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
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.
Can cauliflower rice be used in this recipe to make it keto friendly? This sounds so good!
Yes great idea!
Thank you for the recipe! I followed it precisely and it was amazing! Thank you!
If you are using precooked chicken, when would you add it?
I would stir it in at the end.
Made this tonight, was fantastic!!! Followed recipe exactly, except used a cheese sold at our HEB grocery store called “Tex Mex Blend”, which is shredded American and cheddar. Great recipe!
Thank you!
I have made a similar dish with ground beef and had the problem of rice taking forever to cook. Also, the rice tends to stick to the pan. So, either cook the rice separately as you would for a side dish and add it to this near the end, or, next time you cook rice for something else, make plenty extra, freeze it, then use that extra for this dish.
I would suggest lowering your heat or adding more liquid. If you have too high of heat the liquid will evaporate and your rice won’t be done.
Loved this dish and it was very easy to make. I added fresh jalapenos to it for an extra bit of spice. Even the picky boyfriend ate it. I made it in the cast iron that I cook everything in, but my only issue with the dish was my rice kept sticking terribly to the pan. Next time I’ll try a different pan I guess?
Yes, a good nonstick pan helps.
Could you cook your rice in a rice cooker and then transfer to the skillet and combine?
Yes, totally!
Loved this recipe and it was a big hit! I wanted to use what I already had so I didn’t make a special trip to the market so I substituted petit diced tomatoes, a small can of diced chilies, Old El Paso low sodium taco seasoning, and smooth taco sauce instead of enchilada sauce and added a can of rinsed /drained black beans and some frozen corn. Served bowls of guac and sour cream for toppings on tbe side and my family loved it!
Can’t go wrong with guac and sour cream.
I googled chicken recipe and this was the very first thing that came up so I tried it. It’s very good. I did not use the enchilada sauce because I couldn’t find it at the store. I’ve never used the canned diced tomatoes with green chilies before – I’m now convinced they’re the magical component. This recipe was very well received! I served it with refried beans and that worked well together. I would have never thought that cheese on rice would work – it works, it was great, and my family asked for more.
Glad you liked it even with changes.
Made this tonight and followed recipe exactly. It was a huge hit. I used rotisserie chicken and topped with guacamole, sour cream and green onions.
So glad you liked it!!
I made this for book club last night and t was a hit!!
So glad you liked it.
Made this last night. Since I was going to be gone before dinner I made the chicken and put it over hash browns in the crock pot to stay warm until we got home. It worked!! My kids even loved it, though I’ll probably have to turn down the heat next time.
Sounds so good!
I make something similar to this but use a jar of salsa instead of the enchilada sauce and tomato. You can use any brand you like, spicy or mild. I also use chicken stock instead of water. There are so many ways to tweak it but it always comes out delicious!
Yes, I’ve made it with both. You can definitely interchange them.
Thank you for posting what turned out to be the base recipe for one of my best cooking ‘experiments’ yet. See, I generally use a recipe as a starting place then change it up to match our tastes, diet needs & cut it down so it serves the 2 of us without a ton of leftovers. My husband is raving about this one & says it’s a definite keeper.
Thanks!
Loved this! What a great, versatile recipe! I added a can of black beans and a chopped red pepper, served it with avocado and crushed tortilla chips…. My kids gobbled it down and wanted more! I did use the mild enchilada sauce and tomatoes because my daughter balls at spicy. For adults, I’d use regular. I love how much food this makes. Myself, my daughter, and my bottomless pit teenage son were all full and had another meal and then some leftover. Thank you!
So delicious! I added some black beans but it’s perfect just the way it is!
Can this be made with instant rice?
I haven’t ever made it with instant rice but don’t see why you can’t.
I was forced to use instant rice, thought I had regular, but I didn’t. I just let everything kind of simmer together for about 5 minutes before adding the instant rice.
Y’all.*
Complement.*
Thanks Doris. Don’t know how that slipped through.
Geesh Doris. Petty.
So good and so easy!! My picky family loves it!!
