Mexican Chicken and Rice
Chicken and rice is such a classic comfort food; next time your family is in the mood for it, try this Mexican spin on it to spice things up! The hearty meal that can feed a crowd is usually made with chunks of chicken and some type of rice pilaf. This version turns up the flavor and heat by using a flavorful, spice packed marinade. You get all the Mexican flavors from the spice, beans, and corn. I’m always looking for something fresh when a dish is cooked for a while, so I finish it off with a handful of cilantro and a nice squeeze of lime. All you need is a margarita and dinner is served.
Mexican Chicken and Rice
- Prep Time
30 min
- Cook Time
35 min
- Total Time
1 hr 5 min
- Servings
6
- Difficulty
Hard
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil + 1 tbsp
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 cups long grain rice
- ½ white onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1-14.5 oz diced canned fire roasted tomatoes
- 1-15 oz canned corn drained
- 1-15 oz canned black beans drained and rinsed
1 jalapeno minced (remove seeds and ribs if you do it want it spicy) - 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Prepare your marinade by mixing ¼ cup olive oil, salt, paprika, cumin, coriander, and black pepper in a small bowl. Pour marinade over chicken thighs arranged in a baking dish and rub all over both sides. Allow the marinade to get into the meat for the next 20-30 minutes.
- Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down and cook until the skin is golden brown and crisp; approximately 5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking on the other side for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Using the same pan to cook the rice, drain ¾ of the fat. Add the rice ensuring each grain is coated with the chicken fat and is slightly toasted.
- Add onion and garlic. Sautee for 1-2 minutes. Add in tomato paste and stir to combine thoroughly with the onions and garlic.
- Add diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, and jalapeño. Add salt and pepper for taste. Stir well.
- Add chicken to the pot. Slowly add your chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until the rice is tender. Approximately 20 minutes.
- At this point, you could take the entire pot and broil it just to crisp up the chicken and top layer of rice. You will only want to do this for 2-3 minutes at most, watching very carefully that you do not burn the skin.
- Garnish with cilantro and a fresh lime wedge.
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