The Best Ever Queso Chicken Casserole–an easy Instant Pot dinner made with ground chicken, rice, green chiles, salsa con queso and plenty of cheesy Tex-Mex flavor.
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The Best Ever Queso Chicken Casserole
This is one of those easy one-pot dinners that has everything you need right in the bowl! The ground chicken and rice cook together with green chiles, salsa con queso and plenty of seasonings for lots of flavor without a lot of work. I love adding even more queso on top along with tomatoes, green onions and a dollop of sour cream. It’s cheesy, filling and an easy dinner to throw together when you’re craving Mexican food but don’t feel like doing much cooking.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Olive oil–or canola, avocado, vegetable oil
- Ground chicken–or ground turkey, ground beef
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Tomato paste
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Converted rice–or long grain white
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Diced green chiles
- Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa Con Queso–or another brand you like
- Mexican blend cheese–or shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack
- Green onions–optional topping
- Diced tomatoes–optional topping
- Sour cream–optional topping
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl around. Add in the chicken and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper and tomato paste.
Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
Sprinkle in the rice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. Spoon the green chiles and ½ cup of the queso over the top. Don’t stir.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes. Move valve to venting and remove the lid.
Stir well. Stir in the cheese. Scoop onto plates and top each portion with the remaining queso, green onions, diced tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with corn and black beans or refried beans.
- Sprinkling the rice over the liquid and adding the green chiles and queso on top should help reduce the chance of getting the burn message.
- To make it spicy you can use hot diced green chiles, Pepper Jack cheese, a spicy queso or add sliced jalapeños on top.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for 4 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with Mexican blend cheese are Ellen’s Oklahoma Casserole and Greg’s Taco Lasagna.
- Tools:
- I used my pink 4 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 6 or 8 quart pot.
- Wooden saute paddle*
- Knife*
- Cutting board*
- Magnetic measuring cups*
- Magnetic measuring spoons*
- Glass measuring cup*
- Can opener*
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
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The Best Ever Queso Chicken Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
An easy Instant Pot dinner made with ground chicken, rice, green chiles, salsa con queso and plenty of cheesy Tex-Mex flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 16 oz ground chicken
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup converted rice
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
- 3/4 cup Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa Con Queso, divided
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Sliced green onions
- Diced tomatoes
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl around. Add in the chicken and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper and tomato paste.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Sprinkle in the rice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. Spoon the green chiles and ½ cup of the queso over the top. Don’t stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes. Move valve to venting and remove the lid.
- Stir well. Stir in the cheese. Scoop onto plates and top each portion with the remaining queso, green onions, diced tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
More Queso Themed Recipes…
Instant Pot Sausage Queso Dip
The classic Velveeta and Rotel dip with sausage made in the Instant Pot. A cheesy queso dip perfect for parties, game day and potlucks.
Instant Pot Chicken Queso Lasagna
Layers of lasagna noodles, seasoned chicken, corn, black beans, peppers, tomatoes and salsa con queso. A fun Mexican twist on traditional lasagna.
Instant Pot Mexican Queso Chicken and Rice
Flavorful, tender and moist chicken on top of seasoned rice and drizzled with a cheese sauce.
Instant Pot Queso Rotel Chicken
An easy dump and go recipe with flavorful chicken, rotel cheese sauce and creamy mashed potatoes. You’re going to love how this dish reminds you of your favorite dip!
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
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