Name: Southwestern Chicken and Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3/4 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp chili powder; 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, pounded to even thickness); 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 small yellow onion (chopped); 1 red bell pepper (chopped); 1 clove garlic (minced); 1 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1/2 tsp chili powder; 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice (or any long grain rice); 1 can diced tomatoes ((14 oz) drained); 3 1/2 cups chicken broth; 1 cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained); 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen); 3/4 cup Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded); 3/4 cup sour cream; 1 large avocado (chopped); cilantro; lime wedges

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Southwestern Chicken and Rice is a quick and simple dinner the entire family will love. This all-in-one dish is the real deal – chicken is seasoned with Tex-Mex spices and cooked up in a skillet with rice, peppers, onions, tomatoes, corn and black beans. Perfect for a weeknight meal, this satisfying recipe is a one pot wonder that’s picky eater approved.

Reasons to Make Southwestern Chicken and Rice

Chicken and rice is one of my family’s favorite meals; I’m always looking for new tasty and easy recipes to try. This one is a winner.
A combination of Tex-Mex spices, chicken, black beans, peppers, tomatoes and rice that cooks up quickly on the stove top! What’s not to love?
Southwestern Chicken and Rice will be a weeknight staple, especially in the winter.
It combines easy preparation, healthy ingredients and cheesy comfort food goodness in one lovely dish.

The Bite Me More Balance Cookbook

This delicious recipe comes from the newest cookbook from the Bite Me sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat over at Bite Me More. In The Bite Me Balance Cookbook, Julie and Lisa whip up 138 delicious, easy-to-follow recipes for breakfast and brunch, lunch, weeknight dinners, and special gatherings. No matter your challenge (you want healthy food that’s scrumptious and satisfying, your friends are gluten-free, your mother-in-law’s coming to dinner, your kids are famished and need to eat NOW) The Bite Me Balance Cookbook has you covered.

Packed full of helpful tips and tricks, a wide array of foolproof recipes (75% healthy, 25% butter!) to suit every occasion, and belly laughs with these tell-it-like-it-is sisters, this book is guaranteed to set you up for success in the kitchen and at the table.

Some of my favorite recipes in this amazing cookbook include Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Tomato Basil Soup With Crunchy Garlic Croutons, Crispy Roasted Smashed Potatoes, Sticky Orange Chicken, Carrot Layer Cake With Shortbread Crumble, Frosted Brownies With Rocky Road Bark and Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars. There is such an amazing selection of recipes to choose from.

How to Make Southwestern Chicken and Rice

This delicious and easy Southwestern Chicken and Rice comes from the “Weeknight Dinners” Chapter. It’s packed full of fresh, quick, nutritious and satisfying family-friendly meals. Everyone will love these recipes that are low on clean up and high on compliments.

Because it only uses one pot and is so quick to prepare, this stove top chicken and rice recipe rivals the crockpot for convenience. First prepare the homemade spice rub. Combine the kosher salt, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder and pepper in a small bowl.

Next you’ll need to pound the chicken breasts, not a ton, they don’t have to be super thin, just until they’re an even thickness. Finally, season both sides of the chicken, heat up the olive oil in your large skillet and sauté the chicken until it is no longer pink in the middle. About 5 minutes per side.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pan and chop it into bite sized pieces.

The beauty of one pot meals is that you do everything in one pot, enhancing the flavor at each step. After you set the chicken aside, stir the diced onions, peppers and minced garlic into the skillet picking up any browned bits of chicken. Season the vegetables with salt, cumin and chili powder.

Continue to cook and stir until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the rice, cook and stir for another minute. Now the broth and tomatoes go into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil before turning down the heat and putting on the cover. Cooking the rice with the broth and vegetables adds another level of flavor.

Putting it all together

Once the rice has simmered over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, it should be done. Go ahead and turn off the heat. Add the black beans, chicken, and corn to the skillet. Sprinkle with the shredded Monterey Jack and cover for a couple of minutes. The cheese will melt in the residual heat. Serve immediately right from the pan. Garnish each serving with avocado, sour cream, cilantro and a wedge of lime. Pair with some Ice Cream Maker Margaritas and some Margarita Lime Cookies for Dessert.

If you are looking for a great pan for this dish and other one pot meals, I HIGHLY recommend a stainless steel saute pan. With their high sides, they are great for making these one pot recipes. My All Clad Saute Pan is hands down my all time favorite piece of cookware. I was gifted it years ago and every time I use it (which is probably 4-5 times a week) I think to myself how much I love it, it’s the perfect pan. It’s my go to wedding gift for friends, I love it that much. At a lower price point, the Cuisinart Saute pan is a solid choice. Both of those pans come in a variety of sizes. Personally I like 3 quart, it’s big but not too big.

More Easy Recipes

Southwestern Chicken and Rice is just one of the many recipes I’m loving from this book. If you haven’t seen their blog, Bite Me More, it’s really fun and loaded with great recipes like Quick and Easy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons and Mini Oatmeal Cookie Cheesecakes.

You can order your copy of The Bite Me Balance Cookbook wherever books are sold.

If your New Years Resolutions include more weeknight meals at home, check out some of my other easy to prepare, one pot, slow cooker and no hassle recipes:

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