Cilantro Lime Chicken Rice Bake

So, I don’t really know what to call this dish but it. is. delicious. This has become one of our family favorites. I’m not going to lie, it’s not a quick easy meal, but it’s worth it. It’s not difficult, just takes some time. My sister is the best cook and finds all the best recipes. Not sure where she got this one but it’s fabulous.


Start with marinating your chicken. It has lime zest & juice, garlic, oil, & cilantro. Yum. I start this the night before so it can marinate all night & the next day. Plus, it’s one less thing to do for dinner.

The morning you’ll be eating the dinner I make creamy tomatillo ranch so it will thicken up by dinner time. I think it only needs a couple hours in the fridge but for me it’s easier to just get it out of the way.



Then you start the layering. On the bottom goes your cilantro lime rice:

Then you put your shredded grilled chicken down and spread sour cream on top:

I don’t have a picture of the next step but you then layer mango salsa on top of the sour cream and cover it with shredded pepper jack cheese.
And this is the end result…DElish.


Now for the recipes:
Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade (for 4 chicken breasts)
-3/4 c vegtable oil
-Juice and zest of 2 limes
-2 cloves garlic -2 tsp sugar
-1/2 tsp salt -1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/2 C finely chopped cilantro
*I put everything in blender and have it mix and chop it 

  Cilantro Lime Rice
-1 cup uncooked rice
-1 can chicken broth
-1 cup water
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 Tbls freshly squeezed lime juice
-2 tsp sugar
-3 Tbls finely chopped cilantro
* I throw the rice, broth, water, garlic & some lime juice into a rice cooker and let it cook. While it’s cooking I mix the sugar, lime juice & cilantro in a bowl. When rice is finished fluff the rice while mixing the sugar mixture into the rice.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
-1 batch prepared Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
-3-5 tomatillos (quartered)
-1 handful of cilantro
-1 jalepeno (optional)
-juice of 1 lime
-salt & pepper to taste
*Blend all ingredients in blender and chill for 2 hours before serving.
*This ranch is for drizzling on top of each slice of casserole after it's been cooked right before serving.

-Sour cream for 3rd layer (I use almost a whole small container of sour cream)



**To create your bake: Layer cilantro lime rice, then grilled chicken, then sour cream, mango salsa (we buy prepared from deli), cover the top with shredded pepperjack cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through, about 20 min. Then turn on broil until the cheese crisps a little. When serving, drizzle tomatillo dressing on top and ENJOY!

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