This rice green chile chicken casserole is so good! With hatch chiles and cream cheese inside topped with cheddar cheese it’s sure to be a great dinner.
It’s hatch chile season again and our green chile chicken casserole is what you need to make tonight! Our family loved it! Whether you use fresh or canned chiles this cheesy comfort food is always a winner with adults and kids. Just one of our favorite quick and easy casseroles. (affiliate links present, originally published 6/19)
Green Chile Chicken Casserole with Rice
We started with this green chile rice and added that to our list of hatch green chile recipes! Then we needed to go a step further and make one loaded with chicken too.
With the creaminess of cream cheese and lots of cheddar cheese it’s kinda’ addicting I tell you. Now you have the choice to use mild hatch chiles or if you’re daring use the spicy ones! Totally up to you but we opt for mild in this house.
New Mexico Green Chile Chicken Casserole
I used uncooked long grain white rice for this one, but we’ve used noodles too. If you want to try that one, follow our Instant Pot crack chicken casserole recipe which is just as delicious. It’s one of our most popular recipes here on The Typical Mom.
This one is good if you want to make a green chile chicken rice casserole in the oven. You probably have most of the chicken casserole ingredients in your fridge and/or pantry already:
- Chicken – diced into bite size pieces
- chicken breasts or thighs
- could use leftover shredded chicken too
- Cream cheese
- Granulated garlic
- White rice
- Shredded cheese
- we like sharp or a mix with monterey jack cheese
- Green chiles – canned
- or smoked chiles diced
- you can roast your own green chilies
- poblanos can be used like in this chile relleno casserole recipe
- Chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
A dollop of sour cream on top when it’s done is great. For more heat you could dice jalapenos and add those to the top of some.
Green Chili Chicken Casserole with Cream Cheese
The key to making this creamy cream cheese chicken mixture is to warm your broth. Using a whisk is helpful to make it smooth.
- Whisk together warmed broth and cream cheese. Add seasoning and cornstarch until smooth.
- If you’re roasting your own hatch chiles remove the skins once blackened, and take out seeds + strands to make it milder. Dice into small pieces.
Using canned is fine, you can skip this step if you are. Add your green chilies in and stir.
Dairy Free Green Chili Chicken Casserole
If you cannot have lactose I get it, my husband can’t either. I have had to alter recipes for him and surprisingly nowadays you can find a lot at the store to substitute. I have found dairy free cream cheese and you can’t really tell the difference when it is in a dish like this.
- Add your diced chicken pieces and seasonings, then mix together well.
- Your uncooked rice will go on the bottom of your baking dish.
- Followed by your cream cheese and chicken mixture.
- Then top everything with shredded cheddar cheese.
Put into a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken and rice are tender.
How do you thicken a casserole?
Just leave it in the oven a bit longer so more of the liquid can be cooked off/evaporate. Remember that it will thicken a bit when you take it out and it’s cooling too.
There are several versions of green chile chicken casserole. Some use quite a bit of enchilada sauce, but I prefer this one because it’s creamier. Others are made with flour tortillas which we have done with this chicken tortilla bake. It is another great hatch chile recipe to try.
This enchilada casserole made with ground beef is yummy too.
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Served in bowls or on a plate with a side of cauliflower or pressure cooker broccoli, green chili chicken casserole is really yummy. If you have 1/2 cup of remaining cheese from when you grated yours you can sprinkle it on top of each serving too. A pinch of chives is great as well.
- I haven’t made this yet with leftover rotisserie cooked chicken but that is on my list.
- Shouldn’t be a problem at all using about 3 cups of chicken diced, following the same instructions below.
- If you try it before I do let me know what you think. 😉
Next chicken recipes you should try:
- Instant Pot bone in chicken thighs
- Pressure cooker sausage rice casserole has fresh hatch chiles in it also
Do you have to cook rice before putting it in a casserole?
NO, I don’t with any of mine!
- That’s what’s so great about these quick one pot meals we make.
- There is very little prep.
- No cooking is necessary beforehand.
- Throw everything in, mix together, and pop it right into your oven (or pressure cooker).
Can you cook raw chicken and rice together?
YES, we do it all the time. The recipe we probably make most often is this Crockpot chicken casserole with rice and vegetables in it. This Instant Pot chicken parmesan casserole is a great example of this too.
What goes well with chicken and rice?
Try any of our easy side dishes here. If you want to make this in a pressure cooker follow our pressure cooker chicken and rice recipe and add chiles into that.
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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉
Green Chile Chicken Casserole
Equipment
- 1 8×8 pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into bite size cubes
- 1 block cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1.5 c chicken broth
- 4 oz green chiles canned, or char fresh hatch chiles, peel away skin and chop up tender insides
- 1.5 c rice white, uncooked, not instant
- 1 c cheese sharp cheddar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉ and spray a baking dish with cooking oil spray, set aside. (I
used a square 8×8 baking dish) - In a medium bowl, place the cream cheese, salt and garlic powder. Then warm the broth in the microwave for 30 seconds so it is easier to whisk everything together. Pour 3/4s of the warm chicken broth in and whisk until you have a smooth cream cheese sauce. Then whisk in cornstarch until smooth.
- Add the green chilies and stir. Taste the sauce and if necessary adjust the salt if desired, set aside. Add chicken pieces and rest of broth, stir together.
- Pour the rice into the baking dish, then add the cream cheese sauce with chicken. Make sure you create an even smooth layer, so that everything bakes the evenly.
- Now sprinkle the cheese over the dish and place in center of oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Check the casserole after 45 minutes at which time the chicken will be cooked through and the rice should be tender.
- If the mixture is still a little wet continue to bake until excess liquid has absorbed. It will thicken a bit as it stands though so keep that in mind.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes for everything to solidify and sauce to thicken more, scoop out and enjoy. Great with a small dollop of sour cream on top too.
Video
Nancy Risley
Monday 10th of October 2022
How do you make sure the rice is cooked? Can you make it the night before and then put it in the oven?
andy
Thursday 14th of May 2020
I made this according to the directions with the ingredients as listed. The rice was undercooked. I have added about one more cup of stock and put it back in the oven. The dish is tasty, but crunchy rice is NOT the way to eat it.
Dana K.
Saturday 24th of August 2019
Are the canned green chili’s drained or undrained?
Lori Harris
Thursday 11th of July 2019
Can you please adapt for pressure cookers? Too hot for ovens in July!! Thank you!!
The Typical Mom
Thursday 11th of July 2019
Just added a link above recipe card for a similar version in a pressure cooker, just add diced chiles to that recipe.
justine
Thursday 11th of July 2019
Sorry!! Thx for catching that mistake. Should’ve been 1.5 not 1/5. Fixed.