An easy one-pot Mexican chicken and rice dinner is a lifesaver on a weeknight. This dish is full of flavour and requires very little prep.
A one-pot meal is always worth a try but this one-pot Mexican chicken and rice with beans is going to become a favourite. This is a simple meal with simple ingredients (as always) flavoured with our delicious fajita spice.
Now, I do want to be clear that this is not intended to be a traditional arroz con pollo. This is just chicken thighs on rice with some Mexican-inspired flavours.
One secret to this recipe is that the proportions of the veggies are entirely up to your preference. Check out the substitutions section for easy ways to use whatever you may have on hand in the fridge.
Another secret about this recipe is that it makes an excellent meal prep dish. Cook it up on a Sunday afternoon and you have yourself four delicious lunches that pack great into one container.
TIP: If you want to keep it lighter, reduce the quantity of rice and increase the veggies.
Preparing One-Pot Mexican Chicken with Rice
Ingredients
Pantry
Chicken thighs: Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this dish. They are easy and quick to cook and always turn out moist.
G&K Fajita Spice: This seasoning is a mix of spices similar to taco seasoning. Fajita seasoning has less chili powder and more cumin and the optional addition of cayenne pepper for spice. It has an earthy flavour with a slight hint of sweetness from sugar.
Stock: Any stock will be great in this recipe. If you want to keep this recipe vegetarian use vegetable stock.
Rice:
Black beans: A pulse, these beans are full of protein and fibre and are a great way to facilitate a plant-based diet. They are small bean that is dark in colour and are about ½ inch long. Black beans are most commonly used in Latin American cuisines.
Corn: Corn is a cereal grain that has been domesticated for thousands of years. It is a starchy vegetable that grows on stalks which produce ears covered in light yellow kernels. Canned corn is ideal for this recipe because it is already cooked and ready to go without compromising on flavour.
Oil: I use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe. You can use any mild-flavoured oil that you have on hand.
Produce
Red bell pepper: The sweetness of red bell pepper is unbeatable in this recipe. Red peppers are the more mature version of the more bitter and earthy green pepper. Though they are technically a fruit, bell peppers are typically used as a vegetable in cooking. Red bell peppers are high in vitamins C and A.
Red onion: Red onions have a purply reddish colour and are an important addition to this recipe. It has a nice mild flavour both in its raw form and cooked.
Cilantro: Cilantro is also known as coriander. They are in fact the same however the naming conventions vary between the Americas and other parts of the world. In America, cilantro often references the plant’s fresh stem and leaf while coriander refers to the plant’s dried seeds. You will note that this is how I use these two terms. Other parts of the world refer to this plant as coriander and to its dried version as coriander seeds.
Lime: Lime fruit is a green citrus fruit that is very sour. It has a very refreshing flavour but is often used in small quantities as that sour, sometimes almost bitter, flavour is very strong.
How to Make One-Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice
Read through the steps before you get started. As always, we incorporate the prep into the cooking process so you’ll want to get all your ingredients out and make them handy. This includes having your measuring cups and spoons, and knife and cutting board handy.
Once you’ve gathered everything let’s get cooking!
Step 1: Make the spice mix
If you are using G&K Fajita Spice, make a batch first. If you’re using store-bought, get your packet ready. You will need 1 24g packet.
Step 2: Prep and cook the chicken thighs
Next, heat the oil in a large deep pan with a lid on medium heat.
While the oil is heating, season the chicken thighs on each side with the taco spice (approximately 1 tsp per thigh).
Once the oil is hot, add the thighs to the pot, skin side down. Sear for 5 minutes then flip and sear for another 5 minutes on the other side.
Step 3: Prep and cook the veggies
While the chicken is cooking, dice the pepper, onion and jalapeno, if using.
TIP: to keep this dish kid-friendly, save the jalapenos for servings. Top the dish with freshly sliced jalapenos for anyone who’d like to spice it up a notch.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the peppers and onions to the pan. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until they begin to soften.
