Easy Cheesy Mexican Rice with Chicken

Easy Cheesy Mexican Rice with Chicken is just in time for Cinco de Mayo. It’s an amazing one-pot meal with an incredible blend of flavors and textures. It makes a lot, so be prepared for yummy leftovers!

Ingredients

I used the following ingredients for this awesome dish: Olive oil, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, chicken, corn, Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, long-grain rice, chicken broth, tomato paste, Monterey Jack cheese, and Mozzarella cheese. I know that seems like a lot, but it really comes together quickly.

Making the Easy Cheesy Mexican Rice with Chicken

First, I sautéed the onion and red bell pepper in some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Then, I added the garlic, and cooked the mixture for about 30 seconds until the garlic was fragrant. Next, I added the chicken, and continued cooking the mixture until the chicken was no longer pink. This took about 5 minutes. After that, I added the corn and spices, and stirred everything together. I added the rice and again stirred things together. Finally, I added the chicken broth and tomato sauce.

Once I stirred everything together, I brought the mixture to a boil. Then, I covered the skillet, and reduced the heat to medium low.

I simmered the Easy Cheesy Mexican Rice with Chicken for about 20 minutes, until most of the liquid had been absorbed, and the rice was cooked. Then, I finished the dish off with a sprinkling of cheese on the top.

I popped the skillet into a preheated 375° F oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese was bubbly and lightly browned.

Oh my – this was an incredible one-pot meal. It was lightly seasoned with the perfect blend of Mexican spices, and made amazing leftovers. Yum!

Chula’s Expert Tips

• The recipe calls for red bell pepper. You can also use regular green bell pepper in this dish.
• Feel free to use skinless, boneless chicken thighs or a combination of chicken thighs and breasts.
• You can also use canned black beans that have been rinsed and drained in place of the frozen corn.
• Uncooked rice is coated with a fair amount of starch which can cause the dish to be gummy. Therefore, I like to rinse the rise well in a wire mesh strainer until the water runs clean to remove as much of the starch as possible.
• If you don’t have the Rotel tomatoes and chilies, you can substitute an additional 8-ounce can of tomato sauce.
• This produces incredible leftovers. You can either reheat the leftovers in the microwave for a minute or two, or freeze the leftovers for a later time.

Other Cinco de Mayo Recipes

If you’re a fan of Mexican food like I am, you’ll love these other recipes that are perfect for Cinco de Mayo

• Instant Pot Mexican Smashed Pinto Beans: Instant Pot Mexican Smashed Pinto Beans are a perfect way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo or any occasion where you want an easy and delicious side dish.
• Enchiladas with Awesome Red Sauce: Enchiladas with Awesome Red Sauce – the name says it all! The enchiladas start with a spicy meat mixture wrapped in a tortilla shell. Then, they’re topped with an incredible red sauce, onions and cheese, and baked to bubbling perfection.
• Taco Waffle Cones: Take your Taco Tuesday to new heights with these tasty Taco Waffle Cones. The waffle cones are made with store-bought flour tortillas, and are ready to be loaded with your favorite taco fillings. Young and old will delight in these Taco Waffle Cones that are eaten like ice cream cones!
• Easy Cheesy Nacho Casserole: If you like nachos, you’ll absolutely love this Easy Cheesy Nacho Casserole. I made it with a delicious spicy meat mixture with rice, two cheeses and sour cream. Then, I  finished it off with additional cheese, tortilla chips, and an incredible nacho cheese sauce! It’s not only easy to make, but also can be made ahead of time and produces awesome leftovers.
• Tasty Taco Cups: Tasty Taco Cups are the ultimate Cinco de Mayo appetizer. Yummy taco filling layered with melted cheese in crispy wonton wrappers will disappear before your very eyes and have your guests clamoring for more. What’s even better is that they’re super easy to make and just as amazing when made ahead of time and reheated!
• Turkey Chili: Turkey Chili is a perfect dish to serve for Cinco de Mayo. It’s easy to make, and spicy to taste. Top it with cheddar cheese, or mound it on lettuce for an awesome taco salad. What’s even better is that it makes incredible leftovers!
• Tasty 7 Layer Quesadilla Wrap: If you like the Crunchwrap Supreme from a local fast food chain, then you’ll absolutely love this Tasty 7 Layer Quesadilla Wrap. While it’s somewhat of a copycat, it’s so much better. Tasty 7 Layer Quesadilla Wrap is not at all doughy, and you can actually taste the yummy ingredients!
• Instant Pot Mexican Rice with Black Beans: Instant Pot Mexican Rice with Black Beans is an amazing one-pot meal that’s just in time for Cinco de Mayo. It’s a meal in itself and is quite versatile. Dress it up with some shredded chicken, include it in a burrito, or lay enchiladas on top before they’re baked. You’re in for a real treat regardless of the way that you serve it.
• Salsa Verde: Salsa Verde is a delicious addition many Mexican dishes and is equally amazing on its own. Its bright fresh taste will convince you to never reach for the store-bought salsa again.
• Cheesy Southwestern Chicken Pasta: Cheesy Southwestern Chicken Pasta – the name for this amazing one-dish wondersays it all! Imagine the marriage of succulent chicken in a creamy southwestern sauce with tender pasta topped with ooey gooey cheese. It doesn’t get much better than this.

