Mix and Bake Chicken Taco Casserole. Our new weeknight staple! Chicken seasoned with taco spices, baked, and shredded. Then everything goes right into the pan — dry rice, onions, peppers, corn, a can of tomatoes, and beans. Cheese on top and bake until bubbling. No need to cook the rice separately. Just mix, bake, eat, and finish with all your favorite taco toppings. It’s so simple and so delicious.

I always get excited to share these mix-and-bake recipes. They’re perfect for nights when you just want to toss everything together, bake, and forget about it until dinner. Zero fuss, maximum comfort.

When I had the idea for a taco casserole, I knew my family would love it, we all love tacos! And after making this a few times now, we’ve all agreed it’s best with shredded chicken and rice. So flavorful, so cozy.

Even my brother Kai got in on it. He made this the other night for game night and said it was the perfect dish. He swapped the beans for extra bell peppers and topped it with spicy cheddar and pepper jack – he loved it. Kai is a casserole guy through and through (chicken noodle is still his favorite #1)!

The Quick Details

Ingredients 

• boneless chicken tenders or strips
• taco seasoning
• olive oil
• salted butter
• dry rice
• a yellow onion
• poblano peppers
• fresh or frozen corn – I use fresh summer corn when available
• Rotel tomatoes
• black beans
• mixed Mexican cheeses – I love a cheddar, colby jack, and pepper jack blend

Ingredients – for topping 

• plain Greek yogurt – sour cream is good too
• shredded lettuce
• bcilantro and green onions
• cubed or sliced avocado
• lime zest and lime juice
• tortilla strips

Special Tools

You’ll need a large oven-safe casserole dish with a lid. No lid? Foil works too!

Steps

Step 1: Season and cook the chicken

In a casserole dish, toss the chicken with taco seasoning, olive oil, and butter. Bake until the chicken is fully cooked through.

Shred the chicken right in the dish using two forks. It should pull apart easily — shred into bigger or smaller pieces depending on what you like best.

Step 2: Add everything else

Stir in the dry rice, onions, peppers, corn, tomatoes, and beans — everything except the cheese. Pour over water to help the rice cook as the casserole bakes.

Step 3: Add cheese and bake

Sprinkle cheese over the top, then cover and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the rice is tender. Uncover and bake a few more minutes until the cheese is bubbling and just turning golden. The rice will finish cooking and the edges will get a little crispy — so delish!

Top it and serve

Finish with shredded lettuce, fresh cilantro, a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, sliced avocado, lime zest and juice, and green onions. Add a pinch of flaked sea salt for extra flavor.

Serve with tortilla strips or chips for crunch. Yum!

Looking for other easy chicken and rice dinners? Here are my favorites: 

One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice

One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole

Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake

Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf

Spicy Sesame Chicken and Ginger Rice

One Pan Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice

Lastly, if you make this Mix and Bake Chicken Taco Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

As a recipe developer, I spend my days cooking, baking, and tasting. As much as I love my job, I’m ready to get out of the kitchen by six o’clock each day. This means I often rely on quick, simple, and, most importantly, dependable recipes for weeknight dinners. Sheet pan meals are a favorite, as they let the oven do most of the work and require just a few minutes of prep.

Recently, this easy chicken dinner has been a lifesaver: Juicy chicken thighs, crispy croutons, and tender, broiled asparagus are all cooked on a single baking sheet, then served over a bed of hearty frisée. A sweet, tangy salad dressing made with mustard, honey, vinegar, garlic, and oil serves double duty as a flavorful marinade, brushed on the chicken partway through cooking for extra flavor and a shiny finish.

Get More From Your Sheet Pan

While it’s tempting to throw everything on a sheet pan and hope for the best, there’s a more thoughtful approach to take. As Serious Eats editorial director, Daniel, wrote in his 10 Essential Rules for the Best Sheet Pan Dinners, “the act of orchestrating a more complex recipe on a single sheet pan requires a good deal of cooking intuition and technique.” Because different foods cook at different rates, preparing and assembling a delicious meal on a single sheet pan benefits from “a much greater degree of coordination, space management, and understanding of how different ingredients cook.”

