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!
Hungry for more family-friendly recipes? Sign up for my free recipe club to get new family-friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing daily meal-time inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.
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.)
Cathy Sharp says
Made this tonight. It was really good. We will be having this again. Looking forward to more of your recipes ?
Kimber says
So glad you enjoyed it! I hope you find more family favorites here!
Miranda Carroll says
Made this tonight. My kids finished off 2 whole chicken breasts, of the 3 I made! Told my husband, sorry, kids at it all. I will definitely be making this again in the very near future!
Kimber says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Kendall says
Hi there! Excited to give this a try — I’m assuming I can put the dish together a night before I plan to serve it and keep it in the fridge? Anyone tried making it ahead of time? Thank you in advance! ?
Jean says
Honestly I wouldn’t put it together ahead of time using raw chicken. If you precook the chicken then yes. Enjoy it’s delicious and I double the sauce recipe. Hope this helps
Kendall says
Thanks for the message, Jean! I didn’t end up making it ahead of time as I agree with you — could be bad with raw chicken. 🙂 I did make the sauce ahead of time and plan to assemble later tonight (save a little bit of mess and prep time!). Thanks again!
Jean says
Kendall, you are so welcome, enjoy!!!
Kerri D says
I absolutely loved this recipe! My 8 and 6 year old’s ate theirs as nachos while my husband and I made it into tacos.
I let the dish cool and shredded everything. I served it with homade salsa, guacamole, homemade rice for the tacos…..and placed over tortilla chips, topped with additional cheese and added the toppings my kids wanted and earned in oven!
The flavors meshed so well, chicken shredded to perfection, and was flavorful and tender! Thank you for sharing!
Lesley says
Best and most favorite chicken dish EVER! I’m not a fan of spicy food, and this is a perfect blend of flavors without the intense spiciness.
Judy Cowan says
The taste of this was AMAZING… but did anyone have a problem with a lot of liquid in the pan?? I mean A LOT. I’m really bummed because what didn’t go into the liquid tasted really good. Next time I’m gonna try pre-cooking the chicken and then adding the cream cheese mixture and cheese and then cooking for 10 mins just to melt the stuff on top.
Kimber says
Hi Judy- there will always be some liquid in the bottom of the pan as chicken releases juices while it cooks, but it shouldn’t be as much as it sounds like you had. A couple of things that may help… One, check the chicken that you buy. A lot chicken has fillers, or salt water solution to help it look plump and good on the shelf. This will bake out making the dish more liquidy. It should be labeled on the package in the fine print. Another big thing is to use a dish big enough that the chicken isn’t crowded. This gives the juices room to spread out and evaporate more as cooking reducing the amount left in the dish after cooking. I am glad you enjoyed the flavor and hope these tips will help.
Amy says
We made this tonight and it was delicious! We served it over riced cauliflower and it was perfect! Thanks for sharing a yummy recipe!!
Deb says
Made this tonight. It was a HIT with my family (Hubby & 2 teenage boys). I had it over cauliflower rice and they did it over spanish rice. Everyone loved it!! Easy recipe. Keto for me and yummy for the fam. Perfect!
Lori says
Hi, I followed all of the directions, cooking uncovered for 45 min. The cheese was pretty brown, which is fine, but it was extremely soupy. Any suggestions?
Lori says
Nevermind, I just read Judy’s comments and your reply. Thank you!!