• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Family Food on the Table
  • Recipe Index
  • Main Dishes
  • Baby Food
  • Subscribe
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Main Dishes
  • Baby Food
  • Subscribe
  • About
×
Home » Recipes » Chicken

Healthy Chicken Taco Casserole

By: Kathryn Doherty | Last Updated: Mar 4, 2025 | Published: Feb 21, 2017
This post may contain affiliate links. See my 
disclosure policy.

Jump to Recipe
Pin

Healthy chicken taco casserole with brown rice and veggies is an easy weeknight dinner with a cheese and crunchy tortilla chip topping!Healthy chicken taco casserole has all the great taco flavors baked into a casserole with a cheesy topping and a 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.

A spoon resting in a casserole dish filled with a taco chicken mixture topped with crushed tortilla chips and fresh herbs.

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.

Ingredients laid out on a cutting board and in separate bowls for making a taco chicken caserole. A white casserole dish filled with a chicken and vegetable and rice mixture with half of the casserole topped with shredded white cheddar cheese.

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.

Close up of a baked chicken casserole with vegetables and rice topped with crushed tortilla chips. A serving of a chicken and rice taco casserole on a white plate with a fork resting on it.

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

A white casserole dish with a chicken taco mixture topped with cheese and tortilla chips and a spoon resting in the dish
PRINT PIN SaveSaved!
4.08 from 13 votes

Healthy chicken taco casserole

Healthy taco chicken casserole with brown rice is an easy weeknight dinner with a cheese and crunchy tortilla chip topping! 
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Yield: 6 servings

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

The rice and chicken for this recipe both need to be already cooked. Please plan accordingly.
To cook the chicken, I sprinkled it with about 2 teaspoons of my homemade taco seasoning and grilled them. You could also bake them at 375 for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
You can use gluten-free tortilla chips to make this recipe gluten-free.
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 can also add in ½ to 1 cup of corn if you’d like.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 812mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram @familyfoodonthetable and tag me in your photo!

A serving spoon resting in a chicken and rice taco casserole dish with tortilla chips on top and a text overlay on the photo.

Pin

More Chicken

  • Close up of a creamy chicken pasta with Cajun flavors in a stock pot.
    Cajun Chicken Pasta
  • Close up of cheesy pesto baked chicken strips in a casserole dish.
    Easy Baked Pesto Chicken
  • Close up of a chicken enchilada skillet in a dark cast iron pan with lime wedges, avocado slices, sour cream and chopped fresh herbs on top.
    Chicken Enchilada Skillet
  • Baked cheesy chicken enchiladas verde in a casserole dish with cilantro, lime and avocado scattered on top as garnishes.
    Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tara | Treble in the Kitchen

    February 21, 2017 at 3:05 pm

    Yum! Love a good casserole for a week night meal. So simple and there is usually leftovers!

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      February 22, 2017 at 8:05 pm

      I'm so with you! Sometimes I even hide a little bit to keep as leftovers 😉

      Reply
  2. Michelle | A Latte Food

    February 21, 2017 at 4:29 pm

    I love casseroles! This looks SO amazing! Loving the flavors here (and that crunchy topping!)

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      February 22, 2017 at 8:06 pm

      Me too - and yes, that crunchy topping totally makes it! Brings home the taco texture!

      Reply
  3. Kristen Chidsey

    February 21, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    Looks great! My family would absolutely LOVE this!

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      February 22, 2017 at 8:04 pm

      It's a total winner in our house!

      Reply
  4. Serena

    February 22, 2017 at 9:18 am

    Looks like dinner tonight for our family. Really! LOVE the video.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      February 22, 2017 at 8:04 pm

      Yay, I hope you love it Serena!!

      Reply
  5. fabiola@notjustbaked

    February 22, 2017 at 2:07 pm

    This looks so good to me right now!

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      February 22, 2017 at 8:11 pm

      It always hits the spot! I hope you try it soon!

      Reply
  6. Megan @ MegUnprocessed

    February 23, 2017 at 2:38 am

    This is such a flavorful dish.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      February 24, 2017 at 4:18 pm

      Yes, it really is! 😊

      Reply
  7. Sonali- The Foodie Physician

    February 23, 2017 at 1:47 pm

    Taco casserole is an awesome concept! Quick, easy and tasty makes for a perfect family dinner.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      February 24, 2017 at 4:19 pm

      Thanks Sonali! It's definitely a family favorite here! 😊

      Reply
  8. Liz Weiss

    February 26, 2017 at 9:01 am

    I love the simplicity of your recipe. Comfort food at its best!

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      February 26, 2017 at 12:45 pm

      Absolutely! Thanks so much Liz 😊

      Reply
  9. Ada Landreth

    March 05, 2017 at 4:43 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      March 05, 2017 at 9:14 pm

      Yay, I'm so happy to hear it was a hit! Thanks so much for sharing 😊

      Reply
  10. Khadeeja

    February 18, 2020 at 12:52 pm

    Hi, could canned salmon be substituted for the chicken in this recipe?

    Reply
    • Kathryn Doherty

      February 19, 2020 at 9:23 am

      I'm not sure, as I've not tried making this with canned salmon. Would love to hear if you do though!

      Reply
4.08 from 13 votes (12 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Meet Kathryn

Hi there! I’m Kathryn Doherty, a cookbook author, mom of two, and devoted food and home cooking nut. I’ve got lots of easy recipes to help you get delicious food on the table for your family!

More about me →

Popular Recipes

  • A cream cheese chicken and mushroom mixture in a large pan with a wooden spoon resting in it.
    Easy Cream Cheese Chicken
  • Close up of honey garlic chicken served in a blue and white bowl with sliced green onions on top.
    Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
  • Close up of a whole roasted chicken on a large white serving platter with veggies and fresh parsley to the side.
    Easy Whole Roasted Chicken
  • Close up of a fork resting in a bowl of rice and curried ground turkey with peas.
    Curry Ground Turkey with Rice and Peas
  • Close up of a wooden spoon drizzling pan gravy over seared pork chops.
    Easy Skillet Pork Chops with Gravy
  • Close up of a dark skillet with a saucy honey garlic chicken dish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions sprinkled on top.
    15-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken

Footer

↑back to top

About

  • Contact
  • Work With Me

Newsletter

  • Sign up for emails!

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright
  • Accessibility

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 Family Food on the Table

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.