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 - an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! #mexican #chicken #dinner #onepan #easy #rice #skillet

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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.

One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice - an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! #mexican #chicken #dinner #onepan #easy #rice #skillet

We cook the chicken and rice all in one pan. For our liquid we are using enchilada sauce and diced tomatoes.

One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice - an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

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.

One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice - an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

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.One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice - an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

We decided that this feeds about six children or four adults. It keeps well too if you happen to have leftovers.

One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice - an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

HOW TO MAKE ONE-PAN MEXICAN CHICKEN AND RICE

  1. 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.
  2. Once onions soften, increase the heat to medium high and add chicken to the pan.
  3. Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 more minute.
  4. Push chicken to one side of the pan and add additional tablespoon of olive oil to other side.
  5. Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover with a lid, letting it sit for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted.
  9. Top with desired toppings and eat!

OTHER ONE-PAN DINNERS

One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice - an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice

4.55 from 569 votes
This One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice has enchilada sauce, green chiles, rice, and all the toppings (hello avocado, sour cream, and tomato)!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 -6

Ingredients

Equipment

large skillet (I love this nontoxic one from GreenPan)

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.
Serving: 4-6
Cuisine: Mexican

 

One Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice - an easy dinner ready in under 30 minutes! #mexican #chicken #dinner #onepan #easy #rice #skillet
author avatar
Christy Denney
Christy is the voice behind The Girl Who Who Ate Everything! She is no stranger to making meals that kids and adults will love. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona as the youngest of ten kids. She can always be found in her kitchen with music playing and cooking with her kids. She published her first cookbook in 2014. She loves party food that gets the conversations going!