Stovetop Spanish Rice & Chicken "Casserole" Recipe
Full of Flavor and Spice
My stovetop Spanish Rice & chicken casserole recipe is another thrown together meal from yours truly. Super flavorful!
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I love browsing other cooking and recipe websites, and there is certainly an endless supply of them... which is a good thing for cooks like me, who are always in search of the next great recipe idea. 
So, yesterday, I came across a site owned by a woman married to a Mexican guy and read her authentic Spanish rice recipe. It got me in the mood for those flavors, what can I say? And then I was on my own site again (linking to hers), reading my Spanish Chicken Rice Casserole recipe. That got me salivating too...
So, come dinner time, I knew I wanted to throw together some kind of Spanish rice inspired meal, using chicken. But I got going kind of late, so I also knew preparing and baking an actual casserole was gonna put dinner on the table way too late. Still, I wanted a one-dish kind of meal.
The result was the wannabe "casserole" below, which I threw together in... wait for it... only 40 minutes! 40 minutes from the time I set foot in the kitchen to the time I put the full plates on the table. Must be some kind of record for me, who can never make a 30 minute meal in less than about 55 minutes!
Stovetop Spanish Rice & Chicken "Casserole"
Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 or 7 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 or 7 chicken tenders or 3 breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup frozen corn, slightly thawed
1 cup rice
2.5 cups chicken broth
Cajun seasonings
Salt/pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup crushed nacho or corn chips
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated taco cheese
Directions:
First, get the rice cooking. I like to cook mine in chicken broth for extra flavor. So, get it boiling and then reduce heat to a simmer. Meanwhile, start chopping your veggies and heating a little olive oil in a large fry pan. Add the veggies to the hot pan and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened.
Season the veggies with a little Cajun seasoning. (Or, if you don't have any, you can just use a mixture of cumin, coriander and chili powder to taste). Also, add some seasoning to your cooking rice, once some of the water has been absorbed.
Next, move the veggies to the edges of the pan and start pan broiling your chicken. Sprinkle it with some salt/pepper/Cajun seasoning. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan, cut up into small, bite-sized pieces (or shred it) and add back to the pan. Add in about 1/2 cup water or chicken broth into the pan, along with the corn and half the cilantro.
Cook & stir until the broth reduces. Meanwhile, mix the soup, tomatoes and a bit more seasoning in a bowl. Once the veggie/chicken mix has cooked down, add in the soup mixture and stir well. Add the rice to the pan once most of its water has absorbed. Stir well and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes to let flavors mix.
Right before serving, sprinkle the top of the casserole with the rest of the cilantro, the cheese and the chips, plus a little more Cajun seasoning, if desired. Put it under the broiler in your oven for a minute or two to melt the cheese and toast the chips. Serve!
I was surprised how flavorful this Spanish rice & chicken casserole recipe turned out. It was fast and easy to make and we all loved it. It would be great paired with a green salad and some cornbread too, though it really is a complete meal in itself.
Variations
- Substitute ground chicken or turkey or turkey breast for the chicken... or use leftover chicken
- For a healthier version, if you have more time, use brown rice instead of white
- Add grated cheese into the soup mixture before putting it into the pan
- Add other veggies to the mix, such as chopped zucchini, broccoli, etc.
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