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.
1(10-oz)can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies,undrained
½cupshredded 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 1/4 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.
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.
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.