If you love queso then this recipe is for you! A ooey, gooey, cheesy dinner recipe that takes only one dish and a few minutes to make! This is perfect for a weeknight family dinner your family will love.
I have to let you in on a little secret… I am OBSESSED with nachos. There is just something about the salty crunchy chip covered in rich warm melted cheese that is the ultimate comfort food for me. Any good nacho connoisseur has a special place in their heart for RO*TEL. You have seen me use it in quite a few recipes on my site, so a big THANK YOU to RO*TEL and ConAgra foods for sponsoring this post so I can bring you my newest (and cheesiest) chicken bake recipe.
I have so many memories of family gatherings growing up. The counters were always packed with dishes everyone brought and there always was a huge variety. The one staple that had to the there though was the RO*TEL cheese dip. It was a given. If we gathered it was there. It is one of those foods that kind of defined those moments…. and maybe where the nacho obsession began.
I will admit that I eat nachos far more than I probably should. I do try to pack them full of healthy extras to justify it, like corn, black beans, avocado, fresh cilantro, and tomatoes. Doesn’t that sounds delicious? So why stop there? I mean the nachos are good because of all the stuff topping them, so why not take all that good stuff and bake it with some tender, juicy chicken breast? BINGO! The Queso Chicken Bake was born!
The reason I love to make chicken bakes so much is that life is BUSY! It is hard to balance it all, and when you have to spend a ton of time in the kitchen daily to make and and then clean up a hot fresh dinner, there is not much time left for family time. If we can make and clean up dinner fast, then we get to do some of our favorite things together like going on walks around the neighborhood in the summer, and snuggling up and watching our favorite TV shows together in the winter.
If you need more super simple, super delicious easy dinner recipes, check out my other Easy Chicken Bake Recipes here! Reader favorites include: Italian Chicken Bake, Fajita Chicken Bake and the Bacon Ranch Chicken Bake. Give them a try!
But back to the food. This recipe is so fantastic because as I mentioned above it is easy so it gives us more time with the fam. Also, it’s queso! I mean let’s be honest, I have 3 small kids, so I go through my fair share of dinnertime battles, but when you are serving queso (packed with wholesome chicken, black beans, tomatoes and corn) the kids gobble it up. Heck! I gobble it up!
Queso Chicken Bake Recipe
To make this dish you need 5 ingredients. That is it.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- Corn
- Black Beans
- RO*TEL Tomatoes with Green Chilis
- Melty Queso Cheese {I used Velveeta- you want something that will melt well and mix in with the juices to make creamy queso dip!}
Start with a large baking dish. I used a 9×13 glass dish for 4 chicken breasts. Place your chicken flat on the dish. If the chicken breasts are especially thick, you may want to butterfly them (cut in half) to reduce the cooking time.
Open drain and rinse the beans, and open and drain the corn. You will use the full can of RO*TEL. Pour the corn, beans and RO*TEL over the chicken breasts. I use canned corn, because that is what we usually keep on hand, but you could use frozen corn as well, as long as you thaw it.
Next cut the block of Velveeta into small cubes, around 1/2 inch. No need to be exact, but it makes it cover the dish a bit more evenly. I bought a 32 oz block and used half. If you want extra cheese you can use a little bit more. Then spread over the top of the chicken and veggies.
Cover the dish with foil and put it into an oven preheated to 375˚F and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the chicken is done and the juices run clear.
If you like the cheese to be a little crispy on top, remove the foil the last 5 minutes of the cook time. Either way, it is just oooooooey, gooooooey, cheesy goodness topping the delicious chicken and wholesome veggies ready to fill your family up right.
When you take this out of the oven, the cheese will be melted, but the juices from the chicken and all of the veggies will be “watery” at the bottom of the pan. I removed my chicken breasts, then mixed this delicious mixture of chicken broth, RO*TEL, and veggies together with a fork to make the creamiest best queso sauce then spooned the extra sauce on top of the chicken and rice when I served it. A fork or whisk works well to get the cheese to combine into the juices smoothly.
I served this with some Spanish rice I picked up, but you could also serve it with chips, tortillas or even a salad. It is a great way to have a warm comforting meal to the table quick.
Thanks again to ConAgra for sponsoring this post and the Mom It Forward Network for the opportunity. You can find more recipes with RO*TEL and other ConAgra foods on their Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
ConAgra Foods products can be found in 99 percent of American households, and include many iconic brands such as Hunt’s, Hebrew National, Swiss Miss, Manwich, PAM Cooking Spray and many more. Whether on their own or as part of a delicious recipe, ConAgra Foods brands are perfect for nearly any eating or entertaining occasion.
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One Dish Queso Chicken Bake {Easy Dinner Recipe}
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts
- 1 can RO*TEL
- 1 can corn drained
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 16 oz Velveeta
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast in a baking dish flat. Butterfly breasts if they are especially thick.
- Layer the corn, black beans, and RO*TEL on top of the chicken.
