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Mexican Brown Rice Bake – Gluten Free

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Mexican style rice is so popular why not spin it into a full meal? By using the whole grain rice this Mexican Brown Rice Bake is much more nutritious making it a fabulous gluten free choice the family will gobble up.

Mexican Brown Rice Bake

Cheesy Mexican rice casseroles are right up my alley.

They are usually tasty, filling and so useful as leftovers because they reheat so well.

This particular casserole is inspired by Mexican brown rice and beans, spinning the side dish into a spicy, zesty family friendly dinner. It is ready for you to customize with toppings like fresh avocado, sour cream or chopped cilantro.

 

A piece of cheesy Mexican casserole on a spatula

MEXICAN BROWN RICE BAKE

This Mexican Brown Rice Bake is my homage to home cooking. I made the refried beans and the enchilada sauce from scratch, like a true home cook, which was my culture growing up.

My mom was a real housewife, but not like one from the OC, that’s for sure. 😉

She got up before everyone, packed school lunches consisting of sandwiches on homemade bread, fresh baked cookies, and fruit from our trees. Then it was onto hot breakfasts for us four kids, followed by cleaning and organizing our massive home, and picking veggies from our garden to go with dinner.

I feel like it’s a life I would love for myself. Minus the four kids, of course. Louis the cat works for us. 😉

Healthy gluten free casserole in a white dish

This tastes fabulous with some creamy fresh avocado or a dollop of sour cream.

I hope you make it with love and share it with the ones you cherish. 🙂

Mexican Brown Rice Bake

This casserole heats up well the next day. It’s not sloppy or messy so toting it around in your lunch bag is pretty easy.

I like to spin the leftovers into a new meal and use them as a burrito filler!

HOW TO MAKE BROWN RICE:

 

I have two tried and true methods to cooking perfect brown rice.

 

Easy brown rice on a stove – Stovetop Method for Brown Rice

 

Brown rice for meal prep – Instant Pot Method for Brown Rice

 

WATCH HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE!

 

MORE HEALTHY GLUTEN FREE CHICKEN RECIPES:

 

Chicken Taco Salad

 

Three Bean Chicken Soup

 

Baked Chicken Fajitas

 

Chicken Fried Brown Rice

 

Gluten Free Baked Chicken Fingers

 

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Spinach

 

Mexican Brown Rice Recipe Pin

 

 

Be sure to follow me on social media! I love pinning to Pinterest, sharing on Facebook and posting pics to Instagram. See you there. 🙂

 

Originally posted March 18, 2015. Updated February 5, 2020.

 

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3.2 from 5 votes
Print
Mexican Brown Rice Bake – Gluten Free
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 
Mexican style rice is so popular why not spin it into a full on meal? By using the whole grain rice this Mexican Brown Rice Bake is much more nutritious making it a fabulous gluten free choice the family will gobble up. Packed with protein, this cheesy chicken dinner will become a staple in your home.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dinner recipes, gluten free chicken recipes
Servings: 6
Calories: 306 kcal
Author: Sharon
Ingredients
  • 2 cooked chicken breasts shredded
  • 1 cup dry brown rice
  • 1 cup refried beans
  • 3/4 cup enchilada sauce
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1/2 pepper diced
  • 2 tsp chili flakes optional
Instructions
  1. Cook brown rice --> I use this stove top method or this one for your Instant Pot
  2. Heat oven to 350 and grease a 9x9 baking dish
  3. In a mixing bowl, stir together the shredded chicken and enchilada sauce. Mix in the rice and beans and stir until it's all combined
  4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared 9x9 dish and top with the shredded cheese, diced peppers and chili flakes
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then broil for 2-3 to get a bit of crispiness to the layer of cheese
Nutrition Facts
Mexican Brown Rice Bake – Gluten Free
Amount Per Serving
Calories 306 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 63mg21%
Sodium 661mg29%
Potassium 258mg7%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 570IU11%
Vitamin C 0.6mg1%
Calcium 129mg13%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Mexican Brown Rice Bake Pinterest Graphic

 

 

 

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Comments

  2. karen

    Haven’t ever been to Mexico either; but LOVE their food. I think it would be the trip where I would actually gain weight, rather than lose. 😉 Love how easy this dish is, and plus…all that protein! & cheeseeeee!

