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Based on my popular one pot chicken and rice, this Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe uses similar technique and ingredients but with spices commonly used in Mexican recipes.
This one pan chicken and rice recipe is loaded with vibrant Mexican flavors. Quick and easy to make, it’s a perfect weeknight meal that the whole family will love. The best part is that it’s all cooked in one pan to make clean up a breeze!
How to make one pan Mexican chicken and rice
- Sauté the onions with some olive oil until they soften.
- Add the chicken breast, cut into cubes, and seasonings and cook until the chicken juices run clear.
- Add the the rinsed and drained long grain rice on top of the cooked chicken.
- Stir to combine and toast the rice.
- Pour in the liquids including the tomato sauce and broth, along with canned diced green chilies.
- Bring to the boil and simmer until the liquid is absorbed.
When it’s done cooking, be sure to remove the rice from the heat and allow it to steam in the pan for 5 minutes. This will continue to cook the rice and make it fluffy. The final result is a beautiful red orange color Mexican chicken and rice dish that’s full of warm and delicious spices.
Tips for making chicken and rice
- Use long grain rice. I prefer using long-grain in one-pot/one-pan meals because there are other ingredients getting added. Using short grain rice might result in a more mushy consistency
- Rinse the rice with cold water before cooking to remove extra starch. Make sure to rinse it until it runs clear. There’s no need to soak it though. Rinsing it 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.
- Use onion powder instead of onions if you have picky eaters. I know some kids hate seeing onions in their food, so you can definitely swap it for the powder if that’s the case. But try first chopping them finely to see if they’ll even notice them in the pot among the chicken and rice.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make the rice taste good?
This one pot Mexican chicken and rice is really full of flavor. The rice absorbs the wonderful Mexican flavors and each bite is so yummy! I also think the mild green chiles give the rice dish some depth and they are usually not too spicy for kids.
Can you make Mexican chicken and rice ahead of time?
This dish will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Leftovers can be reheated on the stovetop. Because it contains chicken, take care to only reheat it once.
Can you make this with brown rice?
I prefer to make this dish with long grain white rice, but you can use brown if you prefer. If you want to make it with brown rice, be sure to add ½ a cup of liquid and cook it for an additional 20-25 minutes, according to package instructions.
What chicken is beast to use in this one pan meal?
I like to use skinless and boneless breast, but you can also make this with chicken thigh. Buy good quality chicken, organic and not raised on antibiotics, if you can. If you use frozen chicken, be sure to defrost it thoroughly before cooking it.
More one-pan/one-pot meals
More recipes with rice
We all loved this Mexican chicken and rice and it’s so easy to prep! It’s such a great flavorful weeknight meal. I had leftovers for lunch the next day and they were so delicious!
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Mexican Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 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
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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!
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