Healthy chicken taco casserole with brown rice and veggies is an easy weeknight dinner with a cheese and crunchy tortilla chip topping!
I hope your week is off to a good start!
We're gonna get straight to the food today cause I'm so excited to be sharing this delicious casserole with you!
Today we're doing a twist on TACO NIGHT!
My go-to is our basic turkey tacos (or a turkey taco salad version of them) but I love fish tacos, vegetarian tacos, exotic-flavored tacos. Basically never met a taco I didn’t like.
Today I’m bringing you a newer favorite!
This healthy chicken taco casserole is a super easy one to prep and has all the great taco flavors baked right in.
We’ve got the taco-flavored chicken breasts, some steamed rice, salsa and zucchini for a hit of veggies.
Plus there’s a cheesy topping layer and then a crunchy chip topping layer.
Yes and yes.
You will be winning at taco night for sure!
So let's get cooking.
A few notes on this healthy chicken taco casserole:
- The rice and chicken for this recipe needs to be already cooked. Please plan accordingly. I cooked 1 cup of dry brown rice to use for this recipe. And I used my homemade taco seasoning on some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and grilled them off the day before. (You can also bake them at 375 for about 30 minutes, until cooked through.)
- You can use gluten-free tortilla chips to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Use homemade salsa or your favorite brand of store-bought salsa.
- You can substitute black beans for the chicken if you want a vegetarian version. You could also just add black beans into this mix if you wanted some extra oomph.
- You could also add in ½ to 1 cup of corn if you’d like.
I’ve only made it with zucchini so far but I might try adding spinach to the casserole next time for an extra dose of veggies Just have to make sure it doesn’t release too much liquid as it all bakes.
If you have taco lovers in your house, give this healthy chicken taco casserole a try to switch things up. Just make sure it’s a Tuesday.
(Oh and you might also want to check out this baked taco mac and cheese. SO much yum.)
Hope you have a wonderful week!
XO,
Kathryn
Healthy chicken taco casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with taco seasoning and cooked (grill or bake)
- 3 cups cooked brown rice, (from about 1 cup uncooked)
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 heaping cup crushed tortilla chips
For serving:
- Greek yogurt or sour cream, extra salsa or cheese, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, pickled jalapeños or any other favorite toppings!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked chicken, cooked rice, zucchini, salsa and green chilies. Add to the prepared casserole dish and top with cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
- Add crushed tortilla chips to the top and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Serve hot with desired toppings.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen
Yum! Love a good casserole for a week night meal. So simple and there is usually leftovers!
Kathryn
I'm so with you! Sometimes I even hide a little bit to keep as leftovers 😉
Michelle | A Latte Food
I love casseroles! This looks SO amazing! Loving the flavors here (and that crunchy topping!)
Kathryn
Me too - and yes, that crunchy topping totally makes it! Brings home the taco texture!
Kristen Chidsey
Looks great! My family would absolutely LOVE this!
Kathryn
It's a total winner in our house!
Serena
Looks like dinner tonight for our family. Really! LOVE the video.
Kathryn
Yay, I hope you love it Serena!!
fabiola@notjustbaked
This looks so good to me right now!
Kathryn
It always hits the spot! I hope you try it soon!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed
This is such a flavorful dish.
Kathryn
Yes, it really is! 😊
Sonali- The Foodie Physician
Taco casserole is an awesome concept! Quick, easy and tasty makes for a perfect family dinner.
Kathryn
Thanks Sonali! It's definitely a family favorite here! 😊
Liz Weiss
I love the simplicity of your recipe. Comfort food at its best!
Kathryn
Absolutely! Thanks so much Liz 😊
Ada Landreth
Made 4x the recipe to feed 20 hungry college students at church today and it was a hit among them. Used all three--black beans, corn, and chicken--to make it hearty.
Kathryn
Yay, I'm so happy to hear it was a hit! Thanks so much for sharing 😊
Khadeeja
Hi, could canned salmon be substituted for the chicken in this recipe?
Kathryn Doherty
I'm not sure, as I've not tried making this with canned salmon. Would love to hear if you do though!