I found a similar recipe to this on the Betty Crocker site, and it looked so good, I had to make my own version. This is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken breasts. You can plan ahead for the week by grilling or baking 3 extra chicken breasts, and the rice can be cooked the evening before or the same day. This is a great recipe to freeze in individual portions for quick lunches.
I made fresh guacamole to top the casserole, but you can use any taco toppings you like. When I sliced open the avocados, I was a little worried that they were overripe and had already started to go bad, but they were perfect! So satisfying.
You can either make two smaller casseroles (freeze one for later!) or one large one.
Makes 10 servings
Ingredients
3 cooked chicken breasts, sliced into bite sized pieces
3 cups cooked brown rice, cooled
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
19 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
215mL jar taco sauce (mild or hot)
2 tsp low sodium taco seasoning
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese for mixing in, plus 1/2 cup additional for topping
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl (reserve 1/2 cup shredded cheese for topping). Mix until the ingredients are coated with taco sauce and seasoning.
Pour mixture into one large or two medium sized casserole dishes. Add remaining cheese on top.
Bake, covered, for 20 minutes, then remove lid or foil, and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.
Nutrition (serving of casserole, not including guacamole)
Calories 418
Fat 14.9g
Saturated fats 7.4g
Carbohydrates 32.4g
Fibre 4.8g
Sugars 2.8g
Protein 39.1g
