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
- 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.
If I have cooked chicken breast can I use that instead of uncooked chicken breast?
Of course!
This is the 3rd recipe I’ve done from your site and our 3 kids have cleaned their plates on every single one. 13, 9 and a year. Plus we work during the week so the prep time (or lack there of) is an absolute life saver. I wish I could post pictures. Rarely does my version turn out looking like the posted photos lol but always has with yours. You break it down so even a guy like me can do it. Kudos!!
Awwww thank you!
My son made this for tea tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I love a good one-pan meal that can be made in under 30 mins. Served it with all the recommended toppings plus a few mini tortilla wraps. This recipe fed 4 of us with leftovers. Thanks!
Yay!
I have been working at home since March of last year. I am 70 years old so I stay as safe as I can avoiding the pesky Covid virus. I have lots of time on my hands so I have decided I am going to become a good cook. Well no luck so far. I have looked at many recipes, printed some out and tried a few.. I have learned al lot, my pantry has many strange new item added to it. My spice cabinet is full of new fragrant spices.
I made the One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice. It was without a doubt the yummiest food I have every and I mean EVER made. This is the first dish I have added Cumin, the flavors of the sauces and the rice turned out perfect. I ate it for dinner that night. I had it for lunch and dinner yesterday and I will be having more today. I add sour cream and I forgot the cheese so I add it with each bowl I make. GREAT RECEPIE I will be making it again.
Thank you! That’s a great compliment and I’m happy to hear that you are becoming a great cook!
Swapped out chicken for chorizo but left all other ingredients and suggested side options the same. Delicious
Great swap!
thanks for that great suggestion, I will also try that next time as I have it in the oven right now with chicken.
Could I use cauliflower rice?
Sure!
tasty! definitely took longer than 25 minutes, took me 40. it needs more water gradually for the rice, but it was a really straightforward recipe, which i appreciate. my fiancé loved it.
Glad to hear!
Hi from Ireland. Have been trying different recipes as cooking way more at home during Covid! Made this tonight as my husband loves Mexican food though I’m not a big fan. It turned out gorgeous; rice was perfect with great taste so will
be making it again. Also so handy using one pan. Going to try your other recipes soon. ☺️ Thank you!
Thank you Mary!
I wanted to make this, because it sounds delicious, but I was skeptical due to negative reviews. This is easy and delicious. It is full of flavor! We love cumin, so I used one teaspoon and added a pinch of red pepper flakes. I used basmati rice, because that’s what I had. The rice cooked perfectly. I will be making this again for sure. Thank you!
Thank you Robby!
I made this last night with 1/2 pound of leftover chicken, and it was sooooo good! I changed things up a little bit. After cooking the onion, garlic and browning the rice a little, I put everything (including some leftover cooked green and red peppers and about 1/4 cup of really spicy salsa) except cheese into a 1-1/2 quart lidded casserole dish. I baked it in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes. I removed the lid, put the cheese on top and cooked for another 10 minutes. Definitely a keeper! Thanks for the recipe, Christy!
You’re welcome!
Hi Christy,
Greetings from Aotearoa New Zealand.
This recipie is sensational !
Great flavour and texture, as per the note I added 1 cup of water extra and it came out absolutely prefect.
10/10 for a fabulous, easy, and most enjoyable meal.
Thankyou so much
Simon.
Thank you Simon!
The rice stuck to the bottom of the pan horribly. I would suggest pre-cooking the rice.
Add more liquid and use a nonstick pan.
I’ve made this twice – both times successful. This last time was just Husband and I and I wonder if it is OK to freeze excess mixture?
Of course!
Love this recipe, it works everytime and has become a family favourite here in the UK! Thank you ! 😊
Aww thanks.
Excellent! I used a spicy Mexican seasoning on chicken to add some kick. Added corn and black beans and then a splash of lime juice at end.
Thank you!
Hello – great recipe. I’m really looking to try it out but here in the UK I cannot find anywhere online or in store that sells enchilada sauce? Is it just salsa? Please help!
You can make your own which is much better. I use butter and flour not olive oil..
https://cookieandkate.com/enchilada-sauce-recipe/
PS skip the salt in enchilada sauce recipe salty enough from broth. Very easy to make.
It’s a sauce. Thinner than salsa.
This recipe is awesome and so easy to adapt (and hard to mess up). We’ve made it twice (differently) and it was delicious. Each time I used jarred enchilada sauce (more than a can) and some water, omitted the cumin and no chiles. Once I added a can of black beans and the second time I added some frozen corn. I don’t add the cheese until it’s in the bowl (to eat) and we crumble some chips on top for an extra dimension (also add sour cream and some hot sauce). Where has this recipe been my whole life?!? Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you!