    Reply

  3. Teresa

    This looks delicious! I spent the better part of a year travelling around Mexico and it’s well worth a longer visit. All the states have different food traditions and there is so much history and art in the cities there.

    Reply

  9. RobynT

    I have been to Tijuana once also, had a drink at the original “Caesar’s Palace” hotel where they invented Caesar salad. Love the sound of this recipe, pinning for my son’s family who are all gluten intolerant. Thank you 🙂

    Reply

    • Sharon

      Thanks Robyn! Sounds like Tijuana was a bit more fun for you than me. We just crossed the border then came back. No time for drinks. 😉 I hope your son and family enjoy the recipe! We love it. 🙂

      Reply

  11. Judi

    This was amazing. I didn’t have green pepper so I used scallions and instead of brown rice is used Jasmine rice. Thanks for sharing it will certainly be a staple in our home

    Reply

  13. Michelle

    This is the second time making this, the first time I did not have any re-fried beans because someone (boyfriend) ate them so I used black beans. This time around I have the beans but I am using ground beef instead of chicken. Both times I used white rice instead of brown, a can of green chilies instead of green peppers, and added a can of drained corn. The first time was really good but did not hold together very well, I am hoping this time it will hold together since I am using the re-fried. I like recipes like this because you can play around with it and it still turns out great. 🙂

    Reply

  14. Sarah

    I am made this tonight. I used ground turkey and cooked it with cumin seed, cyenne pepper, salt, pepper, onion and garlic, then put pepper jack cheese blend on top.. I am very happy how this has turned out!

    Reply

    • Sharon

      You can use any cooked chicken. I use this marinade and cook in the oven at 375 for 40 minutes. You could totally grill it in much less time. I like to make extras when I cook up chicken, then I have it in the fridge for meals such as this one. 🙂

      Reply

  17. Sue

    Covered or uncovered? Well, mine is covered and in the oven now. I added diced jalapeño and fresh cilantro. Oh and only 1/2 cup of cheese, it’s my downfall so I use it sparingly. Can’t wait to try this tasty little number!

    Reply

  19. Todd the chef

    This was a very easy and tasty recipe to make. I used black beans, which gave the bake a very robust flavor and texture. I like the possibilities of variations that can be done with the existing recipe. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  20. Shannon

    Great recipe! This is one of the only dishes I can fix that will feed my whole family agreeable..that includes a 10 month old and 3 year old and a husband ? I left out the chili flakes for the kids..then made a soup from the leftovers..just added corn tortilla strips that I cut up and some more enchilada sauce a water and boiled it up..dinner again! Thank you!

    Reply

  22. Lexie

    I have a question, on the recipe for the Mexican Brown rice bake, it says 3/4 cup dried brown rice…. Do you cook the rice before hand or do you just throw it in the ingredients uncooked? Sorry for asking a dumb question. Thanks for your reply.

    Reply

    • Sharon

      No worries! I always cook extra rice when I make a batch. It will last in the fridge for up to a week. Then you have it on hand to throw into other meals. 🙂

