Mexican Chicken and Rice
Updated Jun 19, 2025
This one pan Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe is easy to prepare and make! I use tomato paste, canned green chiles, and warm seasonings.
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My Mexican Chicken and Rice is So Good!
This recipe is kind of like my popular one-pot chicken and rice, but with Mexican-style spices. I love serving this Mexican Chicken and Rice with a chopped salad or even alongside my street tacos.
The base of the flavor comes from pantry staples like tomato paste and canned green chilies so I usually have everything I need to throw this together. Plus, it’s something my whole family can agree on. Think taco night but way less dishes!
Mexican Chicken and Rice Ingredients
- Olive Oil: You can swap it for avocado oil or even butter if that’s what you have.
- Onions: If you have eagle-eyed kids who don’t like to see diced onion in their food, use 1 teaspoon onion powder instead.
- Rice: I use long-grain white rice. If you use long-grain brown rice, add ½ a cup of water and cook it for an additional 20-25 minutes, or according to package instructions.
- Tomato Paste: If you don’t have tomato paste, use 1 ½ cups tomato sauce instead and omit the water.
- Spices and seasonings: I use garlic powder, cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper. Swap for a taco seasoning blend if you have one on hand.
- Green Chilies: Adds a slight tang and gentle heat. If you like things spicier, try swapping for 2 chipotle chilies in adobo, roughly chopped. If you like things on the mild side, swap for ½ cup chopped bell pepper instead. Add the bell pepper in step 1, with the onion.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: Swap for boneless skinless chicken thighs instead, if desired.
Popular Additions
- Black beans: Add 1 (15 ounce) can of drained and rinsed black beans for extra protein and a heartier dish. Add with the water and green chilies.
- Corn: Frozen or canned corn adds a pop of sweetness and texture. Add with the water and green chilies.
- Avocado or guacamole: Add on top when serving for creaminess and freshness.
- Jalapeños: Garnish with fresh sliced jalapeños for heat, or pickled jalapeños to add a pop of acidity.
How to Make Mexican Chicken and Rice
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook the chicken. You want to slightly undercook the chicken before adding the rice. The chicken will cook through while the rice cooks.
- Rinse the rice with cold water before cooking to remove extra starch. Rinsing the rice well will prevent the rice from sticking together when cooked.
- Make sure to use a very deep pan to allow the rice space to grow and steam. If you don’t have a pan, you can use a pot as well. Just make sure it has a tight-fitting lid.
- Let the dish rest after cooking. Removing the pan from heat and letting it sit allows the rice to finish cooking in its steam so it’s nice and fluffy.
Serving Ideas
- Burrito and Taco Bowls: Serve with chopped lettuce, salsa, and fresh tomatoes for a tasty dinner bowl
- Stuffed Peppers: Bake it inside halved bell peppers for a fun twist.
- Breakfast Burrito: Use leftover Mexican Chicken and Rice for breakfast. Add scrambled eggs and cheese for a hearty start.
- Tacos: Spoon it into soft tortillas, top with avocado and hot sauce.
More One-Pot Meals Recipes:
- Easy Ravioli Soup
- One Pan Pasta with Tomatoes
- Chunky Veggie Spaghetti
- Quick Ground Beef & Potatoes
- Shrimp Lo Mein
- Creamy Pistachio Pasta
- Beef Taco Pasta
- Green Thai Curry
- Chicken with Pearl Couscous
If you try this Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe was originally published on May 2, 2020 and has recently been updated with a new recipe that swapped tomato sauce for tomato paste. It also includes new photography, step-by-step images, recipe tips and ingredient substitutions to help make the recipe. If you loved the original recipe, you can find it in the notes section in the recipe card below.
Mexican Chicken and Rice Recipe
This one pan Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe is easy to prepare and make! I use tomato paste, canned green chiles and warm seasonings.
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion minced
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice rinsed
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 4- ounce can green chilies
- Fresh roughly chopped cilantro for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot of medium heat, heat the olive oil. Cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cubed chicken, season with garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt and black pepper, and cook until the chicken is mostly cooked through, about 7 minutes.
