EASY Gluten-Free Southwest Chicken And Rice Casserole

When a friend accepted our dinner invitation and casually added, “Oh, yeah! I'm gluten-free now,” I panicked. Most of my guest dishes involve pasta and are usually variations of lasagna.  How would I ever cook a gluten-free entree that my guests and my family, especially my finicky kids, would eat?

This EASY gluten-free Southwest Chicken & Rice Casserole is delicious and freezes really well!

This dish is my solution. It can be made with pre-cooked  (and even pre-bought) chicken and Minute Rice, can be as spicy or not as you want, and the only one I could see it challenging would be a lactose-intolerate person (but even there, you could use lactose-free cheese). 

So, here's my Easy Gluten-Free Southwest Chicken And Rice Casserole. This particular version serves about 12 people and leftovers freeze really well for future microwave suppers. 

Ingredients:

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts which have been grilled and either shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces

8 cups of cooked brown rice

2 cans (15.25 ounces each) of DelMonte Southwest Corn (it contains red peppers and poblanos which adds color as well as flavor)

2 cans (15 ounces each) of drained black beans

2 cups of plain Greek Yogurt

1 cup of chunky salsa

2 cups of grated Mexican cheese (or a Cheddar/Monterey Jack combo) – 1-1/2 cups will go in the dish with the other ½ cup going on top

This would be a lovely kitchen to make this dish in.  Sadly, the kitchen is not mine.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350. In a LARGE bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix them thoroughly, being especially careful to make sure that the yogurt and cheese are dispersed throughout. Place it in a lasagna pan or other oven-safe dish and top with the extra cheese. Bake it for about 25 minutes.

Options: You can use sour cream instead of yogurt for a little extra sourness and sprinkle a bit of ground chili pepper on top for more color. Since my kids LOVE black beans, I actually add another cup of those in and serve with extra salsa on the side for those who want it even hotter.

With things so busy during the holidays, make this on a Sunday for dinner and it could last your family through Tuesday of that week.  

Bon Appetite!