I first posted this amazing recipe on April 21, 2018. Since then, I’ve refined the recipe a bit by including more chicken and Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies in place of part of the tomato sauce. In this post, I updated some of the photographs and added a video.

I hope you liked this recipe for Easy Cheesy Mexican Rice with Chicken as much as I do. If so, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. Also, if you’d like to receive notifications of new posts by email, ever your email address in the Subscribe box.

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Easy Cheesy Mexican Rice with Chicken

Easy Cheesy Mexican Rice with Chicken is just in time for Cinco de Mayo. It's an amazing one-pot meal with an incredible blend of flavors and textures. It makes a lot, so be prepared for yummy leftovers!

4.96 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cinco de Mayo, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 350kcal

Author: Chula King

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup diced onion (1 medium)
• ▢ ½ cup diced red bell pepper (½ bell pepper) (See Tip 1)
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 12 ounces chicken breast cut into ¼ inch strips (1 ½ cups) (See Tip 2)
• ▢ 1 cup frozen corn (See Tip 3)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed and drained (See Tip 4)
• ▢ 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• ▢ 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• ▢ 10 ounce can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies (See Tip 5)
• ▢ 1 cup (4 ounces) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• ▢ ½ cup (2 ounces) Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

• Sauté onion and red bell pepper in olive oil in large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until onion is tender. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant. 
• Add chicken; stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add corn, salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and light brown sugar. Stir to combine.
• Add rice, chicken broth, tomato sauce and Rotel tomatoes; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed, and the rice is done.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Sprinkle top with Monterey Jack cheese and Mozzarella cheese. Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly golden brown. 
• Yield: 6 servings. (See Tip 6)

Video

Chula's Expert Tips

1. You can also use regular green bell pepper in this dish.
2. Feel free to use skinless, boneless chicken thighs or a combination of chicken thighs and breasts.
3. You can also use canned black beans that have been rinsed and drained in place of the frozen corn.
4. Uncooked rice is coated with a fair amount of starch which can cause the dish to be gummy. Therefore, I like to rinse the rise well in a wire mesh strainer until the water runs clean to remove as much of the starch as possible.
5. If you don't have the Rotel tomatoes and chilies, you can substitute an additional 8-ounce can of tomato sauce.
6. This produces incredible leftovers. You can either reheat the leftovers in the microwave for a minute or two, or freeze the leftovers for a later time. 

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 1245mg | Potassium: 710mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1095IU | Vitamin C: 25.2mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 2.4mg

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