Our families’ favorite chicken casserole is this chicken and black bean casserole. It is absolutely amazing, you will love it.
It is one of those healthy chicken dinners that you can make as a budget-friendly dinner. So, no need to break the bank with this meal, or your diet.
You can make this easy healthy dinner in no time, even on those nights where you really just don’t feel like cooking. This recipe is easier than loading your whole family up in the car to get take out, I promise.
You can finish the casserole off with some of our Oven Roasted Vegetables, 30 Minute Homemade Rolls, and little Strawberries and Cream Jello Dessert Salad and enjoy an awesome meal!
Ingredients Needed For This Chicken and Black Bean Casserole:
- Brown rice
- Vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- Olive oil
- Diced onion
- Zucchini, thinly sliced
- Diced boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Mushrooms, sliced
- Cumin
- Salt
- Cayenne pepper
- Black beans, rinsed and drained
- Green chilies, drained
- Shredded cheddar cheese (monterey jack or swiss cheese could work too)
How To Make This Chicken and Black Bean Casserole:
Start this recipe by combining the rice and vegetable broth in a pot and bring it to a boil.
After it reaches a boil, turn the heat down, cover the pot and let the rice simmer for 45 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Then, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
Next, in a skillet, heat the oilve oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the diced onion and cook the onion until it is tender.
Once the onion is tender, add in the zucchini, chicken, and sliced mushrooms.
Now, add in the cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper and stir everything together.
Continue cooking everything together until the zucchini is browned and the chicken is heated through.
Using a large mixing bowl, add in the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, beans, chiles, and half of the cheddar cheese and mix it all together.
Then, transfer all of the casserole mixings into the 9×13 pan and top it off with the rest of the cheese.
Now, just cover the casserole lightly with foil, and bake it for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, take the aluminum foil off and let the casserole bake for another 10 minutes or until it is bubbly and lightly browned.
To Make This Healthy Chicken Dinner Recipe You Will Need:
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Let us give you your time back. With the Six Sisters’ Meal Plans, we do the dinner planning, grocery ordering, and then all you have to do is decide whether to pick them up or have them delivered.
Make It Vegetarian
You can easily turn this into a vegetarian dish. All you have to do is omit the chicken breast, and you have a wonderful vegetarian dish.
Why Rinse Black Beans (Or Any Beans)
Have you ever wondered why you need to rinse and drain black beans, or most beans? Well besides the unwanted taste of the extra liquid the beans are stored in, there is a more important reason.
Check out the Better Homes and Gardens article that asks and answers the question, Should You Rinse and Drain Canned Beans.
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Make More Amazing Casserole Recipes Like this Chicken and Black Bean Casserole:
- Chicken Taco Casserole Recipe
- Cowboy Casserole Recipe (Tater Tot Casserole)
- Million Dollar Casserole Recipe (Spaghetti Casserole)
- Chicken Zucchini Casserole Recipe
- John Wayne Casserole (Beef and Biscuit Casserole)
- 30 Minute Light Taco Casserole Recipe
Chicken and Black Bean Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup brown rice
- 1 cup vegetable broth, Can also use chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ diced onion
- 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
- ½ cup sliced mushrooms
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- salt, to taste
- ground cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (4oz) can green chilies, drained
- 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack or Swiss would work too
Instructions
- Mix the rice and vegetable broth in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large 9×13? casserole dish.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, chicken, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is heated through.
- In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, beans, chiles, and 1/2 the cheese. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.
- This would also make a great vegetarian dish- just omit the chicken!
Notes
- You can easily turn this into a vegetarian dish. All you have to do is omit the chicken breast, and you have a wonderful vegetarian dish.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
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I’m so excited to make this recipe! I’m on a very restricted diet and it’s exciting when I find new things that cooperate. Thanks for sharing!
I always have family coming to visit. This sounds like the perfect dish to serve. Thanks for sharing it.
This casserole is wonderful! I made it last night and the flavors are perfect together. Thank you!
This looks delicious! I wonder if I could throw it all in the crock-pot?
Yummmmm this looks good. I think I’ll try it with leftover turkey? 🙂
Cooking is a good way to take a break from new project:
http://playingwithscooters.blogspot.com/
This was delicious!! My husband requested me to make this more offer:)
Approx. how many servings did this make?
I made this Sunday and have been eating it all week! Definitely makes at least 6!
This is delicious! I made it minus the chicken and added tomatoes. Very easy to make, also!
This is amazing. I always know when it’s an approved meal when my husband asks if I can add it to the rotation! Thank you!
Just made this for dinner….AMAZING!!! The kids and hubby are practically inhaling it! The only thing I changed/added was half a can of fire roasted tomatoes 🙂
Loved this recipe! My husband and I both went back for seconds. Our 4 year old like it as well, though the zucchini took a little coaxing 🙂 We doubled the rice and will use even more next time. Look forward to enjoying it again. Thanks!