      Reply

  24. DC

    You saved two halves of a rotisserie chicken breast from being thrown out, in two days. Strangely, when I saw your recipe, my thoughts leapt, thinking how I could make this simple and easy recipe with those two and some of my favorite ingredients. I really dislike cooking because it takes up too much of my time and it is just too much. But then there it was looming out at me, as if saying – you can do this. I had the perfect amount of T.J.’s left over bottled enchilada sauce and the perfect amount of previously shredded Tilamook mild cheddar. I used T.J.’s refried black beans butI didn’t want to waste the rest of the beans. To the beans I mixed in a little EVOO and Garlic salt then added to the mix of rice sauce and chicken. With the left over beans in the can I did the same with the oil and garlic salt and a piece of chili powder, then spread them on the bottom of the baking dish. I layered the mixture over the beans and then did an all over sprinkle with garlic salt. Next. I layered the pickled Jalapeño rings, a thick covering of the cheese and then the red pepper seeds. Absolutely satisfying and delicious and what a great way to use leftover but somewhat tasteless chicken breast. This s a repeat recipe and might also try it with Ground Beef. P.S. I never write comments but for some strange reason I just did…

    Reply

  26. Cristal

    Needed to go food shopping but I was able to make this with what we had – just needed to do a salsa concoction instead of enchilada sauce. So fast and easy and it was a hit with everyone. Will definitely make again!

    Reply

  31. Miss Food Fairy

    Sharon this looks delicious! I’m always looking for new ways to make brown rice tasty 🙂 Hubby eats a lot of brown rice when he’s working out but for me it can be a bit boring. Pinning this for later. PS I also love a lot of cheese 😉

    Reply

  32. Dee Lattanzio

    Made it for dinner. Very tasty. I made everything from scratch as suggested. I think next time I would layer it with rice, beans, chicken and enchilada. Each ingredient was so tasty I would prefer tasting them rather than mixing all together. I would cover it part time as one person suggested so it is more moist.

    Reply

  33. Kim

    I would love to try this and wondering if I leave the chicken out if I would need to use fewer of the other ingredients?

    Reply

    • Sharon

      Hey Kim! I would maybe add some black beans or kidney beans instead of the chicken to make it vegetarian and still have some protein. But, if you just wanted to leave the chicken out I would still follow the recipe as is but maybe less of the enchilada sauce as it may make it a bit ‘soupy’.

      Reply

  34. Pam

    Hi Olivia – First off, I loved your intro – re: minus the four kids. – HA! My husband and I thought that was hilarious 😆 I make brown rice often, especially since my husband has become disabled and we are living on a very limited income. You posted a couple of cooking methods for brown rice. Here is one that you might try, especially during the cold months and you need an excuse to heat up the kitchen.
    Baked Brown Rice
    2cups brown rice rinsed well and placed in a 2 qt oven safe dish coated in cooking spray
    Bring to a boil 3 and 1/2 cups water, a TBSP butter and 1/2 tsp salt.
    Pour the boiling mixture over the rice
    Cover tightly with foil and bake ina 375 degree oven for 1 hour.
    Carefully remove foil and fluff with a fork. – PERFECT
    Try it!
    I am looking forward to your brown rice casserole!

    Reply

    • Sharon

      Hey Pam!! Loved your comment. 🙂 Thanks for the new method to try! And I have yet to attempt cooking rice in the oven. I hope you enjoy the dish! Let me know.

      Reply

  35. Pam

    Hey right back at Cha. Let me know what you think of the Baked Brown Rice method.I never worry about it. I leave it covered until needed, and freeze any left overs in one cup measures to thaw and add to whatever. Pam

    Reply

  37. Minerva Moser

    This looked, at first, like the very type of casserole I like to make and eat. Then I saw that you’ve mixed refried beans into it. That was the deal breaker. I don’t personally think pinto beans in any form should be paired with chicken. I know a lot of people do that, but it really turns my taste buds off. Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE pinto beans and make all sorts of dishes with them, just not with chicken.

    I would either substitute some beef or pork for the chicken, OR I’d substitute canned condensed split pea soup for the refried beans. But that’s not at all what your recipe is about, now, is it?

    Reply

    • Sharon

      I definitely have been testing out a beef based version of this recipe! I am a fan of the beans and chicken combo but I totally get that not everyone likes everything. Is it just the pinto beans with chicken or is any type of bean?

      Reply

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