So glad they liked it!
Yum. This is a keeper. I’m in Australia so the enchilada sauce was in a 375g jar and the tinned tomatoes were 400g (so slightly bigger quantities than the recipe) and I couldn’t get any tomatoes with green chillis already added so I chopped up a couple and fried them off with the garlic. I bunged the whole lot in with the addition of a drained tin of red beans. Otherwise followed the recipe. Did need a bit of extra water and about 5 mins longer cooking time to properly cook the rice, Melted the mexican cheese blend over the top and served with chopped coriander (cilantro), cherry tomatoes, avocado and sour cream. We are keeping the leftovers for tacos or something. Thanks – so easy!
So glad you liked it!!
I cooked this last night, exact except I had a different brand of enchilada sauce in my pantry so I used it. My wife and I loved this one. Very tasty, not too spicy and I was so tempted to take a second helping, but we saved the rest for lunches at work, which was also delicious and made folks at work interested also.
Awesome. I’m so glad you liked it!
This dish looks amazing. I wish I could eat that right now!
Thank you!
This is so good and easy! I have definitely added it the the dinner rotation! I’ve made it with chicken and also with black beans as a veggie option. So yummy either way!
So glad you like it!
I made this for my husband and my mom… They finished the whole pan within 20 minutes!!! Fantastic recipe and SOOO easy!! This one will definitely be saved by this woman!!
Awesome to hear this!
I made this in the Crock-Pot tonight for supper. Added black beans and corn. We had it as a bowl type meal. Topped it with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese and avocado. Yummy!!!
Ooh sounds delicious!
This was absolutely delicious! I had some yellow and orange peppers and broccoli that I added leftover from dinner yesterday. Really turned out good! I also cooked it an additional 5 minutes to cook the rice. Thank you so much for something different.!
You’re welcome!
I made this for Cinco de Mayo and my husband LOVED it. Instead of using the rice and cumin I just dumped in a package of Knorr Mexican Rice, which contains long grain white rice and cumin. Super easy and delicious! Muchas Gracias!
De nada! I’m so glad you liked it!
It was delicious! I added a little diced green pepper and a little leftover refried beans. Thanks for sharing.
Did anyone try freezing this ?
It was my very first time cooking a main meal. My mum absolutely loved it. It was very,very good. Thank you for such an awesome and easy recipe, Christy!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Made this tonight… husband loved it! Refried beans on the side…delish!
This dish had really good flavor. But the rice texture came out sticky/gummy. I didn’t wash the rice, so maybe that is why. I’m not sure if anyone else had the same problem.
Just made this for our family dinner & it was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I had to use taco sauce instead of enchilada, but it still turned out perfectly!
Ooh I bet that was good!
I am going to try this it looks so good
Thank you!
This is very good 👌. I will make this again.
Thank you!
I just posted your recipe to FB, because it was that good. I was out of cumin,so, I used Old El Paso taco seasoning. Also, if you have kids, I think skipping the chili’s might be prudent; my nephew thought it was too spicy. I think diced tomatoes would work for the kids. Also, had flour tortillas to go with it.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this following given instructions tonight and the rice turned out tender. The clue for the rice is to always rinse the starch off of your rice before cooking and it will turn out perfectly each time. We never buy “two minute rice”, there’s no telling what is done to that rice in order for rice to be done in two minutes. We only buy rice in a bag and follow given instructions on the bag. I’ve never had rice completely cooked in under ten minutes, nor has it not been tender when following instructions. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your feedback Kristian.
Long grain rice can often take longer than 15 mins. to cook — so be sure to check the back of the rice package for cooking times. If your rice takes longer, here are a couple of suggestions for shortening the cooking time. You can soak your rice in double the amount of water for 20 mins, and then drain before using. OR Par cook the rice in the microwave in a covered bowl with 1 cup of water and 1/2 tsp. of salt for 6 mins, or until the liquid is absorbed. You should then find the 15 min . cooking time in the recipe is perfect for nicely cooked rice.