With a bit of planning, you can have chicken that’s well-browned and juicy, croutons that are toasted but not burned, and tender asparagus that’s tender but not mushy. The key is to cook the meal in two different phases: I bake the chicken and croutons in a 450°F (230°C) oven until the bread is crisp and the chicken is cooked, then I swap the croutons out for fresh stalks of asparagus. The pan goes under the broiler, which provides just enough heat to brown the chicken and cook the asparagus until it’s sweet and tender.

Because the hottest areas of a sheet pan are around the edges, I arrange the chicken around the perimeter of the pan. Likewise, placing the cubed bread in the center prevents it from browning too quickly, though you’ll still need to flip the bread once to encourage even cooking. The same goes for the asparagus: Placing it in the center of the pan means it won’t overcook or burn before the chicken is done.

Getting the Chicken Right

In the first phase of cooking, the chicken is cooked to a safe internal temperature (165°F/74°C), and the croutons become golden and toasty, a process that takes approximately 15 minutes. The chicken is technically cooked at this stage, but for maximum flavor and browning, I flip the chicken thighs, glaze them, then place them under the broiler to continue cooking. As Serious Eats senior culinary editor Leah has noted, cooking your chicken thighs to 185 to 195°F (85 to 90°C) is actually “the key to peak tenderness.” The higher temperature breaks down collagen into gelatin, resulting in tender, juicy meat.

Reach for Hardy Greens

Frisée is hardy and slightly bitter, which allows it to stand up to the sweet, punchy dressing and won’t easily wilt under the heat of the cooked chicken. If you can’t find frisée, you can substitute other greens; a blend of hearty chicories, such as radicchio or endive, would work well. Though mixed greens are far more delicate than frisée or radicchio, they’ll work in a pinch, but keep in mind they’re far more delicate and likely to wilt. To avoid this, you can always place your chicken to the side of the salad, rather than on top.

Schmaltzy Croutons, Please

After the chicken and asparagus have been removed from the sheet pan, I like to briefly return the croutons to the pan and stir them around in the chicken juices—which gives them a nice savory flavor—before putting them on top of the salad.

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For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup stoneground mustard, such as Grey Poupon (2 ounces; 57 g)

• 3 tablespoons honey (1 1/2 ounces; 65 g)

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) red wine vinegar

• 2 medium cloves garlic (10 g), minced

• 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

For the Salad:

• 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, 4 to 6 thighs

• 3 cups crusty bread (6 ounces; 170 g), such as sourdough, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 pound (454 g) asparagus, ends trimmed

• 1 medium head frisée or mixed greens, washed and spun dry, cut or torn into large bite-sized pieces

1. For the Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk mustard, honey, red wine vinegar, garlic, and salt to combine. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking vigorously and constantly, until emulsified and creamy.

2. In a large bowl, combine chicken thighs with 1/3 cup of dressing, tossing to evenly coat. (See notes.) Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Refrigerate the remaining dressing separately until ready to use.

3. When ready to cook, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). On a 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, arrange cubed bread in the center center. Drizzle bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil, tossing to evenly coat. Remove chicken thighs from marinade and arrange chicken thighs upside down around bread; reserve marinade for brushing. Lightly season bread and chicken with salt.

4. Bake, flipping bread once halfway through, until bread is crisp and chicken is cooked, brushing with reserved marinade halfway through, 15 to 17 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat should register at least 165°F/74°C.)

5. Using a kitchen towel or oven mitts, carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Adjust oven rack to upper third position, about 6 inches from the broiler. Heat broiler to high.

6. Using tongs, flip chicken and, using a pastry brush, brush top of chicken lightly with reserved dressing. Transfer croutons to a plate and arrange asparagus in a single layer in the center of the baking sheet. Drizzle remaining olive oil over asparagus, season with salt, and return baking sheet to oven. Broil, turning asparagus once halfway through, until chicken is well-browned and asparagus is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with foil while you dress the salad.

7. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss frisée with enough reserved dressing to evenly coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

8. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and slice into 1-inch thick pieces. Arrange on serving plates with salad and asparagus on the side. Return croutons to baking sheet and toss in pan juices, then garnish chicken, salad, and asparagus with croutons. Serve.

