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When it comes to unfussy dinners (my specialty!), one-pan meals can’t be beat. This chicken and rice fajita casserole delivers exactly that. Made without tortillas, it’s incredibly easy to assemble and bakes up in the oven in a skillet or casserole dish. Bonus: it tastes even better as leftovers!
Casseroles are easy and comforting, and busy home cooks love how simple they are to make. While not remotely authentic by any means, this chicken fajita casserole is zesty, versatile, and so tasty.
Reader Review
“My family and co-workers loved this casserole when I made it for a potluck as a recipe tester for Sarah. I am so excited that the recipe is live on the blog! I can finally send out the link to folks who wanted to add it to their home menus.”
Erin
*I’m a huge fan of bottled veggie juice for lots of recipes, like Instant Pot beef stew and Instant Pot Mexican Rice. I think it adds better flavor than plain tomato sauce. But, if you only have tomato sauce on hand, it’s fine to use that.
I save any leftover vegetable juice in 1-cup Souper Cubes so that the rest of the bottle never goes to waste.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- If you use a store-bought fajita seasoning packet, ignore the instructions on the packet. You won’t need to add water, additional liquid, etc.
- This recipe could also work well with sliced steak. I’d recommend using flank steak or sirloin.
- Step 9 in the recipe card (below) is very important. You need to push down the rice around the edges of the pan halfway through the baking process. This prevents any rice around the edges from being undercooked.
Skillet-Baked Fajita Chicken Casserole with Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 cups bell peppers, thinly sliced {~2 medium peppers}
- 2 cups onions, thinly sliced {~1 large onion}
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp fajita seasoning
- 1 tsp butter {for baking dish}
- 4 cloves garlic {finely minced}
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups white rice
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth {hot}
- 1 cup vegetable juice blend {low sodium}
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese {optional}
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped {optional}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Slice chicken breasts against the grain, into thin strips {~1/2 in thick}.1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine sliced chicken, sliced peppers, sliced onions, olive oil, and fajita seasoning. Mix to combine.2 cups bell peppers, thinly sliced, 2 cups onions, thinly sliced, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tbsp fajita seasoning
- Grease the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish or a 12-inch skillet.1 tsp butter
- Sprinkle minced garlic, kosher salt, and rice in the bottom of the baking dish.4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 1/4 cups white rice
- Pour the hot chicken stock and the vegetable juice blend over the rice. Stir the mixture with a fork.1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup vegetable juice blend
- Spread the chicken, onion, and pepper mixture over the top of the rice. Separate any pieces of the chicken that have stuck together.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake at 350˚F for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove the foil. Use a spoon and push down the rice around the edges, until it is back under the liquid.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Top with shredded cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes.2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Top with cilantro and allow the casserole to sit, uncovered for 5 minutes before serving.1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Notes
- If you use a fajita seasoning packet from the store, ignore the instructions on the packet. You won’t need to add water, additional liquid, etc.
- The chicken broth needs to be very hot, but the vegetable juice can be room temperature.
- Step 9 is very important. You need to push down the rice around the edges of the pan halfway during the baking process.
- Storing Leftovers: Allow the casserole to fully cool before storing it in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We are snowed in and had nearly all the ingredients for this amazing dish! We were able to make a double batch. It freezes really well and I know that future me will be so thankful. We did some pantry swaps but it still came out great.
I hope you have finally tunneled out from the weather, Erin. Glad to hear this recipe was able to come in clutch for you and the family during a time when cozy meals were mandatory.
We bought a bunch of chicken today with the plan to cook it up as shredded chicken and freeze in our Souper Cubes.
I came on your site to find the temps/times for IP shredded chicken, saw this recipe and immediately made it. We used a bag of frozen peppers and a lemon pepper fajita packet we had and vegan cheese and oh boy is this delicious!!!!
I’m so glad we have some to freeze and it’s going on the make again list. Thank you!!
Tina, I’m thrilled this was a hit for you!! The lemon pepper fajita seasoning sounds fan-freaking-tastic!
Delicious! I made it in cast iron frying pan. My whole family loved it
Do you have a substitute for the vegetable juice?
Hi Angela, in the post I recommend tomato sauce as a substitute. I think tomato juice adds a unique flavor, so if you can get your hands on some, it’s pretty tasty in here. For the tomato sauce, look for pure pureed tomato sauce.
OMG yum yum yummmmm! This recipe sounds fabulous and I will need to make it IMMEDIATELY. That is all. 🙂
I can’t wait to hear what you think, Dori!
My family and co-workers loved this casserole when I made it for a potluck as a recipe tester for Sarah. I am so excited that the recipe is live on the blog! I can finally send out the link to folks who wanted to add it to their home menus.
Thank you, as always, for being such a good recipe tester for us! Your feedback is valuable and helps us create better recipes.
Pardon, but how is a recipe that calls for 1 lb of chicken boob (which I think is usually just 1-2 boobs) apportioned into 10 (TEN) servings? That doesn’t seem right. I think this recipe only yields 1/3 cup cooked rice, too. And less than 1/4 cup cheese per serving, if there are actually 10 servings! I’m appalled. Is that why I’m fat? I think this recipe would be 2-3 servings in my house!
Almost all of my meat recipes use meat as a small part of the dish. I let the starches and veggies take the main stage. We served a salad and beans on the side.
Cheese, garlic, and chocolate chips should all be measured with your heart. That being said, we found during recipe testing that more cheese on this created a thick cover over the surface that became unappetizing after it sat for a bit.
In our household, we have two grown adults, and one typically eats 2-3 servings of anything we make. We have a teen boy and a 7-year-old. It’s impossible to determine a “proper” serving size for every person in the world since everyone has different preferences, etc.
This recipe made enough for the 4 of us for dinner, and then Troy and I had the leftovers for lunch the next day. Given Troy never eats 1 serving of anything, I calculated it as 10 servings.
For perspective, a serving of ice cream is standardized at 1/2 cup. Have I ever eaten only 1/2 cup of ice cream in my life? I have not. 🙂