This is awesome! It has become a family favorite and is now my go-to meal to make for friends and family when they have babies, surgery, etc. Thanks!
I absolutely loved this recipe! Added some corn in as well, and instead of frying the chicken I baked it in the oven in whole chicken breasts, then cut it up and put it in. It made the chicken much more tender…absolutely delicious! I made it for my cooking group and they all raved about it! We all agreed that with the beans and veggies the chicken wasn’t even really necessary…Couldn’t find any black beans in Australia so I used red kidney beans – just as delicious! Also, definitely didn’t need to bake it for half an hour…we did it for about 10 minutes or until the cheese was nice and gooey. YUM! Thank you!
Just made this…loved the kick!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I added a tomato and a half of a red pepper! Yummmmy.
Can I substitute quinoa instead of rice? This looks delicious!!
I’m sure you could! Let us know how it turns out!
I have made this a few times, and I love it! It was a great way to use those zucchini from the farmers market, and I am still searching out the last few of the season so I can keep making it!
Love your site, thanks!
I added a dollop (seriously not much, maybe 1/4 cup) of sour cream, and some cilatro, and mixed a bit of extra broth in, before popping it in the oven (only cooked my rice to al dente). It was SUPER good. It’s a great “cook ahead meal.”
Do you think this could be made without the cheese due to an allergy?
It should be fine. Just won’t have the cheesy taste. You could substitute it with something you aren’t allergic to. We hope it all works out for you! Let us know!
I have jars of chicken that I canned and can’t wait to try some in this recipe. Thank you
I have jars of chicken that I canned and can’t wait to try some in this recipe. Thank you
about how many cups will you have with 2 medium zuccini? I have sliced what I think was two medium zuccinis and it looks like alot!
this is one of our family’s new favorite recipes!!! thanks.
Do you use instant or not instant brown rice?
You can use either one. Just follow the directions according to the rice package. We have used both, but instant is a lot quicker. 🙂
Looks delicious! Can I omit the rice? Thanks.
The rice thickens up the dish. It won’t look like the picture. We have never omitted the rice. Hope it works out well for you. Let us know!
Oh my it is in the oven now. Can’t wait! I switched it up a little omitted the cheese and zucchini. I didn’t have black beans used red kindney beans, added diced tomatoes with green chilies, and corn. Oh yeah and garlic because I use it in everything.
I might try this using quinoa instead…
I used 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms sliced and sauteed and two fresh hot chili peppers from my garden sauteed with the onions, using coconut oil; then omitted the green chilies. I also used chicken broth to cook the brown rice and decided to add a can of cream of mushroom soup.
It was very yummy and such good favor.
I used cajun flavored chicken breast to go with the spicy flavoring.
Does this freeze well?
This meal freezes VERY well. I make this recipe often and always make a double batch so I can freeze one for later. I’ve also made it with quinoa instead of the rice and it’s great. Just cook the quinoa for 20 min.
Here were my changes to the recipe to use what I had on hand: 2 cups chicken broth with equal amount of instant rice cooked together. also added 1 can ranch style beans and about 1/3 to 1/2 cup shredded carrots. A definite hit with my family! woo-hoo!!
We made this for dinner last night! Then tonight we used the leftovers to make chicken and rice burritos…they were yummy! Thanks…I love this site!
This was fantastic!!!! Family favorite! I subbed quinoa, and we served it over a bed of spinach. Freezes well! Thanks a bunch!!!
Loved this recipe! I omitted the chicken, and used left over rice. My zucchini was huge, so I just chopped it into bite size pieces. All my kids ate it, and that is quite an accomplishment. 🙂
Will this recipe work with quinoa instead of rice? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
It should work fine with quinoa instead of rice.
I wish you had included how much chicken in cup measurement. Breasts vary in size. Also, make suggestions on how much cayenne pepper to use. I enjoyed the dish but would spice it up more next time. I would also recommend not adding chicken until zucchini is browned .
If frozen before baking, for how long and at what temperature should I bake the casserole ?
You may want to thaw it before cooking. Cook at about the same time and then check to make sure it’s heated through.
I make this at least once a month and served it (to rave reviews) to company on multiple occasions. Sometimes, I cut it in half and freeze half of it. Freezes and reheats beautifully in the oven.
Everyone enjoyed this. Did t have mushrooms so used green pepper.
Cooked this for 5+ years, and it’s a family favorite! Even requested on birthdays. We make it vegetarian now and it’s just as delicious. Sometimes add French fried onions on top.
We love this dish! I would like to make it ahead of time and freeze for a friend. What would the recommended heating instructions be (temperature and time) for reheating? Thank you!