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.
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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 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
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 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
Equipment
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
So good and easy. Def saving this recipe. Thanks
When I started cooking this, I thought that I wasn’t going to like it. But oh my gosh! It is so good and was fairly easy to make. I took the suggestion to use the ready to eat rice that comes in the cups at the grocery store. Just needed to microwave the rice in the cup for one minute. That simplified it a lot. The cheese on top just made the dish. I did notice and agree that the spiciness was about a 6. I didn’t expect that but once I added Sour Cream when served, it made a big difference. Next time I might try the green enchilada sauce. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
So glad you liked it!
This was delicious and super easy. Next time I am going to add chopped green pepper and rinsed/drained black beans to add a little more texture. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Thank you!
Great recipe! Also, soaking rice for a bit before cooking allows cooking consistency and likely not to be undercooked. This is fast and easy recipe! Thanks!
Thanks for the tip!
Great! My husband and I really liked this, he even went back for seconds. I didn’t use any onion and garlic, as he follows a low FODMAP diet, and used mild enchilada sauce and mild Rotel. Still had a little kick, was great with sour cream. I also added 1 cup corn (great!) and and want to add 1 cup black beans the next time I make it. 6 big servings!
Thank you!
Hello from Canada,
Will be making this tonight and I’m wondering about substituting brown rice for white. Any suggestions?
You might have to add more liquid as it will need to cook longer for the brown rice.
Delish! Followed the recipe exactly less 1 tbsp of oil. No issues with the rice not cooking. Very flavorful and will make again!
Thank you Lyndy!
I think I did something wrong, the liquid are not being absorbed after 15 minutes. Still boiling and nothing seems to be changing.
Are you using white rice? Is your heat high enough?
I made this exactly like the receipe and it was delicious. Even my picky teen granddaughter liked it. My son said it was great and ate seconds. This is a keeper! Easy, quick, and made enough for 4 adults with extra.
I’d like to try this with riced cauliflour, what do you think?
I think it will be great!
Could you use rotisserie chicken in place of the chicken breast?
Yes absolutely!
This is phenomenal. I’ve made it with chicken breast, ground chicken, ground beef and sometimes I add bell peppers and sometimes I use green enchilada sauce instead of red. That’s what makes this a remarkable recipe, it’s the versatility and the amazing taste!! Thanks so much and keep ‘em coming!!
Thanks Jocelyn!
This one is a keeper. That was the first words out of my wife after tasting this dish. Follow the recipe you won’t be disappointed. We are retirees and always looking for quick and easy. This one is going to be on the top of the list of go-to recipes.
Thank you!!
Delicious! Only thing I did was added black beans for added protein.
Thank you!!
This was delicious! I used chicken broth instead of water, green enchilada sauce instead of red and added cayenne pepper to spice it up. It took about 40 minutes for the liquid to be completely absorbed into the rice (could have been the size pan I used). I made it last night and am taking it to dinner with my best friend and her husband tonight. Yummy!
Thank you!
Loved this! It was nice to have a stovetop meal to avoid heating up the kitchen with a casserole in the oven. It tasted wonderful, but looked a bit plain when I used the green enchilada sauce. I think I will add black beans to the mix for the next time to punch up the protein as well as the appearance.
Very good and very easy I used fresh tomatoes and chili peppers out of my garden and added a bit more water and it turned out great!
Thank you!
Love this recipe. I rarely comment on recipes, but have made this many times for my family and company, so I thought I should! Have made this both with cubed and shredded chicken and with ground beef. Always turns out awesome!
Aw thank you Jean
This recipe was outstanding, I made with green enchilada sauce.
My husband doesn’t like chicken so much.
But he really liked it.
Will make again.
Thank you
.
Thank you!
Super fast and tasty! The second time I made it I used green enchilada sauce and it was really tasty too. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you!
This is a tasty and versatile dish! I used the ingredients as listed but prepared this in an Instant Pot. I cooked 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs for 10 minutes on high pressure in one cup water. When cooked, I cancelled the keep warm function and let them cool for about 30 minutes then removed the thighs to a cutting board and cut them in 1-inch pieces. I added the tomatoes with chilies, enchilada sauce chopped onion, garlic and cumin to the cooking liquid in the Instant Pot, then placed the chicken pieces on top. I cooked it at high pressure for 4 minutes. I can’t do a lot of prep (browning chicken and sautéing onions) and this was an easily put together meal, ideal for an Instant Pot. I used frozen chopped onion and minced garlic from a jar. Cooked thighs are quick and easy to cut up, more so than raw chicken and stay moist when cooked. The chicken and onions could be sautéed for more flavor using the sauté function in the Instant Pot before adding the remaining ingredients but a “dump” dinner worked better for me.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Instead of enchilada sauce can I use 10oz chicken broth? Too spicy for children
Maybe try mild green enchilada sauce. Old el paso version is pretty mild.
Wow, it was amazing and gave me some great points with my wife. The only thing I would change, because of how intolerant she is to spicy food, is to buy a can of diced tomatoes and a small can of diced chili peppers. Otherwise, A+
Glad you liked it
So glad I found this recipe. I enjoyed it tremendously and ate it for next 3 days until it was gone. I’m not big in eating leftovers for consecutive days, but this one, I couldn’t stop eating. I know I’ll be making this dish very soon.
So happy to hear that.
I made this last night and it was very good. Even my spicy adverse picky eater liked it. I cooked it in a 12″ cast iron skillet which was perfect for this meal. I used all the ingredients just as stated in the recipe. The only change I made was I put it in the oven for the simmer stage for about 20 – 25 minutes. I did not want to have to worry about it sticking because I did not stir it frequently enough. Took it out of the oven put the cheese on top and the lid back on and let it sit for about 5 minutes. I topped my plate with sour cream. It made 5 nice size servings. Thank you posting such an EZ and flavorful recipe!
could i used boxed spanish rice instead?
Sure!
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!
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!