One-Pan Mexican Chicken & Rice

One-Pan Mexican Chicken & Rice with Queso – seriously the BEST! Chicken, taco seasoning, rice, milk, salsa, Queso dip, Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, and shredded cheese. Ready to eat in under 30 minutes. Garnish with your favorite taco toppings. Kids and adults gobble this up! Delicious gluten-free meal.

scooping mexican chicken casserole from skillet with text overlay

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Skillet Chicken con Queso and Rice

This One-Pan Mexican Chicken & Rice is one of our all-time favorite Mexican recipes. OMG! This stuff should come with a warning label. Chicken, Mexican rice, Queso dip, and cheese. All of my favorite flavors in one pot! Whip up some chips, salsa, and a side of black beans, and you are set! I will take this meal at home over a Mexican restaurant any day of the week. Give this a try for your next Taco Tuesday. You won’t be disappointed!

skillet of cheesy chicken and rice

How to Make One-Pan Mexican Chicken & Rice

This dish is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Season chicken pieces with taco seasoning. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until browned and no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet.

Add instant white rice, milk, and salsa to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Cover the skillet, reduce heat and simmer until the rice is tender. Stir in Mexican queso dip, Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies. Simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken back to the skillet. Sprinkle chicken and rice with shredded cheese. Cover the skillet and cook until the cheese has melted. Remove the skillet from the stove and garnish it with fresh cilantro.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • You can use any boneless chicken you have on hand. Chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins, and chicken thighs all work fine.
  • Feel free to add a can of black beans, bell peppers, onions, or corn to the rice mixture.
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
  • Can substitute heavy cream or chicken broth for the milk.
  • I use Gordo’s or Pancho’s refrigerated white queso dip.
  • I use Kylito’s Salsa in this recipe. You want to use a thin restaurant-style salsa in this recipe. You need the liquid to cook the rice.
  • Can I use regular long-grain rice? I am sure that you can. I have not tested this recipe with long-grain rice, so I can not give measurements and cooking times.
    • Instant Rice and Long Grain Rice are not equal substitutes.
    • 1 cup of instant rice cooks in 2 cups of liquid and yields 2 cups of cooked rice.
    • 1 cup of long-grain rice cooks in 2 cups of liquid and yields 3 cups of cooked rice.
  • Is Mexican Chicken & Rice gluten-free? Yes! All of the ingredients in this recipe are gluten-free.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
scooping chicken and rice from skillet

What to Serve with Queso Chicken and Rice

This chicken skillet is a weeknight favorite. It is so simple to make and tastes great! We like to garnish our rice bowls with sour cream, green onions, avocado, and extra cheese dip. Serve with some salsa, tortilla chips, and a green salad for a fiesta better than any restaurant!! I am honestly obsessed with this yummy one-pan chicken recipe!

Looking for more side dish ideas? Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this one-pot meal:

Chuy’s Jalapeno Dip

Chuy’s Jalapeno Dip – easy copycat recipe of Chuy’s famous dip. Tastes just like the real thing!! SO good! I…

The BEST Guacamole

The BEST Homemade Guacamole recipe – a super simple recipe loaded with fresh produce that tastes great! Avocados, lime juice,…

Killer Refried Bean Bean Dip

Killer Refried Bean Dip – only 5 ingredients! Refried beans, hamburger, taco seasoning, salsa and Velveeta. Can make on the…

scooping mexican chicken casserole from skillet with text overlay

One-Pan Mexican Chicken & Rice

Yield: 6 people
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
One-Pan Mexican Chicken & Rice with Queso – seriously the BEST! Chicken, taco seasoning, rice, milk, salsa, Queso dip, Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, and shredded cheese. Ready to eat in under 30 minutes. Garnish with your favorite taco toppings. Kids and adults gobble this up! Delicious gluten-free meal.

Ingredients:

  • lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 (1-oz) package taco seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 2 cups instant white rice
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup thin salsa
  • 1 cup queso cheese dip
  • 1 (10-oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
  • ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Instructions:

  • Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the skillet and cook until browned and no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
  • Add rice, milk, and salsa to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Cover pan, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until rice is tender.
  • Stir in queso dip and Rotel tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Top the rice mixture with ¼ cup cheese. Add chicken on top of the rice. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and cook just until the cheese has melted.

Notes:

  • Feel free to add a can of black beans, bell peppers, onions, or corn to the rice mixture.
  • You can use any boneless chicken you have on hand. Chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins, and chicken thighs all work fine.
  • Can substitute heavy cream or chicken broth for the milk.
photo of two containers of mexican queso dip
  • I use Gordo’s or Pancho’s refrigerated white queso dip.
4 jars of salsa on the countertop
  • I use Kylito’s Salsa in this recipe. You want to use a thin restaurant-style salsa in this recipe. You need the liquid to cook the rice.
  • Can I use regular long-grain rice? I am sure that you can. I have not tested this recipe with long-grain rice, so I can not give measurements and cooking times.
    • Instant Rice and Long Grain Rice are not equal substitutes.
    • 1 cup of instant rice cooks in 2 cups of liquid and yields 2 cups of cooked rice.
    • 1 cup of long-grain rice cooks in 2 cups of liquid and yields 3 cups of cooked rice.
  • Here is our recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning made with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Steph

Remember this recipe.

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mexican chicken and rice in a skillet with text overlay
scooping mexican chicken casserole from skillet with text overlay

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Comments

  1. This was a huge hit at my house! I used jalapeño queso and will use plain next time. It had a burn in the back of the throat that the boys loved, but was just a touch to hot for me.

    1. You can try it. I haven’t made this in the slow cooker, so I can not say how to prepare it.

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