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This delicious quick and easy Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet is a one-pan meal that’s full of fresh colorful ingredients and bursting with layers of flavor! It’s perfectly spiced sautéed tender chicken cooked together with rice, black beans, and fresh salsa and then topped with cheddar cheese! It’s so darn tasty, you’ll want to make it every week!
Easy Southwest Chicken And Rice Skillet
Around here we don’t do boring chicken and rice! I like to make things really flavorful! Yet, I also like to keep it simple. However, a lot of people don’t realize that you can make perfectly cooked rice in the same pan as your protein. And it’s not hard to do. You just need to have the ratio of your ingredients just right. But the good news is that I’ve already figured all that out for you!
So similar to my one-pot Sausage Chicken with Cheesy Rice, this dish is cooked in just one pan! But this Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet is all about Tex-Mex flavors. It’s got chicken, black beans, salsa, cheese, and of course, rice! It all cooks together in the same pan and the rice comes out super flavorful because it absorbs all the juices of the chicken and other ingredients as it steams.
I’m telling you that you are going to love this easy southwest chicken and rice. It’s delicious and ready to serve right out of the pan. But you can jazz it up a little more as I do by topping it with some Cheesy Guacamole, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and a side of tortilla chips!
Why You’ll Love This Southwest Chicken And Rice Skillet
- One Pan Wonder! This is a simple one-pan recipe with just a few easy steps that you can make in just 45 minutes. It requires no fancy ingredients or special skills.
- Tasty Southwest Flavors! By cooking the chicken seasoned with chili powder, cumin, and oregano all in one pan with the rice, beans, and salsa it creates loads of yummy flavor.
- Family Favorite! This is a fantastic dish to feed your hungry family. It’s filling, affordable to make, and tasty! Not to mention, healthy and sure to satisfy the kids.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter in cooking to control the added salt.
- Onion – Brown or yellow onion adds the most flavor, but any type of onion you have on hand is fine.
- Chicken – You will need boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can also use chicken thighs if you prefer
- Spices – Chili powder, ground cumin, and dried oregano are classic southwest spices used to season the dish.
- Long Grain Rice – Medium grain rice, basmati, or jasmine rice will also work. But I don’t recommend using short-grain rice.
- Salsa – Used to add both flavor and moisture. You can use store-bought salsa or homemade salsa.
- Black Beans – Canned black beans work perfectly. You can also use pinto beans if you like.
- Chicken Broth – I use a low-sodium chicken broth to control the amount of salt. You can also use vegetable broth if you prefer.
- Cheddar Cheese – You need some shredded cheddar cheese to top the rice. Monterey jack cheese or Colby jack are other options as well.
- Green Onions – Also called scallions, they are used to garnish the dish.
- Tomato – Fresh diced tomato is used along with the green onions to garnish the rice.
This one-pan chicken and rice recipe is a cinch to whip together! The rice streams in the same pan that the chicken is cooked in, which makes this dish very easy and super flavorful. Just follow these easy steps and you’ll have dinner on the table in just 45 minutes!
Sauté The Onion And Garlic
To begin, add the butter to a large skillet and melt it over medium heat. Then add the chopped onions and sauté for about 3 minutes or until they are soft and translucent.
Sauté The Chicken
Next, let’s get the chicken cooking which will also help to flavor the rice. To do this, just add the chicken pieces to the pan with the onions and sprinkle it with the chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Then toss the chicken around to coat it in the spices as you cook it for about 3 to 5 minutes or until it is no longer pink.
Add The Rice And Cook
Once the chicken is no longer pink, stir in the rice, salsa, and black beans along with the chicken broth. Now, bring the mixture to a boil and then turn the heat down to low, cover the skillet with a lid, and simmer the rice for a full 15 minutes without removing the lid. During the cooking process of the rice, it’s really important that you do not stir the rice or remove the lid. Then once the rice has steamed for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes before you remove the lid.
Melt The Cheese
Now it’s time to add some melted cheese yumminess! Once the chicken and rice has rested for 5 minutes, remove the lid on the skillet and fluff it with a fork. Then sprinkle the top of the rice with the cheddar cheese and cover it once more with the lid for about 2 minutes so that the cheese melts.
Garnish And Serve
When the cheese is fully melted remove the lid. Then garnish the southwest chicken and rice with the chopped green onions, diced tomatoes, and lime wedges if you like. Now, it’s ready to serve!
What Else Can I Add To The Chicken And Rice?
You can pretty much add any herbs or seasonings you want to the chicken and rice while it cooks. Just stir them in when you add the uncooked rice. The most important thing when it comes to cooking rice is the ratio of rice to liquid. If you add too much moisture or not enough it can totally throw off the whole recipe. So if you want to add things like vegetables such as corn or bell peppers, it’s best to cook them ahead of time and toss them together with the rice before you top it with cheese.
Can I Use Brown Rice?
I don’t recommend making this recipe with brown rice because it has a much longer cooking time. It also requires a different ratio of rice to liquid. However, if you know how to use brown rice in place of white rice, give it a try!
Expert Tips
- Rinse the rice before cooking. Just put it under cool running water in a strainer to remove any debris and powdery starch. Doing this will result in fluffier cooked rice.
- Coat the chicken in spices. Once you add the spices to the pan with the chicken be sure to coat the chicken well in them as it cooks to create the most flavor.
- Do not disturb the lid. For the 15 minutes that the rice is cooking, do not remove the lid. This will disrupt the steaming process and potentially result in rice that is not cooked properly.
Storage
Leftover southwest chicken and rice will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container. To reheat, sprinkle it with some water, cover it, and then put it in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power or reheat it in a saucepan. However, if the rice has been frozen, it’s best to let it thaw out in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Other Delicious One Pot Recipes To Try
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Creamy Chicken Gnocchi
- Marry Me Chicken
- Chicken Pot Pie Pasta
- Pesto Chicken And Veggies
- Mediterranean Chicken And Rice Skillet
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Skillet Cajun Chicken And Rice
- One-Pot Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice
Southwest Chicken And Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound chicken breasts skinless and boneless cut into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup long grain rice uncooked
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup black beans
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 green onions chopped
- ½ medium tomato diced
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for about 3 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken cubes to the skillet and season with chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.
- Add the rice, salsa, black beans and chicken broth to the skillet and stir until everything is well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes covered.
- Turn off the heat and allow the rice to rest for another 5 minutes before removing the lid. Fluff the rice and chicken with a fork, then sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the rice and cover with the lid again. Wait for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese melts.
- Finally, remove the lid and garnish the rice with chopped green onions and diced tomatoes.
Tips & Notes:
- Rinse the rice before cooking. Just put it under cool running water in a strainer to remove any debris and powdery starch. Doing this will result in fluffier cooked rice.
- Coat the chicken in spices. Once you add the spices to the pan with the chicken be sure to coat the chicken well in them as it cooks to create the most flavor.
- Do not disturb the lid. For the 15 minutes that the rice is cooking, do not remove the lid. This will disrupt the steaming process and potentially result in rice that is not cooked properly.
- Leftover southwest chicken and rice will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
