Chicken Casserole With Black Beans, Corn, and Salsa

Chicken Casserole With Black Beans, Corn, and Salsa

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 4 servings

This dish combines all the signature ingredients of Tex-Mex cuisine: chicken, black beans, shredded cheese, corn, and salsa. But instead of serving this as a filling wrapped in tortillas, it is baked as a casserole, which makes it suitable to bring along to a potluck. In addition, the preparation of this one-pot dish mainly consists of layering all the ingredients, which also makes this a very easy weeknight dinner. 

For cheese, you have several options. Use only cheddar cheese, a mix of cheddar and Colby cheese, or a Mexican blend of cheeses. Or, to give it even more taco flavor, try a taco-seasoned cheese. For the salsa, tomato salsa works well here, or a combination of tomato salsa and salsa verde

The green chile peppers are optional. For a family dinner with kids, just leave them out. On the other hand, if you like it spicy and have some fresh chile peppers on hand, you can add those instead of the canned chiles. Sprinkling the casserole with cilantro is also optional.

The recipe lends itself to different variations, including the use of leftovers. If you are adding already fully cooked chicken instead of raw chicken, you can make it ahead of time. Assemble the casserole and cover it tightly with foil, then refrigerate for up to one day. Bake it according to the recipe. Likewise, you can also make the casserole with fully cooked, browned ground beef.

The casserole is already a filling meal, but you can serve it with rice on the side or with tortilla chips, sour cream, and a bowl of guacamole.

Leftovers of the casserole can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days and reheated in the microwave.

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray, for casserole dish

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

  • 1 (12- to 15-ounce) can corn kernels, drained

  • 2 cups chunky salsa, divided

  • 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chile peppers, optional

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, or a mixture of cheddar and Colby cheeses

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Chicken Casserole With Black Beans, Corn, and Salsa ingredients

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  2. Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish or spray it with cooking cooking spray.

    greased casserole dish

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  3. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

    chicken seasoned with salt and pepper

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  4. Combine drained beans, corn, 1 cup of the salsa, chile peppers (if using), and half of the cilantro. Put mixture into prepared baking dish.

    beans, corn and salsa in a casserole dish

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  5. Arrange chicken over bean and corn mixture, then spoon remaining salsa over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and top evenly with cheese.

    Arrange chicken over bean and corn mixture, add cheese on top

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  6. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear.

    Chicken Casserole With Black Beans, Corn, and Salsa

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
639 Calories
21g Fat
55g Carbs
62g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 639
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 26%
Saturated Fat 10g 48%
Cholesterol 144mg 48%
Sodium 1968mg 86%
Total Carbohydrate 55g 20%
Dietary Fiber 15g 53%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 62g
Vitamin C 73mg 367%
Calcium 398mg 31%
Iron 5mg 27%
Potassium 1339mg 28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)