Got some premade brown rice from the coop and cut a precooked chicken. Yes. I am lazy. Added habaneros and jalapenos. Made a black bean salad as a side dish. It was hugely popular with my guests. Thanks!
Not lazy. Efficient!!
How would cook time be affected if using brown rice?
TIA
Brown rice takes about 40 minutes so you would have to cook for 20 minutes longer.
Easy, quick and tasty. Made according to the recipe and will make again.
Absolutely yummy. Great for a crowd. Recommend.
I have made this several times! My husband loves it. Definitely don’t skimp on the liquids and sauté your rice to ensure cooking. We top it with all sorts of Mexican style toppings. It’s so good! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
This looks so good!
Before I get started I wanted to ask, does this transfer to vegetarian easily? If I simply don’t add chicken, do you happen to know if I should tweak any other parts of the recipe to make this go smoothly? Thank you!
To make this vegetarian, I would add black beans to replace the chicken. I think I might add them anyway.
That’s should be all. It’s easy!
DeeeeLISH! Substituted quinoa for the rice. Wasn’t able to add the cumin because it wasn’t in the pantry. Oops. No biggie, because even without, the flavors were still amazing. So quick and easy! Will DEFINITELY be adding this to the rotation. Many thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear that. I have to try quinoa!
Should the rice be quick cooking, like Minute rice? Or can I use regular rice?
You can just use long grain (regular) rice.
Love this recipe. Super delicious. I added black beans and instead of water, I used chicken stock. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
It looks delicious and I’m sure it tastes the same, BUT you better be thinking in changing the name of the dish. Before writing to you I looked everywhere and asked to all my friends all around in México, and I can asure you that your dish have never been prepared down here, not even in the mexican border states.
Maria,
Yes, it’s definitely a Tex Mex version. I try to make dishes that are easy for the busy mom.
Wow! I can remember use some of these…wishing I had some of each right now!
THank you!
I came across this recipe and decided to try it out tonight. It’s simmering now and let me just say, it smells wonderful. The only thing I changed was I used up the rest of my rotisserie chicken. I’m also making extra rice to spoon it on to. Don’t know why, just sounded good. I have Avocado to top it with and salsa.
Ooh yum!
Made this for supper tonight. It was good, but we thought it was missing something so I heated up some hard shell tacos and put the chicken and rice mixture on the shells and it was really good! My rice did need more time and water than what the recipe said.
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!!
Thank you!
A pound of chocolate in one day huh? Impressive. I’m watching my friends kids for the week so the total number of children age 6 and under is 7. My husband buys me a new ice cream ever night on the way home. Not saying how much I eat.
I should make them this!! Love one pan meals!! Love el paso sauce. good stuff.
K you just had a baby! you are superwoman!! Oh my gosh, I can’t even imagine.
hey girl- this looks so good! I love stuff like this! Have a great weekend!
Thank you!
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!!
Thanks.
I did exactly how the recipe said and my rice wasn’t tender , there really wasn’t any juice from the enchilada sauce and tomatoes to bring it to a boil so I had to add another can of enchilada sauce and water brought it to a boil and covered and let simmer I hope it works I was wondering why the rice didn’t get tender I let it sat the first time for 15 to 20 mins covered
Maybe use parboiled rice. I use it anyway because it just cooks better and is better with recipes where it’s tenderized in the pan with sauces. I hope this helps
This looks so yummy! My kids would love this!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thanks Paige!
This looks so good! I have a sensitive tummy though – How can I make it less spicy? Use regular diced tomatoes instead of with chilis? Thanks!
Yes. Use regular diced tomatoes and mild enchilada sauce for sure. You could even add some cream to mellow it out.
Just use the mild rotel or the store brand. It’s really not spicy unless you add to it.
Made this recipe tonite. It was very good. No broccoli. It most definitely was a misprint.
Haha.Yes. Sorry about that. The broccoli was a misprint in the instructions.
Broccoli?
Sorry. It was a misprint.
Why does recipe call for broccoli but it’s not listed in ingredients.
Sorry. It was a misprint.