One-Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice
This One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice is an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! It’s made with enchilada sauce, green chiles, rice, and all the toppings (hello avocado, sour cream, and tomato)!
If you’re looking for more tried and true Mexican recipes with chicken you’ll love this Mini Chicken Chimichangas, Grilled Mexican Lime Chicken, or this One-Pan Chicken Tortilla Bake.
One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice
My husband bought me a two-pound box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day and by the end of the day I had killed a pound already. Which is why I’m craving all things savory to try to balance it out.
We are a religious Taco Tuesday family. I mean to a point where the kids get off the bus on Tuesdays and say, “It’s Taco Tuesday mom, right?”
As much as I love tradition, I equally enjoy shaking things up because I’m a non-conformist. When I sprung this chicken recipe on my family on Taco Tuesday I was expecting complete and utter mutiny.
Y’all they loved it. Clean-the-pan loved it. So then we made it again, and again, and again. Because one pan meals are pretty much gold in a house with five kids running wild. Mexican recipes with chicken are a win-win.
We cook the chicken and rice all in one pan. For our liquid we are using Old El Paso enchilada sauce and diced tomatoes.
I would say the level of spiciness is about a 6. My littles ate a bite and then took a drink. Ate a bite, took a drink.
Add whatever toppings you love but some sour cream, avocado, tomato (or pico de gallo), and cilantro complement it fabulously! Mentally I can’t not put something green in my meal so that I feel good about serving it for dinner.
We decided that this feeds about six children or four adults. It keeps well too if you happen to have leftovers.
HOW TO MAKE ONE-PAN MEXICAN CHICKEN AND RICE
- In a large skillet (about 12-inch) or pan, sautée onions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Once onions soften, increase the heat to medium high and add chicken to the pan.
- Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 more minute.
- Push chicken to one side of the pan and add additional tablespoon of olive oil to other side.
- Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.
- Add the enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, water and cumin. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a tight fitting lid.
- Cook chicken and rice mixture covered for about 15 minutes or until rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed making sure to stir every once in a while.
- Sprinkle cheese on top and cover with a lid, letting it sit for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted.
- Top with desired toppings and eat!
OTHER ONE-PAN DINNERS
- One-Pan Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- One-Pan Chicken Fajita Rice
- Easy Beef Burrito Skillet
- One-Pan Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice
- One-Pot Bacon Broccoli Pasta
- Mexican Chicken
- One-Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta
One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice
This One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice has enchilada sauce, green chiles, rice, and all the toppings (hello avocado, sour cream, and tomato)!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ white onion, diced finely
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 cloves of garlic, , minced
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 (10 oz) can Old El Paso red enchilada sauce
- 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican-blend cheese
- (optional) Toppings: sour cream, tomatoes, diced avocado, cilantro
Instructions
- In a large skillet (about 12-inch) or pan, sautée onions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Once onions soften, increase the heat to medium high and add chicken to the pan.
- Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 more minute.
- Push chicken to one side of the pan and add additional tablespoon of olive oil to other side.
- Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.
- Add the enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, water and cumin. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a tight fitting lid.
- Cook chicken and rice mixture covered for about 15 minutes or until rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed making sure to stir every once in a while.
- Sprinkle cheese on top and cover with a lid, letting it sit for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted.
- Top with desired toppings and eat!
Notes
Update: Many of you have made this and some have had their rice not cook. You can definitely add 1/2 to 1 cup of water to the mixture as needed to make sure your rice cooks.
Just cooked this. I want a second bowl. I didn’t have cum so used ground coriander
This was wonderful and so satisfying! Thank you for sharing!
This was wonderful and so satisfying! Definitely adding this to the rotation. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome!
Delicious recipe indeed. If anyone is interested in the calorie content, I went to a recipe calorie calculator and found that for 6 portions, this recipe comes out to 490 calories per serving. Calories will obviously be less if you make it spread to 8 or 10 portions; but we found 1 of 6 portions to be the amount that filled as as our dinner entree!
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 490
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17.7g 23%
Saturated Fat 5.1g 25%
Cholesterol 77mg 26%
Sodium 538mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 58.6g 21%
Dietary Fiber 13.8g 49%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 32.2g
Vitamin D 1mcg 6%
Calcium 308mg 24%
Iron 16mg 91%
Potassium 959mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
I made this for my husband and I. We loved it. I added beans and topped it with guacamole and sour cream. I did have to simmer for 25 minuites then let rest for 5 with the cheese on too. Delicious, thanks for sharing.😋
You’re welcome!
OMG! So delicious. I made this tonight and my husband loved it. I didn’t have a can of diced tomatoes here so I took our cherry tomatoes and cut them up. It was the perfect amount of spice. However, my husband likes it hot, so he added sliced jalapeños to the top. To work around having to cook the rice, we did one cup of the instant rice that comes in a cup. Cooked it in the microwave and dumped it in. Talk about easy! I am saving this recipe and will serve it for company with a side of warm flour tortillas.
So happy to hear that!
Just made this for my hubby. He put it on his top 5 favorite dishes. I added a can of black beans and it was amazing.
Thank you.
Aw thank you!
I tried this recipe living in in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where its high elevation and super dry, my rice didn’t cook, i had to follow the note at the end about adding extra water. I tried the recipe again after moving to Miami, Florida, low elevation and high humidity, and didn’t need to add the extra water, it came out perfect. So just pay attention to where you live, it does affect how your rice cooks!!
🙂
Ha good to note!
Instead of diced tomatoes could I use the same amount of crushed tomatoes and a can of green chilies. Recipe sounds AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!!!!!
Thanks,, Janet
Of course!
I love Mexican food
Me too!
made it with precooked chicken and riced cauliflower,it was good
Yum! Great substitutions!