QUESO CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE (aka P5)
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Queso Chicken and Rice Casserole, or P5 as it’s known at my local restaurant, is a cheesy rice and chicken recipe that’s loaded with flavor from tomatoes, green chiles, cilantro, pico de gallo, and spices. It’s a simple TexMex dinner recipe that you’re entire family will enjoy. (Seriously, this is one of like six meals my whole family eats.)
I was spending so much money each week at our local Mexican restaurant that I had to start replicating some of our favorite recipes to make at home.
Previously, I have shared some of our other favorite TexMex recipes with you. They include
- Chori Pollo
- White Queso Dip
- Spicy Chorizo Queso
- Fajita Seasoned Chicken Black Beans and Corn Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Healthy 20 Minute Chili Lime Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita
- Easy Mexican Rice
- Green Chile Rice
HOW TO MAKE QUESO CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE
This recipe’s prep is simple: It basically involves cutting the chicken into chunks. You could also use chicken tenderloins and leave them whole to speed it up even more. I also use convenience items from the grocery store, including premade queso and pico. Of course, you can make those from scratch if you wish.
First, I put the rice on to cook. You can shorten your cooking time even more by using minute rice. However, I’ve never been a fan of minute rice so I use long grain rice that takes 20 minutes to cook. Meanwhile, you can cube the chicken, season it, and sear it in a large pan.
After the rice is done, the chicken should also be ready. Combine the two and add the queso and spices.
You can always add jalapenos if you like more spice.
After it heats through, it’s ready to serve! Simple, quick, and delicious!
ONE PAN METHOD
(If you use minute rice you can make it in one pan. Your process will be to cook the chicken and remove it when it’s done. Add the rice and other ingredients. After five minutes when the rice is fluffy add the chicken and queso, heat through, and serve.)
NOTE: I typically don’t like using part of cans or containers of an ingredient, but in this recipe I did. I found that 10 ounces of enchilada sauce was too much and a whole container of queso was too much cheese. (If too much cheese is even possible!)
SIDE DISH: You can omit chicken this makes a wonderful Tex-Mex rice side dish.
WHILE YOU’RE HERE, CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES
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- FAMOUS QUESO DIP RECIPE
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Queso Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 4 medium chicken breasts or about 1 pound, can use thighs
- 2 ounces taco seasoning I use low sodium (2 packets if you're buying the packs)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
FOR THE RICE
- 2 cups rice
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- 10 ounce can tomatoes and green chiles I used Rotel brand, medium spice
- ½ cup enchilada sauce
- 1 cup queso cheese dip
- 1 cup pico
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook rice according to the directions on the package.
- While the rice is cooking, cube chicken and season with taco seasoning.
- On the stovetop, heat a large skillet or braiser pan to med high. Add the oil. After the oil gets hot add the chicken. Cook on all sides until cooked through. Turn the heat to low
- When the rice is cooked fluff it then add it to the pot with the chicken.
- Add the cumin, paprika, tomatoes with green chiles, enchilada sauce, and queso. Stir to combine.
- Put the lid on and allow it to cook on simmer 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in the pico and garnish with cilantro.
- Serve hot. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
You can also find great recipes at my Recipe Box