Easy Dump-and-Bake Spanish Rice and Chicken Casserole Baked in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Let me cover some of the details of this recipe. First of all, we are basically creating a rice casserole of sorts and not a soup. There are other options out there than Knoor Spanish Rice including Knorr Mexican Rice. I am using this name brand for simplicity, and I know it works well.
The first thing to consider is how much liquid to put in this dish so it’s not soupy. When I was in the trial-and-error stage of writing this recipe, I would drain many of the canned ingredients and I used more broth. The problems that were presented was a mushy or soupy dish and also the hassle of trying to drain stuff at the fireside. I wanted EASY! And I wanted DELCIOUS! And this is the recipe that works.
Word to the Wise
I mentioned that you could use other pre-packaged rice mixtures including Knorr’s Mexican Rice. WATCH THE LIQUID REQUIREMENTS!! Note that the Knorr Spanish rice calls for 2 cups of liquid per package where as the Knorr Mexican Rice calls for ONLY 1 ¾ cup of liquid. That’s 14 ounces of liquid (considering we’re using two packages) versus the 16 ounces of liquid for the Spanish Rice version.
Granted, there is no liquid measurements above that calls for 14, 16, 28, or 32 ounces. Much of the liquid that this recipe needs will come from the liquid in the beans, tomatoes, and olives.
Long story short: Watch the liquid requirements of the pre-packaged rice you have purchased and guesstimate how much you will need. Lean on more rather than less…but not too much more.
SALT!
Also: Pre-Packaged Taco Seasoning vs Beer & Iron’s Homemade Taco Seasoning
There’s salt in the brined chicken, the broth, beans, olives, and tomatoes. There is over 500mg of sodium per serving in the Knorr Spanish Rice. And, this is all okay. I’m also a registered nurse and know that watching the sodium is something we should do. For me, I will use pre-packaged taco seasoning in a pinch but I find the dish comes out a bit too salty. I prefer just to pre-prepare my own homemade taco seasoning AND LEAVE OUT THE SALT. You can find that recipe here:
https://beerandiron.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
All you must do here (to be awesome) is to mix these ingredients together, store them in a small zipper bag, and dump them in when it’s time.
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
This is the same exact recipe I used in my taco seasoning, but I have omitted the salt.
To Pre-Tenderize and Brine the Chicken or Not?
I do. I don’t like those hard-to-chew chunks of chicken. Most of the time, I tenderize and brine the chicken breast and pack it to camp. Here is the link to how we tenderize and brine chicken:
Webpage: https://beerandiron.com/chicken-breast-tenderize-beer-brine-cook-perfectly-tender/
Video: https://youtu.be/wX_kYQ8nOrM
Briquettes
We will need about 25-30 briquettes for this dish to bake. At the end of the cook, we will be broiling the dish to toast the top of the casserole. By the time we get to the broiling stage, most of the briquettes will be burned down a bit. I usually fill my charcoal chimney full of briquettes to have the extras in the end for the final broil.
The Cast Iron
This recipe will do very well in a 12-inch regular (shallow) camp cast iron Dutch oven. A 10-inch may work but I’d suggest a deep 10-inch Dutch oven.
Ingredients:
2 Packages of Knorr Spanish Rice
12-ounce Beer (lager that is not too hoppy)
12 ounces of Chicken Broth
15oz Can of Black Beans
15-16 Ounces Fire-Roasted Chopped or Diced Tomatoes
2.25oz Can of Sliced Black Olives
1-2 Bunches of Chopped Green Onions (the white parts)
2-3 Large Chicken Breasts
Package of Low-Sodium Taco Seasoning
OR
Beer & Iron’s Homemade Taco Seasoning without Salt
Toppings:
2 Cups of Shredded Cheese
Panko Crumbs
1 Diced Green Bell Pepper
1 Diced Red Bell Pepper
Green Onion Chives (the green parts)
Beer & Iron’s Homemade Taco Seasoning:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. I would leave this out of the seasoning to keep the dish from becoming too salty.
A note on the Green Onions: Use the “bulb” parts (or the white parts) of the onions in the recipe. Use the “tops” or the green chives as a garnish. If you’re wondering about the “middle,” I do to! Just use what you think is green as a garnish and what you think is white as an in-the-dish ingredient. You can’t mess this up; trust me.
A note on the Knorr Brand Spanish Rice. I have worked with this recipe to get the liquid down just right and Knorr Brand Spanish Rice works well with this recipe and the “liquid” ingredients. You can use what ever rice you would like and even just plain, old-fashion rice. But, unless you use Knorr Brand Spanish Rice, you will need to (NEED TO) modify the liquid amount.
This would not be hard to do a all. Once the dish has cooked for 30-minutes and before adding the toppings, all you have to do is a taste test for consistency. If the rice needs more liquid, then add more beer, broth, or even water.
Just…don’t add too much liquid initially if you are unsure. Liquid is like salt…it’s easer to add later rather than to balance after the fact.
Instructions
When you are ready to cook:
Step 1: Add your 2 Packages of Knoor Spanish Rice to the Dutch oven.
