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One Skillet Cheesy Salsa Chicken Rice Bake. Chili spice seasoned chicken cooked with rice, broken pieces of spaghetti (like a Rice-A-Roni situation), red bell peppers, chunky tomato salsa, and black beans all cooked together in one skillet and topped with plenty of cheese. The dish is then baked and topped with avocado tossed with lots of lime juice and fresh cilantro. Absolutely delicious! You and your family will love this one-skillet dinner!
Everyone tends to ask me where I learned to cook. Honestly, it was a mix of Google and my dad. I grew up watching my dad cook the simplest weeknight dinners. Eventually, I took over in middle school.
My dad was a pro at opening the fridge, pulling out the contents, and making dinner. Most of the time, he’d stick to chicken and rice, tacos, and the classic Gerard family staple – potato chip chicken.
To this day, Dad’s tacos are still everyone’s favorite. No one makes a crispy taco better.
On nights when, for one reason or another, my brothers weren’t home, he’d make a lot of rice dishes and throw a little of this or that in there.
He’d always make a cheesy rice bake, and when he had broken pieces of spaghetti left over, he’d toss those in, too. It always reminded me of Rice-A-Roni!
So this was one of his classic dishes. And I’m finally sharing how I make mine!
Let’s Get Into Details
Ingredients
- olive oil or salted butter – I love to use a combo
- a yellow onion
- red bell pepper
- dried oregano
- chipotle chili powder
- dry broken spaghetti or angel hair pasta
- your favorite chunky red salsa – I like the Whole Foods 365 brand
- pepperoncini
- black beans
- Swiss and pepper jack cheese
Ingredients – for topping
- chopped cilantro and scallions
- cubed or sliced avocado
- lime zest and lime juice
Special Tools
You will need a large oven-safe skillet. I recommend using a 12-inch cast iron skillet.
Steps
Step 1: cook the chicken
Start out by cooking the chicken, onions, peppers, and spices together. The chicken should be almost cooked through after 10 minutes. The spices will be fragrant in the air.
Step 2: add the rice and spaghetti
Next, add the rice and the spaghetti to the skillet. Toss with the chicken and allow the rice to get a little toasted.
Mix in the salsa, then pour over some water and add the pepperoncini and black beans. Now cover the rice and let it cook over low heat. You want the rice to be partially cooked.
Step 3: add cheese and bake
When the recipe is almost cooked, but there is still liquid in the skillet, pull it off the heat and add a mix of Swiss and pepper jack cheese.
Finally, bake until the cheese is melted. It only takes 10 minutes. The rice will finish cooking in the oven underneath the cheese!
Step 4: topping
I top this rice bake as I would chili or tortilla soup, with lots of avocado. Then add lime zest and juice, cilantro, and scallions. I usually finish with some flaked sea salt too!
It’s so delish!
A wonderful dinner that’s easily made in one skillet and all in under an hour! Our family loves this dish!
You could even serve this on game night! I’d add some tortilla chips on the side for scooping. That would be yummy – enjoy!
Looking for other easy chicken and rice dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Pan Chipotle Honey Chicken and Rice
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
Lastly, if you make this One Skillet Cheesy Salsa Chicken Rice Bake, 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!
One Skillet Cheesy Salsa Chicken Rice Bake
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 400 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 pound chicken breasts or thighs, cut into chunks
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry broken spaghetti or angel hair pasta
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1/2 cup chunky red salsa
- 2 tablespoons chopped pepperoncini
- 1 can (14 ounce) black beans, drained
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack or spicy cheddar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.2. In a large oven-safe skillet, cook the oil/butter, onion, chicken, bell pepper, oregano, and chipotle chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is browned. Add the pasta and rice and cook for 1-2 minutes, until lightly toasted and golden. Stir in the salsa. Add 2 cups of water and the pepperoncini. Bring to a boil. Stir in the beans. 3. Place the lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Allow the rice to cook for 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked into the rice, but not all of it.3. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken/rice. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.4. Serve topped as desired with avocado, cilantro, scallions, and lime. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on January 27, 2025
So good I will make this on repeat!