We’ve made this four times now, and it’s been a hit every time. In fact I made it for Mother’s Day (mostly for my own parents), and I only got about three real bites (don’t worry though, I mooched more off my three year old 😆). It has joined the ranks of “pantry staple meal that everyone will eat”, which is a huge deal in my very contrary pile of offspring. One thing I’d like to note though: I usually have already cooked shredded chicken on hand, which I used the second two times. It works fine, but I did need to add a little more water to make up for the lack of juice from the raw chicken. Not a big deal though, still turned out great. I kind of wonder if the people having rice issues simply need a better fitting lid, mine has never had a problem. Anyway, I’m glad I stumbled on this site, and especially this recipe. Thank you!!
I should probably also mention that my family doesn’t love cumin, so I cut the amount in half and threw in some homemade taco seasoning for the rest. That was the only change we made, fantastic recipe!
Thank you for your feedback Melissa. That’s very nice of you to cook for your parents.
We loved this recipe! With covid-19, I was unable to find enchilada sauce or tinned tomatoes and chillies so I used fresh chopped tomatoes and chopped up jarred jalapeños (my own true love). For the sauce I combined 280g Passata with roughly 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp garlic (I just used powder) and 1 tsp brown sugar.
Super easy, magical! Thanks for this recipe.
Great adaptation!
Can you use minute rice or something similar?
Sure!
10/10 Would recommend trying out. I would double the recipe I could eat like 5-6 just by myself.
Thank you for the great rating!
So full disclosure I can’t cook rice to save my life. So I opted to try this dish without adding the rice as well as the water of course. I added some peppers and a few more onions and served it with Mexican rice (microwave bag of course LOL) on the side some warm tortillas and all the taco fixings. It came out really good. Kids loved it and I was done in less than 30 min. It was a win-win! Thanks!
Haha whatever works!
Cris, I have a very contentious relationship with rice also, and I was very surprised that I’ve managed to pull this off every time! I would encourage you to try if you ever don’t have your Mexican rice on hand, and you just might surprise yourself. 😉. Good luck!!
Can you use brown jasmine rice?
Brown rice takes about twice as long to cook so as long as you can time it up right, it works.
It’s not really cooking when you’re using a store bought sauce
okay. feel free to make your own.
Jack, you need to get back in the kitchen and make us a sammich! And make the bread while you’re at it!
Hahaha
Gee… sure felt like I was cooking… don’t tell my family this magically appeared. I might get demoted
Ha ha, Classic.
You would have to be a very time resourced person to grow and process your own Chicken, rice, olive oil, cumin etc to make this meal, good luck with that.
Probably Mr Google would know of a great sauce recipie if you were so inclined.
Have a great day.
😆🍹🍸
This turned out so well. During this Covid 19 crisis I had everything on hand. I used a can of Rotel tomatoes with Chilies and a 14 ounce can of Hatch red enchilada sauce plus a cup and a third of water. I used two pounds of chopped chicken and one and a fourth cup rice. I added cilantro at the end with cheese. We served it with avocado, salsa and sour cream plus warmed tortillas., YUMMY!!
Thank you for your feedback Linda!
First off the recipe was confusing. It stated 2tbs of olive oil for the whole recipe then states 2tbs + 1tbs that =3tbs. I ended up using more like 4tbs because things were sticking to the pan too much.
And why is the pepper listed with the salt is that 1 teaspoon of each recommended or a combined 1 teaspoon. Each item should have its own line for easy preparing, reading, and shopping.
As for the recipe it took longer and I added the additional water. I used a handful of quartered cherry tomatoes and 4oz of diced chilies of instead of the can of the combined vegetables.
Served it with cheese and cilantro.
Next time I’ll double the meat or use less rice. Maybe add some colorful bell peppers. Yellow would look pretty with the red sauce.
I love making this recipe for me and my boyfriend! He’s a picky eater but he loves this! It’s so easy and delicious. It makes great leftover too!
So glad you like it!
This was super delicious and my husband (who’s a fusspot) loved it. Told me to “write it down”. I added green peppers and used a 10 Oz can of Rotelle Lime and Cilantro vs tomatoes. Otherwise followed verbatim, It took about 25+ minutes vs 15. The cheese really adds another dimension to this dish. Thank you! Will definitely make again and again.
You are welcome! Haha fusspot
How many calories is this dish per serving and how many servings? Please and thank you!
Your recipe has plenty of liquid. As long as the lid fits tightly, it only needs to cook a little longer for long grain white rice to get tender. I use a similar recipe all the time and cook it for 25 minutes on the stove top or 35 minutes in a covered Dutch oven at 350 degree oven. I bring the mixture to a boi then lower the heat to low, cover tightly cook for 25 minutes. If I use the oven, I start on the stove top until the liquid reaches a boil, then cover the Dutch oven and finish in the oven. I also use an instant pot. After cooking onions and chicken on sauté, I add the rice and liquids, lock the lid and use the rice program. I add the cheese after releasing the steam and removing the lid.