- Dice the queso cheese into 1/2 inch cubes and spread them evenly over the top of the dish.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 45-55 minutes or until the chicken is done and the juices run clear. *if you want the cheese to be a little crispy remove the foil for the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Remove from oven then remove the chicken breasts from the pan and use a fork or whisk to work the extra cheese into the juices to form more queso sauce.
- Enjoy! Serve over rice, with chips, or with tortillas
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Blair says
Perfect! This is exactly the kind of dinner that my boys love to eat (and that I love to cook)! Easy is BEST! And your photos are lovely!
Kimber says
Thank you Blair! You are a joy as always to see in my comments. Hope your family enjoys it!
teresa cooper says
Hi – I love this, but was I suppose to drain the Rotel? Mine came out very watery/lots of liquid. It was very good just did not expect so much liquid.. Thanks
Kimber says
I did not drain it in mine. When I served it I kind of mixed the cheese that melted down into the liquid from the chicken and veggies and it made a super creamy cheesy dip we just spooned over the top of everything. I will go back in the post and add a note about that just in case others wonder too. Thanks so much for the comment.
Dasha - Amazingly Tasty says
Adding this to my must-try soon list! It looks amazing!
Andrea says
I followed the directions exactly and found it to be very liquidy. I removed the chicken and stirred it up as suggested in previous comments. The cheese looked curdled and my husband wouldn’t eat it because of this. I found it okay spooned over some rice. I doubt I make this again. Sorry
Andrea says
I did make this again and this time sliced the chicken and cooked it before adding to the bottom of the dish. I also used 1/2 velveeta and 1/2 cream cheese cut into cubes. The cream cheese made it creamy after stirring it up. It was very good.
Kimber says
I bet the cream cheese was amazing!
Bridget says
Did the cheese not have the curdled look the second time you made it? I think I want to try with the cream cheese… if the chicken was already cooked how long did you leave it in the oven?
Maura says
Omg I made this tonight and it was fantastic. I subbed red bell pepper in for black beans and it was awesome. Thank you for sharing this amazing meal.
Tanya says
Taste, delicious.
Presentation? Not so much.
My family really enjoyed the dish. It had a lot of flavor. I did season my chicken, and we omitted the corn. Used mild cheddar cheese. Unfortunately, it came out very liquidy. Trying to stir the cheddar with the juices resulted in an even bigger mess. After seeing the results of that, I stopped and just served it over spinach. The heat wilted the spinach and created a wonderful meal taste wise. I believe this dish would have more success in the skillet or crock pot, with the cheese added last. I appreciate this recipe however, and want to thank you for giving me a new meal idea.
Linda says
If you changed the recipe, you did not make this recipe. How can you give this recipe only three stars when you have not made this recipe? Pet peeve of mine…. changing out ingredients and then expecting to get the same results. So unfair.
Erin says
Did you use Velveeta cheese or any type of cheddar cheese?
Kimber says
I used Velveeta cheese! Cheddar won’t mix well at the end so I definitely recommend velveeta!
Mary says
ConAgra foods are toxic genetically modified organisms and your recipe call for too many cans full of BPA poison. Thanks for the recipe tho. I’ll try it with pastured chicken breasts and organic raw cheese and fresh corn tomatoes and green chilies.
I would not ever buy anything from that toxic company.
Shawna says
Jeez someone is on their high horse. You know you can get almost anything in a can with a BPA free liner, right? Enjoy your dinner. I bet it makes your poop the shinniest cleanest poop in all the land!
Michele says
Shawna, we must be long-lost sisters! Loved your comment!
Michelle Gantz says
I seasoned the chicken breasts with chili powder and ground cumin. I drained the Rotel and used 8 oz Velveeta cheese (I ran out). I used unthawed frozen corn. I served it over Knorr Rice Side’s White Cheddar Queso.
Still a little watery, so I drained it. Definitely needs at least 16 oz Velveeta. Needed more flavor, so next time I will rub the chicken in seasoning instead of sprinkling it on top. Will also serve with tortilla chips next time – needed something crunchy.
Luna says
No sadder flavor than unseasoned meats! Do you ever season your food? Based on the images of the other massive amounts of unseasoned naked chicken peeking out of these recipes I’m assuming you don’t really let a spice rub tenderize and flavor your base befor you all these combinations on top of them. Cheese and sauce alone can’t fix this.
Kimber says
Feel free not to make the recipe if you don’t think it looks good. These recipes specifically, are made to be quick, easy, and tasty for busy families. I have several spice mixes on my site- Homemade Fajita Mix, Homemade Ranch Seasoning, and Homemade Greek seasoning here.
Many processed foods have added salt and so I often do not add extra, however my chicken bake recipes are simple and I mention in the text of almost all of them that if you want to add something or don’t care for something and want to remove it then go for it! These are my personal recipes the way my family likes them, feel free to modify them for your tastes, or just pass if you don’t think it sounds good.
Liz says
Wow, some people are pretty cranky and caustic about recipes they are getting for free.
PF says
I thought it was amazing. And thank you for the quick recipe, my kids loved it. Sometimes we need a quick and tasty meal for weekdays. I had every ingredient in my house already and we played outside for hours instead of me rubbing chicken down with a mixture of spices. ?