Special Equipment

13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, instant-read thermometer, pastry brush

Notes

Alternatively, chicken can be marinated in a zip-top bag. Place chicken and 1/3 cup dressing in a zip-top bag, seal, and massage chicken through plastic until evenly coated with dressing. 

Make-Ahead and Storage

The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Thin, golden, and covered in a bright lemon-butter sauce, this chicken paillard recipe turns boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a dish that’s quick, elegant, and unexpectedly luxurious. By pounding the meat into thin, even cutlets, the chicken cooks quickly, develops a golden crust, and stays juicy—a far cry from the dry, stringy results that often plague boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

While paillard is a French culinary term for pounding meat thin for quick and even cooking, in the US, chicken paillard often refers to seared chicken breasts with a lemony herb-butter sauce. It’s become a weeknight staple thanks to its ease and speed, offering a meal that feels far more refined than its quick cooking time might suggest.

How to Cook Chicken Cutlets Without Drying Them Out

One of the challenges that makes it hard to cook chicken breast properly is their uneven thickness, which puts the thinner parts at risk of overcooking before the thicker parts are fully cooked through. Pounding them into thin, even cutlets solves the problem, ensuring they cook evenly from edge to center while staying juicy. In just a few minutes, the cutlets develop a light golden crust and cook through.

A Quick Pan Sauce That Pulls It All Together

After the chicken is seared, the fond in the pan becomes the base for a quick pan sauce. Wine and stock deglaze the browned bits, and cold butter swirled in at the end melts gradually, allowing the fat to emulsify evenly into the sauce and create a rich, glossy consistency. Lemon zest and juice brighten the flavors, and fresh parsley, chives, and tarragon add a burst of herbal freshness.

Fast, Easy, and Elegant

Not only is this chicken delicious, but the entire dish comes together in about 30 minutes with one pan and a handful of ingredients. It’s quick enough for any night of the week, but refined enough to serve whenever you want something that feels a bit special.

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• 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces; 64 g) all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided; for table salt, use half as much by volume

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

• 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 to 8 ounces each; 170 to 227 g each) (see notes)

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) dry white wine

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) homemade chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 medium garlic clove, grated

• 5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces; 71 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled (see notes)

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh juice, divided

• 2 tablespoons (18 g) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

• 2 tablespoons (about 10 g) thinly sliced chives, divided

• 2 teaspoons (about 3 g) finely chopped tarragon leaves, optional, plus more for garnish

• Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 200°F (95°C). Place a wire rack inside a baking sheet; set aside.

2. In a shallow dish or plate, stir together flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside. Set aside a large plate to transfer chicken to after breading.

3. Working with one chicken breast at a time, place chicken breast on a cutting board. Hold it in place with the palm of your non-cutting hand, and use a sharp knife to slice chicken horizontally into two even cutlets. Repeat process with remaining chicken breast. Cover each breast half with plastic wrap, and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound to 1/3-inch thickness.

4. Place 2 chicken halves in prepared flour mixture, and turn to coat; tap off excess flour mixture, and transfer chicken to the large plate. Repeat process with remaining chicken halves.

5. In a large stainless steel, cast iron, or carbon steel skillet, heat oil over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches, add two chicken pieces to hot oil; cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. Repeat process with remaining 2 chicken pieces. Place browned chicken halves on prepared baking sheet, and place in warm oven (do not wipe out skillet).

6. While chicken is resting in oven, heat the same skillet over medium-high. Add wine; cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Add stock and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture has reduced to about 1/3 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add garlic, butter, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of parsley, 1 tablespoon of chives, 2 teaspoons tarragon (if using), remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, swirling and stirring constantly, until butter is completely melted, about 1 minute. Spoon sauce over chicken, and garnish with remaining chives, parsley, and additional tarragon (if using), lemon zest, and flaky salt. Serve immediately.

Equipment

Baking sheet, wire rack, large stainless-steel, cast iron, or carbon steel skillet

Notes

You can use 4 store-bought chicken breast cutlets instead of whole chicken breasts, but pounding your own ensures even thickness and more reliable cooking.

Both American- and European-style butter will work for this recipe, but we recommend seeking out European-style butter, as its higher fat content produces a more richly flavored sauce.