Ranchero Chicken Rice Casserole
Creating the Casserole
Turn a classic Mexican dish into a favorite casserole by combining several easy ingredients into a delicious ranchero chicken rice casserole.
This recipe will surely please rice lovers who enjoy a creamy and cheesy dish. I made this one day when I needed to make a meal out of leftovers.
I had rice, ranchero chicken, cheese, and sour cream. I thought this was always delicious on my plate, why not put it all together as a one-pot meal?
Sometimes the best recipes come from creating something new. When I make it now, it is on purpose. I make all the ingredients for the casserole and can't wait for it to come out of the oven.
How to Serve
You can serve this dish in just about any serving dish or pot, but there is one bakeware that is perfect for it. When baking casseroles or baked side dishes, I use Corningware French White ceramic bakeware.
These baking dishes look great, have great heat retention, and can take the heat of the oven. They are also generally easy to clean. If food does stick to it, after a little soaking it generally comes off pretty easily.
Variations
You can try this recipe with taco beef, fajita beef, or Baja shrimp instead of ranchero chicken. You can also toss in onions and peppers to add more texture and flavor.
You can also add cheese sauce to make it more creamy and flavorful. Experiment with your variation and let me know how it turns out.
Equipment Needed
I typically cook rice in stainless steel pots or with a rice maker. I have used the same rice maker for over 25 years. This is why I recommend the brand below. It has been reliable for so many years.
Prepare the ranchero chicken in a stainless steel pan or brasier. And bake the dish in a ceramic bakeware dish or enamel-coated cast iron.
- 2 cups Ranchero Chicken (See recipe below)
- 4 cups White Rice (Cooked)
- .5 cups Chicken Broth
- .5 cups Sour Cream
- .5 cups Pico de Gallo or Salsa
- .5 cups Cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
- .25 cups Cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon Avocado Oil
- 2 teaspoons Butter
- 1 Each Rotisserie Chickens, breast meat only (Best value at Costco or Sam's Club)
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- .5 cups Salsa, mild (Pace brand)
- 4 cups Water
- 2 cups Long grain rice, white
- 2 teaspoons Salt, Kosher (Morton Brand)
- 2 tablespoons Butter (Grass fed has more flavor)
- Ranchero Chicken
Pull the breast meat from the chicken. Roughly chop it, and add to a pan with the chicken stock and salsa.
Simmer until the liquid is almost gone, remove from heat, and let cool.
- White Rice Directions
In a 2 qt pot, add water and salt and bring to a boil.
Rinse the rice 2-3 times while stirring the rice in the water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain.
Once the water reaches a boil add the rice, stir, and bring water back to a boil. When boiling again, cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, remove from heat, flush the rice with a fork, and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
Stir in the butter.
- Casserole Preparation
Mix the cooked rice and ranchero Chicken in a bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the 2nd listing of cheese and the butter, and mix well in a bowl.
Spread the butter inside a 6-8 casserole dish, pour the mixture in the bowl into the casserole dish, sprinkle the 2nd listing of cheese on top, and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
Serve in the casserole dish.
