This Green Chili Chicken Bake recipe is rich, creamy and delicious. A quick and easy dinner with less than 10 ingredients made in one dish for quick and easy prep and clean up.
I don’t know if it is because I grew up surrounded by fantastic mexican food living in Texas or if it is just because the mexican flavors are just so, so good, but I really love green chilis and creamy cheese in just about any combo. Today’s combo is so rich, creamy and zesty in just the right way. It is comfort food at it’s best.
There is something a little magic that happens when you combine green chilis with cumin, garlic, and rich, creamy cheese. Then of course you add some nice, juicy, wholesome chicken breast, because… you know… this is dinner so that seems a little more “adult like” then just slurping up all of the cheesy goodness. Instead we just pile it on the chicken breast and then serve it with rice and beans, in tortillas, or if you want to do it a little lower carb you can serve it over a big pile of wilted spinach or other greens. Top it with a dollop of sour cream or my favorite, a huge scoop of this homemade Pico De Gallo, and you have a winner. This tastes pretty amazing just about any way you can cook up!
Green Chili Chicken Bake Recipe- Step by Step
For a full printable recipe, scroll down to the bottom of the post. To walk through how I make this with all of my thoughts, tips and tricks, read below!
Ingredients:
- 3-4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened – You can use light cream cheese here if you prefer, but fat free will not work well since it doesn’t melt like normal cream cheese. Also, make sure the cheese is nice and soft before you begin to mix it so it combines well. If you don’t have time to leave it out, then put it in a glass bowl, cover, and microwave for about 30 seconds, then stir and add 30 more seconds if necessary. Softening the cream cheese will ensure that it isn’t lumpy and the flavor infuses every bit of the cheese for a delicious dinner.
- 1 4 oz can chopped green chilis- As I might have mentioned above I really love green chilis. I have tried a lot of brands, but I really prefer Old El Paso. I feel like their chilis are diced but instead of just being pieces in water, the liquid is thicker like pureed chilis which I find to be so much more flavorful than just chili pieces.
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions:
- Heat the oven to 375F.
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper until combined. Then stir in the green chilis and stir until evenly mixed. The key here is just making sure that you are starting with nice softened cream cheese.
- Lay the chicken breasts flat in a baking dish. Cover the chicken breasts with the green chili mixture. Then top with the monterey jack cheese.Make sure that the chicken breast is laid in a flat single layer in the dish. I like to use a 2 qt pyrex or a corningware baking dish to give it just enough room. Since the chicken breasts are all different sizes, it is impossible to know exactly how long to cook, but the guidelines below should give you a good start. If the chicken breasts are thick or very large, it will take longer, and if they are smaller, probably less time. If you are in a pinch you can put it in a larger dish and cut the chicken breast up into smaller pieces and spread them out a bit more. This should speed up the cook time a good bit!
- Bake on the middle rack for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.I often get asked if you need to cover this while baking. I bake mine on the middle oven rack and do not need to cover it while baking and it comes out perfect. However, every oven is different, and if you bake yours and the cheese is getting browner than you want, feel free to loosely cover it with foil to avoid additional browning. I would let it bake as long as possible without covering though so that you don’t trap all the liquid in while it cooks which can make it soupy.
- Serve hot over spanish rice, greens, tortillas, or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Quick, easy, and of course delicious as promised! I really hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! If you get a chance to try it out, snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @easyfamilyrecipes, or leave me a comment here. It makes my day to heart that people are making my recipes and spending time at the dinner table together!
Watch me Make Green Chile Chicken!
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Green Chili Chicken Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese softened
- 1 4 oz can chopped green chilis I prefer Old El Paso
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese shredded
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375F.
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper until combined. Then stir in the green chilis and stir until evenly mixed.
- Lay the chicken breasts flat in a baking dish. Cover the chicken breasts with the green chili mixture. Then top with the monterey jack cheese.
- Bake on the middle rack for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
- Serve hot over spanish rice, greens, tortillas, or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- You can cut the chicken in half, chunks, or use chicken tenderloins in lieu of full chicken breasts to make serving easier. Cooking time may be reduced.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to a month.
Nutrition Information:
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Kristine says
I cut this in half and made a mini-casserole to use up some shredded chicken. I had to substitute sour cream bc I didn’t have cream cheese. I also also added spiral noodles. Followed everything else. Amazing. Definitely going to do again but hoping to use a cream cheese/sour cream mixture next time.
Emily says
This looks delicious I’m definitely going to try it as I love pretty much anything cream cheese. But seeing that is Hatch season, I’m gonna substitute the canned chilies for freshly roasted hatch chilies. Yum
Kathleen Nebreda says
Thank you for this recipe so delicious!We ate it two nights in a row,mexican rice and for my husband jalapeno peppers on top! Love your photos too.Pinned and shared!
Pat says
Could you just as easily use cream cheese in the tub or does the block work better?
Kimber says
The tub will work great!
Nicole says
I made this in the crockpot and used fat free cream cheese, although the recipe said not to. It melted down perfectly and was delicious! Maybe the cook method is what caused it to work so well, but if you want to use FF cream cheese, try it in the crockpot 😍
Gerri says
I love these flavors! Tried this with Neufchâtel and it did NOT turn out as well- even more watery.
Helena says
This was a huge hit with my family. They requested I add it to our regular rotation, so THANK YOU!