This colorful and hearty One-Pan Chicken Chili Bake is a great dinner recipe for lazy weekends. Created with delicious ingredients, the chicken chili bake is creamy, cheesy super nutritious.
Made with well-seasoned chicken, beans, rice, and tomato salsa, the one-pan chicken chili bake encapsulates the flavors and texture of white chili. It is a recipe to save for those who like spicy and saucy meals: a meal to serve with some nachos, maybe, and a glass of wine. The beautiful dish is filled with lots of freshly chopped greeneries such as cilantro, parsley, and chives. Don’t miss the jalapeno or chili peppers, of course.
How to make one pot chicken chili bake?
Although it looks like many ingredients to handle and combine, the recipe is straightforward to follow, I would say intuitively. The cooking process starts with the meat and everything it involves.
Dice the chicken breast and the peeled onion. Finely mince the garlic Heat a pan and drizzle some olive oil. As soon as the love oil has heated up, add the finely diced onion and garlic, and saute until translucent, which will take about 2-3 minutes. Make sure the heat is on medium. Next, add the diced chicken breast to the pan and mix. Season everything generously and let the meat soak in all the flavors.
In about 3 minutes, feel free to add the rice and mix again. Allow the rice to soak in the oil and the flavors of the meat and the spices before pouring in the rest of the ingredients.
At this point, dice the bell pepper and add it to the pan along with the tomato salsa (which is spicy enough) and canned beans. Add water or vegetable broth to the composition and gently stir for the ingredients to blend perfectly. Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat to medium-low, and allow everything to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. There is no need to stir if the heat is low.
While the colorful composition is getting cooked on the stove, it is the right time to preheat the oven to 350F. Also, get your attention to the cheeses. If not shredded already, use a grater or an electric blender to shred/grate the three types of cheese. You will need that for the final step of the cooking process of the beautifully delicious one-pan chicken chili bake.
Turn off the stove and remove the lid from the pan. Watch the video below:
Consequently, sprinkle the grated cheese all over the surface, and make sure it is evenly distributed. Also, you may add some freshly chopped parsley for an extra touch of color. It is time to bake one pan of chicken chili.
How long to bake the chicken chili?
As soon as the oven is well preheated, insert the pan into the stove on the medium rack and allow it to bake for 15 minutes at 350F. A good indicator that the dish is ready is the golden cheese crust that has to form on top. If you see the cheese gets melted, yet it takes too long for it to become golden, there’s a trick you may use. Set the grill function, the oven will immediately give you the needed effect on the cheese. Besides being delicious. the golden top makes the one-pot chicken chili bake an irresistible dish.
How to serve the chicken chili bake?
The flavor will spread all around the cooking area as soon as you take out the pan from the stove. It is a dish to be served immediately. Top the chili bake with some slices of red chili peppers and a generous amount of sour cream or greek yogurt. You may squeeze some lemon juice over if you like a more acidic taste.
The chicken chili bake is a rather complex meal, it has protein fiber and vitamins, and you can serve it just as it is. Or, of course, a glass of wine is always a good companion to chicken courses. Hope you enjoy every single bite of the one-pan chicken chili bake.
One-Pan Chicken Chili Bake
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken breast boneless, skinless
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium bell pepper red
- 1 can white beans
- 1 cup rice
- 1/2 cup tomato salsa
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 medium jalapeno for serving
- 1 handul parsley or cilantro
- 1 handful chives or spring onion
- 1/2 medium lemon for serving
Spices
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes optional
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredient: peel and finely chop the onion and garlic
- Dice the boneless and skinless chicken breast
- Heat up a pan with the olive oil on medium heat
- Saute the onion and garlic for 2 minutes
- Add the diced chicken breast, season the meat, and mix. Cook for 5 minutes
- Add the rice and pour 2 cups of water or vegetable broth. Cook for 5 minutes
- Add the canned beans, tomato salsa, and the diced bell pepper
- Mix well and cover with a lid. Cook under the lid for 10 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked
- Preheat oven at 350F
- Remove the lid and turn off the stove
- Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley or cilantro
- Top evenly with shredded cheese
- Insert pan into the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes at 350F, or until the cheese top becomes golden
- Remove pan from oven and sprinkle some chopped parsley and chives
- Serve hot with sour cream, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and jalapeno slices
- Enjoy!
