make enchilada with rice? Why not tortilla wraps? Well, I just can’t be bothered to go through all the steps involved in making the enchilada, particularly after a long day at work. If I have luxury of time, maybe at the weekend or when I’m hosting, then nothing beats a proper Mexican enchilada, with the tortilla wraps, topped with the sauce and some gooey cheese.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Rice Recipe
My chicken enchilada casserole with rice recipe does not call for store bought enchilada sauce as it is not needed. I used tomato puree, chilli and some spices, which taste a whole lot better. Plus, you know what goes into your meal.
This one-pot rice casserole is comfort food and I like it with some gooey cheese, but you can make it healthier by omitting the cheese. You can also adapt the recipe by adding other vegetables of your choice and topping with herbs like coriander.
You can make it vegetarian by not adding the chicken and substituting chicken stock with vegetable stock, so really, sky is your limits with this enchilada casserole recipe; make it yours!
Finally, like most casseroles, it tastes better with time. You can refrigerate or freeze the leftovers, just make sure it is piping hot when you warm it.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 2 pieces Chicken breast chopped
- 1 cup Chopped onions
- 1 cup Sweet corn
- 1 can Black beans
- 1 Red Peppers chopped
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dried onion powder
- ½ can Tomato Puree
- 1 cup Chicken stock to taste
- Salt
- ½ cup Grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven at 200 C.
- Chop chicken breast, onions (you can use frozen chopped onions) and peppers.
- Add all the ingredients into a casserole dish, with the stock and salt going in last.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the content of the dish properly and cover with aluminium foil.
- Place in the oven and leave for 40 mins.
- Bring out the dish, stir the content once more and return into the oven.
- Allow to cook for another 30 mins, then remove from the oven. At this point, there should be no visible liquid in the dish.
- Sprinkle the cheese on top and place back for about 5 mins; or until the cheese starts to bubble.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy.
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