Old-Fashioned Chicken Fajita Casserole Recipe
This Old-Fashioned Chicken Fajita Casserole is a comforting, easy-to-make dinner that combines tender chicken strips, colorful bell peppers, and onions seasoned with classic fajita spices, layered with rice and cheese baked to perfection. It offers a flavorful twist on traditional fajitas in a convenient one-pan casserole perfect for weeknight meals.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes covered baking + 5 minutes cheese melting
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican-American
Ingredients
Chicken and Vegetables
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into strips
Seasoning and Oil
- 1.25 oz packet fajita seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Base and Topping
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice (not minute rice)
- 14 oz can chicken broth
- 8 oz cheddar jack cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the casserole.
- Prep the Ingredients: Slice the chicken breasts, green and red bell peppers, and yellow onion into thin strips for even cooking and layering.
- Cook Chicken and Vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken strips, sliced bell peppers, onions, and fajita seasoning, cooking for a few minutes until the chicken starts to brown and vegetables soften slightly.
- Add Rice and Broth: Stir the rice into the skillet mixture and cook for another minute to combine flavors. Pour in the chicken broth, giving everything a quick stir to distribute evenly.
- Bake Covered: Cover the skillet tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, allowing the rice to absorb the broth and the casserole to cook through.
- Stir the Casserole: Remove the skillet from the oven, discard the foil, and give the casserole a thorough stir to mix the cooked ingredients evenly.
- Add Cheese and Melt: Sprinkle the shredded cheddar jack cheese evenly over the top of the casserole. Return the skillet to the oven uncovered and bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove from oven, sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro over the top for a bright, fresh flavor, and serve hot.
Notes
- Use a cast iron skillet or any oven-safe skillet to prepare and bake the casserole.
- Long grain white rice is preferred over instant rice for proper texture and absorption.
- If you want extra heat, add jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the fajita seasoning step.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in the oven or microwave.
- For a lower fat version, use reduced-fat cheese or reduce the amount of cheese used.
