One pot recipes that take about half an hour to make from start to finish are LIFE, and I’m aware that we need as many up our sleeves as possible for those quick wins during the week. So, we’re introducing another good one – Mexican Chicken & Rice One Pot! One pot recipes with rice go down an absolute STORM in my house, so I’m hoping there will be just as much appreciation in yours too. Whether it’s my Peri Peri Chicken & Rice, my Easy Beef Fried Rice, my Cajun-style Dirty Rice or my Chicken Fried Rice, there’s always a little whoop for joy whenever I announce what’s for dinner. I hope you love it!
Why you’ll love this Mexican Chicken recipe
⭐️ Ready in about 30 minutes ⭐️ All made in one pan for fuss free cooking ⭐️ An instant family crowd pleaser
While creating this recipe, we first tried it in the oven, but we felt we could save energy by cooking it on the hob and finishing it off under the grill. We also used kidney beans in the first tests, but my children reported that they prefer black beans so we swapped to make it a little more child friendly, perhaps?! Obviously you could use either according to your favourites. Finally, in early tests we didn’t include cheese on top. You can obviously leave this out if you prefer but we can’t resist a ‘cheese pull’!
For this new recipe, I use the term ‘Mexican’ loosely. I have taken those convenient and much-loved ingredients that most of us have in our store cupboards in the UK to keep costs low and quality high (not to mention a super quick and simple method), while taking inspiration from Tex Mex flavours.
Mexican Chicken & Rice Ingredients
Sunflower oil Chicken breast Garlic cloves Red pepper Yellow pepper Cumin Mild chilli powder Paprika Rice – Choose any type of long grain or basmati, be sure to rinse it well first in a sieve Passata – We use this rather than tinned tomatoes so it absorbs more easily into the rice to cook it Chicken stock – Made with a cube is fine Black beans – Tinned Sweetcorn Grated cheese – Mozzarella or cheddar are both fine Salt and freshly ground black pepper Spring onions – Optional
Substitutions
Vegetarian – You can make this a veggie dish by swapping the chicken for fried halloumi cubes – added at the end of cooking – yum! Vegan – You can also make it vegan by omitting the meat and cheese. Vegetables – You can mix and match your veggies to taste or to use whatever you have left in your fridge that needs using up. More vegetables will also make it go further. Spring onions – I garnish the dish with these but you don’t have to.
In the freezer I don’t recommend freezing this dish as it can become very sticky when reheating and isn’t at its best. If you do have leftovers that you don’t want to waste though, just wait until it’s totally cold and then put into a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost before thoroughly reheating. Make a little extra stock up to add in if you need it. Sometimes cooking times vary and the rice can absorb all the water before it’s properly cooked. Keep an eye on it and don’t let it dry out. Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