Step 4: Cook the rice
Add the rice, remaining fajita spice and salt. Stir and sauté for another 2 minutes or so.
Add the stock and stir everything together. Then add the chicken back to the pan skin side up, cover it with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Final Touches
Next, rinse and drain the black beans and corn. Then, once the timer is up, add the beans and corn to the pan, stir, cover and cook for another 3 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
TIP: Turn on your oven to broil, move the pan into the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes on high to crisp the chicken.
Substitutions
Chicken Thighs: I like to use bone-in skin-on thighs for this recipe for two reasons. The seasoning on the skin of the chicken is heavenly and bone-in thighs always turn out juicy.
Red Bell Pepper: You can use any type of pepper for this dish that you like. I highly recommend adding some chopped jalapeno while you’re at it.
Red onion: Once again, use the type of onion that you have on hand. Though red onions have the mildest flavour, since we’re cooking them down here most other varieties will turn to a gentle slightly sweet flavour anyway.
G&K Fajita Spice: You can use a store-bought spice instead of our version of course. But in addition to that, you can easily substitute it with our G&K Taco Spice, or once again a store-bought version as well.
Rice: Most rice varieties that are not too sticky will be great in this recipe. We toast the rice before boiling it too to further help separate the grains. If you’re not a fan of rice though you can easily use quinoa instead.
Serving One-Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice
Everything you need is in one pan, that’s the beauty of this dish after all. Scoop out some rice and a piece of chicken onto a plate and voila, a healthy and delicious dinner is ready.
I like to top this dish with fresh cilantro, freshly sliced jalapenos and a squeeze of lime.
When serving to my toddlers, I chop up the chicken and serve it separately from the rice, with a side of salsa.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is arroz con pollo?
Arroz con pollo is a chicken and rice dish that resembles the Spanish paella. It is popular in Spain and all over Latin America. There are many variations of this dish that capture the traditions of each respective country.
Our One-Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe is not intended to represent any of these traditional variations. I happened to make it then in my research before posting I realized there are similar ones with traditional origins.
Why toast the rice before cooking?
Coating the rice is oil and toasting it until it begins to brown just slightly prevents the rice from sticking and gives it a slightly nutty flavour.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Healthy One-Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice Dinner Recipe
Equipment
- Large pan (11-inch)
- Knife
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ red pepper
- ¼ cup red onion
- 4 tsp G&K Fajita spice (chicken plus 1 tsp with rice)
- 2 ¼ cup stock
- 1 cup rice
- ½ cup black beans
- ½ cup corn
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cilantro for garnish
- ½ lime for garnish
Optional:
- ½ fresh jalapeno (diced, optional)
Instructions
- If you are using G&K Fajita Spice, make a batch first. If you’re using store-bought, get your packet ready. You will need 1 24g packet.4 tsp G&K Fajita spice
- Next, heat the oil in a large deep pan on medium heat.2 tbsp oil
- While the oil is heating, season the chicken thighs on each side with the fajita spice (approximately 1 tsp per thigh).4 chicken thighs
- Once the oil is hot, add the thighs to the pot, skin side down. Sear for 5 minutes then flip and sear for another 5 minutes on the other side.
- While the chicken is cooking, dice the pepper, onion and jalapeno, if using. Next, rinse and drain the black beans and corn.½ red pepper, ¼ cup red onion, ½ cup black beans, ½ fresh jalapeno, ½ cup corn
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the peppers and onions to the pan. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until they begin to soften.½ red pepper, ¼ cup red onion
- Add the rice, remaining fajita spice and salt. Stir and sauté for another 2-3 minutes or so.4 tsp G&K Fajita spice, 1 cup rice, ¾ tsp salt
- Add the stock and stir everything together. Then add the chicken back to the pan skin side up, cover it with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.2 ¼ cup stock
- Add the beans and corn, stir, cover and cook for another 3 minutes or until the rice is cooked.½ cup black beans, ½ cup corn
- Optional: Turn on your oven to broil, move the pan into the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes on high to crisp the chicken.