Step 2: Add 12 ounces of beer to the rice.
Step 3: Add 12 ounces of chicken broth or stock. I use the empty beer can/bottle to measure my broth. Just fill the empty 12-ounce can or bottle up and add the liquid to the pot. Don’t over-fill your beer-can / beer-bottle measuring.
Step 4: Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, and olives to the watery mixture. Don’t drain any of the ingredients. Add the chopped green onions. Add the taco seasoning. Mix well.
Step 5: Add the cut pieces of chicken to the pot.
The tenderized and brined chicken breast should be pat-dry. Cut the chicken up in bite-sized pieces and add to the watery mixture in the Dutch oven.
To make life easy at camp: Tenderize, Brine, and then Cut up your Chicken at home and pack the pre-prepared chicken to camp. All you’ll have to do is add the chicken to the pot. This will alleviate the need to cut up the chicken in camp and all that goes with that process.
If you decide not to pre-prepare your chicken, you could just use chicken straight from the grocery store’s package. I suggest using scissors to cut up the chicken over the pot if you go this route.
Try to get everything evened out as you add the chicken. You want the chicken to be evenly distributed. Make sure none of the ingredients are stuck to the sides of the pot and above the liquid line.
Step 6: Place the lid over the pot and start the bake.
We’re shooting for 350°F / 175°C. Place 7-8 briquettes on the bottom and 15-17 on the top.
Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the pot.
Bake for another 15 minutes and check. Most if not all the liquid should be absorbed. If you want, check the rice for doneness. If you feel it needs more time or liquid, add what you feel it needs and continue.
Chef Tip: During the bake is a good time to shred the cheese and dice the bell peppers.
Step 7: Once the rice is cooked, remove the lid and keep it nearby on a lid stand or another clean surface. Over the top of the entire dish, add the two cups of cheese. Then, top with a generous amount of Panko breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the diced green and red bell peppers.
Step 8: Return the lid to the pot. Remove the bottom heat and place all the briquettes on the top of the Dutch oven. Really heat that lid up to toast the cheese, panko crumbs, and peppers.
This may take 5 minutes to 15 minutes or more. Keep an eagle eye out and make sure not to burn the recipe.
Summary
And, that’s it! It’s really easy. Start at home by tenderizing, brining, and packaging up your chicken. Measure out your homemade taco seasoning. Other than the chicken, there’s nothing that needs to be refrigerated on the way and at camp.
I enjoy this recipe with sour cream and a sliced avocado.
CHEERS!
You all keep on cooking in those cast iron beauties and enjoying those glasses of that fermented barley pop.
We’ll see you next time.
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Easy Dump-and-Bake Spanish Rice and Chicken Casserole Baked in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Ingredients
Main Dump-and-Bake Ingredients
- 2 Packages of Knorr Spanish Rice
- 12 ounce Beer – lager that is not too hoppy
- 12 ounces Chicken Broth
- 15 oz Can of Black Beans
- 15 Ounces Fire-Roasted Chopped or Diced Tomatoes
- 2.25 oz Sliced Black Olives
- 1-2 Bunches of Chopped Green Onions – white parts (the bulbs)
- 2 Large Chicken Breasts
- 1 Beer & Iron’s Homemade Taco Seasoning – or a Package of Low-Sodium Taco Seasoning
Beer & Iron’s Homemade Taco Seasoning (without the salt)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Toppings / Garnish
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheese
- Panko Crumbs – handful or two
- 1 Green Bell Pepper – diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper – diced
- Green Onion Chives – green parts
Instructions
- Add your 2 Packages of Knoor Spanish Rice to the Dutch oven.
- Add 12 ounces of beer to the rice.
- Add 12 ounces of chicken broth or stock.
- Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, and olives to the watery mixture. Don’t drain any of the ingredients. Add the chopped green onions. Add the taco seasoning. Mix well.
- Add the cut pieces of chicken to the pot. – Tenderize, Brine, and then Cut up your Chicken at home and pack the pre-prepared chicken to camp.
- Try to get everything evened out as you add the chicken. You want the chicken to be evenly distributed. Make sure none of the ingredients are stuck to the sides of the pot and above the liquid line.
- Place the lid over the pot and start the bake.
- We’re shooting for 350°F / 175°C. Place 7-8 briquettes on the bottom and 15-17 on the top.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the pot.
- Bake for another 15 minutes and check. Most if not all the liquid should be absorbed. If you want, check the rice for doneness. If you feel it needs more time or liquid, add what you feel it needs and continue.
- Once the rice is cooked, remove the lid and keep it nearby on a lid stand or another clean surface. Over the top of the entire dish, add the two cups of cheese. Top with a generous amount of Panko breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the diced green and red bell peppers.
- Return the lid to the pot. Remove the bottom heat and place all the briquettes on the top of the Dutch oven. Really heat that lid up to toast the cheese, panko crumbs, and peppers.
- This may take 5 minutes to 15 minutes or more. Keep an eagle eye out and make sure not to burn the recipe.
- Once the top is toasted and the bell peppers are soft and cooked, the dish is done. ENJOY!!
