Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole

This Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole is a super easy and delicious go-to meal for times when you’re trying to save money, want to use up leftovers, or don’t really feel like cooking. It takes about 5 minutes to mix together if you have the right leftovers on hand. And I made this whole Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole for only $5! Read to find out how to make this for dinner tonight!

CHEESY CHICKEN RICE CASSEROLE

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I am not, by any means, a food blogger.

I posted precisely 3 recipes in my the very first weeks of my blog and then I realized that recipe posts just weren’t my talent.

I’ve since focused on teaching you how to cut your expenses and save money.

But I do talk about how to save money on food quite a bit.

I have several posts about how to save money on groceries. And I’ve even written a love letter to my leftovers.

And I really love sharing specific ways that I’m saving on food in my own life with my readers.

So, when I was making this Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole the other night, I thought of you.

This is such an easy and tasty go-to meal that uses up leftovers you have on hand. And it is cheap!

I made this whole Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole for $5!

And I’m in Connecticut where groceries are expensive. You could probably make this casserole for $4 or even less if you’re in a state with lower grocery prices.

This is the perfect recipe for using up leftovers. If you have shredded crock-pot chicken and cooked rice, you’ll be good to go.

Here are the ingredients with a price break-down.

1 shredded chicken breast – $2

2 cups cooked rice – .50

Salsa – .50

1 bag frozen mixed veggies – $1

1/2 bag shredded cheese – $1

Total Cost $5

I used Trader Joe’s quick cooking brown rice. You can just use whatever type of rice your family likes or whatever you have on hand.

I used Kirkland salsa from Costco and just dumped some out of the big jar. It’s a pretty mild salsa. But again, use whatever kind of salsa your family likes.

I used a whole bag of frozen mixed veggies because I had a small bag on hand. Sometimes I buy the giant bag of mixed veggies from Costco and just scoop out about 2 cups for this recipe.

And I don’t cook the frozen veggies. I mix them right in frozen and they cook in the oven. How easy is that?

I like to shred my own cheese using a super fast and easy (and cheap!) grater. I love this one because it saves my fingers from getting cut.

We get the big block of cheese from Costco and then just cut off a chunk and shred it up. If you’re using bagged pre-shredded cheese, that’s totally fine. Use however much you want to cover the top of your casserole. I think about half a bag should do it.

And I here’s a guilty – but delicious, so I have to share – secret. 

I eat this casserole with tortilla chips!

Instead of using silverware I scoop it up on chips. I break the tortillas into smaller pieces (about thirds) to make me feel like I’m eating less chips with my dinner.

By the way, I buy the giant bag of tortillas from Costco too. Chips and Salsa is my husband’s favorite snack, so we go through a lot of tortillas around here.

So, this definitely isn’t the healthiest dinner in my rotation. But it sure is good.

Here’s the complete recipe. 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 shredded chicken breast

2 cups cooked rice

1/2 – 1 cup salsa

1 bag frozen mixed veggies

1/2 bag shredded cheese

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Add cooked rice to a large casserole dish.
3. Add shredded chicken breast. Stir.
4. Add frozen mixed veggies. Stir.
5. Add desired amount of salsa. I use about 3/4 cup. Stir.
6. Use the back of your spoon to flatten the top of the casserole.
7. Top with shredded cheese.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until your cheese starts to brown.
9. Serve with chips, if desired.

Enjoy!

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Hope you enjoy this cheesy chicken rice casserole!