Hey Joanna,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xxT
Hi! What is the measurement for the olive oil/butter?
Hi Jordan,
You can use 2 tablespoons. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
After reading reviews from others, I made a few changes and for the better! I added 1 t cumin, 1 T chili powder and 1 t chipotle chili powder. I only added 1/2 cup rice and about 5 oz broken spaghetti noodles. I also doubled the salsa and used hot salsa. Also doubled the pepperoncini. Used only spicy Mexican blend cheese and did not put in oven at the end. Just left on stove top for about 15 more minutes. So Delicious!! This is a keeper after the changes that I made. Thank you Tiegan for the inspiration!
Hey Jane,
Thanks so much! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, I appreciate you making it! Have a great Friday! xxT
Scrumptious!
Thanks so much, Leslie!!
Swiss cheese was an odd choice for a Mexican dish. Didn’t go well together.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Doug. Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. xx
This was very tasty. I made several minor changes to accommodate what I had on hand, but I am sure that the recipe as written would have been as delicious. There was no amount listed for the oil and butter, nor temperature for the saute in the initial step but I winged it and all was fine. I did not want to heat my oven to 425 for 10 min cheese melt, so I kept it covered on low heat on the stovetop for 10 min and it worked fine.
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
This was just ok, really not the flavorful. If I made it again, I probably would double the chipotle and add some other spices as well like cumin or chili powder. I would not use jar salsa, instead maybe use fire roasted crushed tomatoes or even some salsa verde. Also, the swiss cheese was an odd choice of cheese and did not taste great combined with the Mexican flavors.
Hi Jamie,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
This was so quick and easy and delicious! I can’t wait to hear all the compliments from my family – Mexican, cheesy flavorful with chicken! This is their dream dinner -They will love it and probably not even pick out the beans!
Hey Diana,
Yay!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment! xx
I cook with brown rice. That adds at least 20 more minutes of cooking time with that cause the chicken to be overcooked?
Hi Stephanie,
I haven’t tested this recipe using brown rice, but you should be okay. There is a lot of moisture in this dish that I think your chicken should be just fine. I hope this helps! xx
I added corn and cumin. We didn’t care for the spaghetti addition, so I will eliminate it next time. Hubs loved it.
Thanks so much, Tanna! I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. Glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Made this for dinner tonight and it is just delicious!! Thank you for sharing! My family and I enjoyed it! 🤤
Hey Mar,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for trying this dish, love to hear it was a winner! xxT
At the end of the intro you say we can add tortilla chips for “scopping”. What is scopping and how do we do that with the chips in this recipe?
She most likely meant “scooping” with the tortilla chips.
Hi Ann,
Sorry for the typo, it should say “scooping”. So you can use the chips to scoop like a spoon. I hope this helps! xT
This would have been the one recipe where salsa verde was appropriate to use and you didn’t use it!
Quick question: is this an either/or rice & pasta or both? Can I just use one or the other? Thanks!
Hi there,
I used both rice and pasta in this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
if i use only rice, should I add more rice to make it as hearty as it should be? or should I keep the amount of rice the same and adjust the amount of water added?
You could really do either, but I think just reducing your liquid would be best. I would reduce by 1/2 cup. I hope this helps! xx
I made this for dinner and it was really yummy. Had to make a few modifications based on what I had on hand, but it was delicious!
Thanks so much!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe:)
Hi! If I want to make this vegetarian what would be a good substitute for the chicken?
Apparently you are a vegetarian – what do you usually substitute for chicken?
Is this a serious question??!? Leave the chicken out and you can add more vegetables or mushrooms.
It was an honest question- some add ins taste better than others and I wanted the chefs opinion.
Hi! Is it possible to omit the rice and use cauliflower rice with GF pasta instead? Would that make it too mushy? Thanks and can’t wait to try!
Hey Courtney,
Ahhh so sorry, I am not sure the cauliflower rice would be the best option here. You could definitely do GF pasta though. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help! xT
More beans would work well! or any meat substitute you enjoy.
Hi there,
You could easily omit the chicken and leave as is. You could also add more beans or a veggie that you enjoy like bell peppers. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT