Tasted
Skillet of Mexican chicken and rice with black beans, peppers and melted cheese, with a wooden spatula

One Skillet Mexican Chicken and Rice

By Elizabeth Ciobanu ·

This recipe is tasty enough to be our at-home Chipotle bowl substitute and easy enough to put together in half an hour.

This one-skillet Mexican chicken and rice recipe is tasty enough to be our at-home Chipotle bowl substitute and easy enough to put together in half an hour.

Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Makes
6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 small hot pepper, such as jalapeño or Hungarian wax, or 1 can green chilies
  • 1 cup sweet corn kernels
  • 2 leaves of chard or kale (optional)
  • 1 (15 oz) can of black beans
  • 1 1/2 cups precooked white or brown rice or quinoa
  • 1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese or shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the red onion and red pepper (and the hot pepper and chard or kale if you're using them).
  2. Cut chicken breast or boneless thighs into small cubes.
  3. Saute the onion in olive oil at medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until it is softening.
  4. Add the cubed chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for another 3-5 minutes, until not quite cooked through.
  5. Add the spices (chili powder, oregano, paprika and salt), and stir to coat the chicken.
  6. Add the chopped peppers, stir to distribute, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the peppers are softening.
  7. Add the corn kernels and black beans (and chopped chard or kale if using), stir, and cook for 3-4 minutes until the corn and beans are warmed through and the chard or kale leaves are wilted.
  8. You can add the precooked rice at this time and stir to combine, or alternatively, you can leave the rice separate and serve as a side.
  9. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Don't stir it in, but leave it on the heat for 3-4 minutes to melt into a bubbly layer. You can cover the skillet to help trap the heat and melt the cheese faster if you want, but it will also melt just fine without it.
  10. Remove from heat and serve with tortilla chips, salsa, plain yogurt or sour cream, guacamole - whatever you like on your Mexican!

Notes

  • Store leftovers (if there are any!) in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or back on the skillet.
  • You can adjust the heat level to your taste by increasing or decreasing the number of hot peppers or adjusting the amount of chili powder.
  • Make it into a burrito by wrapping it up in a burrito tortilla - Chipotle-style!