- Add the rice and tomato paste, and cook with the chicken for about 2 minutes until well combined with the seasoning.
- Pour the water and green chilies. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid for 20 minutes, until rice is fully cooked. Remove from heat and allow the steam to continue cooking the rice for 10 more minutes.
- Fluff the rice, sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve warm.
Notes
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last up to 4 days and can be reheated on the stovetop.
Substitutes: You can use vegetable broth in the place of chicken broth. If you’d like to use quinoa, make sure to decrease the amount of liquid you’re using by ½ a cup.
Original Recipe
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion diced
1 pound chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 ½ cups uncooked long grain white rice
1 ½ cups chicken broth
15 ounces can tomato sauce
1 4-ounce can green chilies
Cilantro for serving
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan, over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they soften slightly, about 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium high, add the cubed chicken. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, pepper garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the rice, remaining salt, and cook with the chicken to lightly toast the rice. Pour the chicken broth, tomato sauce, and green chilies. Stir to combine.
Bring mixture to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan, and cook the rice untouched until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes.
Top with fresh cilantro, if desired
1 small onion diced
1 pound chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 ½ cups uncooked long grain white rice
1 ½ cups chicken broth
15 ounces can tomato sauce
1 4-ounce can green chilies
Cilantro for serving
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan, over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they soften slightly, about 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium high, add the cubed chicken. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, pepper garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the rice, remaining salt, and cook with the chicken to lightly toast the rice. Pour the chicken broth, tomato sauce, and green chilies. Stir to combine.
Bring mixture to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan, and cook the rice untouched until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes.
Top with fresh cilantro, if desired
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cups, Calories: 305kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 672mg, Potassium: 574mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 260IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Comments
I followed the recipe and added a little bit of chopped bell pepper to go with the onion. The flavor wasn’t very impressive. I am pleased that it was a simple one pot recipe. I’ll probably still use this recipe as a base, and add extra steps and ingredients to match what I like.
Thanks for the feedback, Erin! Love that you added bell pepper, yum! This recipe is really versatile, I’m excited for you to experiment with different ingredients.
Had to tweak your recipe as I had a leftover rotisserie chicken. I made it in the Instant Pot with onions, yellow & red bell peppers, a few carrots, Trader Joe’s hatch green chili, (I am using what I have on hand 🤦🏻♀️). Lots of Umami, all your recommended seasonings, for 1 1/2 hr then added 2 pkgs of prepared Ben’s rice& cilantro lime flavored rice, topped with a small amount of fried onions. Yum! Loved your recipe, thank you for sharing.
Love your tweaks, Sandy—yum!! So happy you liked how it turned out. Thank you!
Really good! Car in the shop so had to make adjustments for things I didn’t have. No green chili’s so diced red pepper with onions, used fresh grated garlic (2 big cloves), 1/2 chicken broth (better than bullion) 1/2 water, I can my own pico de gallo with jalapeño so added 1/4 cup and a few sliced green olives (just because I like them). Came out really good!
Love those swaps and additions!! Yum!
Made this with burghul instead of rice, added diced red pepper and doubled the chicken qty – we loved it! Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay, so glad you liked it!! Love the tweaks you made. Thank you!
Love this recipe! Made this many, many times due to popular demand by my family. Turns out perfect every time – never had an issue with the rice. I take it a step further and use the mixture to make burritos with cheese which melts inside and it’s so wonderful, easy, and quick!
Yum, love that you make this recipe into burritos!! So smart; thank you for sharing!
Very good and had plenty of flavor. The seasonings were on point (see more on salt though). I used an entire can (15 ounces) of low sodium chicken broth and only 1 tsp of salt. Added in water as the rice cooked, and the end result was a huge skillet of food and well-cooked rice. I will make this again, but since it made so much I will scale it back for two people.
Thank you so much, Linda!! I’m glad you liked the seasonings!
Loved this! Had no problem with the rice which I was worried about after reading the comments. Definitely going to make this again!
Yay!! So happy it turned out great for you! Thank you!
Absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! I used extra cup of broth, added black beans (rinsed/drained). Went a little heavy on seasonings because we like spicy. Threw it in a flour tortilla, topped with shredded cheese, green onions and sour cream. Thank you for such a perfect one-pot superb recipe 🙂
Yum, that sounds so good!! So glad you liked the recipe, Donna! Thank you!
Okay so this was delicious and I will definitely be making it again with modifications. I saw the other comments mentioning the undercooked rice so I doubled the amount of broth because long grain white rice requires a 2:1 water ratio. Even though I simmered it for 18 min and then let it rest for 15 minutes off heat so the rice could absorb everything, the rice still came out crunchy! At the same time, I put the same rice in a rice cooker for 20 minutes and it came out perfectly cooked. Its a mystery! In the future, I will be cooking the rice separately in the rice cooker using broth and will combine it all for a final cook at the end.
So glad you liked it, Olivia! Thanks for your notes on cooking the rice, I’m retesting this recipe, so your notes are very helpful!!
The rice was still partially crunchy, even after adding more stock and letting it cook longer.
Thanks for the feedback, I’m retesting this recipe to see why the rice isn’t cooking for some people.
The only problem I have is the rice wasn’t quite done all the way. I cooked it a lot longer than 20 minutes too.
So sorry it took you longer to cook the rice, Carisse. I appreciate you letting me know and hope it was still delicious after it cooked fully. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try this tomorrow!!
Yay, hope you enjoy!! Would love to hear how they turn out.
How do I do this in a crockpot? Baseball season is here and managing children and dinner, work school, etc. I find myself wanting to do everything in the crock pot.
Hi Jena, this recipe should work in a slow cooker! I would add all of the ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. You’ll know it’s done when most of the liquid is absorbed. Let me know how it turns out!!
It’s become a favorite dish. This time I added eggplant, summer squash and sno-peas.
Sounds great!
Rice did not cook and was still crunchy. Also end result was way too salty.
So sorry to hear that, what type of rice did you use?
Seasoning is on point, this turned out perfect! The family enjoyed it and made it again today by adding more chicken for my body building sons lunch the rest of the week. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
You’re so welcome, Patty!
Can you use chicken thighs?
Yes, absolutely!
What if you want to use brown rice ? I’m guessing increase the cooking time and add more liquid ? Thank you
Hi Denise, I’ve never made this recipe with brown rice so I am really not sure. You’d have to experiment with it for sure. Let me know if you do try and how it works out.
I followed the recipe exactly but, my rice was still crunchy after cooking so I added an extra half cup of water and cooked another 10 mins. It has a really good flavor so I’m hoping this works out
Oh no! I am sorry to hear that. What type of rice did you use?
It was delicious
Thank you!
This was so yummy! It has lots of flavour, and was perfect for a quick meal during the week. I’ve made it twice now – the second time with green onions because I was out of regular onion and it was still so delicious! Yumna, thank you so much for this great recipe!
Very tasty, authentic Mexican flavour without cheese. Good if you are lactose intolerant or watching your cholesterol! Thank you for providing a cheese free recipe!!
Yay! You’re so welcome!
Yummy food
beckandbulow
Thank you!!
This was delicious! I love that it was a one pot meal and little clean-up/mess along the way. The rice was super flavorful with all of the spices, tomato sauce and green chilis. I would definitely make this again! Thank you!
So happy to hear that! Thank you!
So delicious! I simmered for a tad bit too long at the end because I still saw a lot of liquid at the top, but of course I should have followed your instructions the first time. Thank you, Yumna! Such an easy weeknight dinner recipe!
So glad to hear it! Thank you so much for sharing!
I made this for the first time tonight and my family LOVED it! My extremely picky husband asked for a second helping. I made a side of plain white rice for my youngest which i learned from your page as well (used to be intimidated by rice dishes). It is a new family favourite now, so easy to make too!
So happy to hear that both rice dishes were a success! We eat rice at least once a week so I absolutely love when I hear others enjoying them as well! Thank you!!
Made this one pot chicken rice. Was like comfort food for me. Keep up the good recipes. Thanks