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This Chicken Fajita Casserole is a simple one-pan dinner of delicious homemade comfort food. Even better, this chicken and rice bake is incredible as leftovers.
Casseroles are easy and comforting, and busy home cooks love how simple they are to make. While not remotely authentic, this chicken fajita casserole is zesty, versatile, and so tasty.
Looking for more casseroles? Check out our Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole, Buffalo Chicken Casserole, Taquito Bake, Turkey Casserole With Rice, Ham Pasta, Asparagus Casserole, and Cheesy Green Bean Casserole.
We also have an uber-fast rice-free version of this recipe with our Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas.
CHICKEN Fajita CASSEROLE INGREDIENTS
This recipe has:
- Boneless skinless chicken breast (I used Butcher Box), but chicken thighs would also work.
- Bell peppers – get colorful! (save any extras for drying peppers or freezing peppers)
- Onion
- Olive oil & a tiny bit of butter
- Fajitas seasoning – either storebought or homemade (I used my DIY taco seasoning)
- Garlic – no vampires allowed
- White rice – jasmine or basmati preferred due to the cooking time.
- Chicken broth
- Vegetable juice* – look for low sodium
- Cheddar – though this is entirely optional since real fajitas definitely don’t contain cheese!
- Toppings – dealer’s choice: cilantro, sliced jalapeños, sour cream, avocado, etc.
*I’m a huge fan of bottled veggie juice for lots of recipes like Whole30 Beef Stew, Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup, Ravioli Soup, 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.
HERE’S HOW TO MAKE Fajita Casserole
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Start by slicing the onions and peppers into thin strips. And then finely mince some delicious garlic.
Next up, slice the chicken breast into ~ 1/2-inch thick strips. You’ll want to slice the chicken against the grain because it keeps the chicken tender and helps it cook more quickly. Need help on how to do that? Check out this tutorial.
In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, onions, peppers, olive oil, and the fajita seasoning. Use a spatula to toss to coat everything evenly.
Use a bit of butter (or cooking spray if you need this to be dairy-free) to grease a 9×13 baking dish or a deep cast iron skillet. Add the minced garlic, salt, and uncooked rice to your baking dish of choice.
Pour very hot chicken broth and the vegetable juice over the top of the rice. Stir everything with a fork. Add the chicken/onion/pepper mixture over the top of the rice.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350˚F. 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 for an extra 20 minutes, top with shredded cheese if you so choose, and bake for an additoinal 5 minutes. Top with cilantro and allow the casserole to sit, uncovered for 5 minutes before serving.
WHAT to Serve With CHICKEN Fajita Bake
This is a one-pan dinner, but a side dish of Chopped Cabbage Salad, Roasted Frozen Broccoli, Air Fryer Asparagus, Instant Pot Black Beans, or Air Fryer Zucchini would also be great.
Looking for more toppings? Try our Chipotle Sauce or Encurtido (spicy pickled veggies).
How to Meal Prep This Recipe
To make this a faster weeknight meal, use frozen onions, frozen peppers, and frozen minced garlic.
You can also assemble all the ingredients together in the baking dish, and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. I recommend increasing the chicken stock by 1/4 cup, as the dry rice will soak up additional liquid as it sits.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Allow the casserole to fully cool before storing it in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating Leftovers: You can reheat the casserole for 60-90 seconds in the microwave, or in an oven-safe dish in an air fryer at 340˚F for 3 minutes.
Freezing Leftovers: Allow the casserole to cool fully before putting it into freezer-safe containers. Freeze for 2-3 months.
Pro Tips/Recipe 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.
- 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 during the baking process. This prevents any rice around the edges from being undercooked.
More One Pan Dinners You’ll Love
Chicken Fajita Casserole
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 350F.
- 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 350F 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.
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. 🙂