This one pan Southwest chicken and rice dish can be made in 30 minutes or less and is perfect for the whole family to enjoy. It is made with shredded chicken, black beans, corn, fire roasted tomatoes, delicious spices, and rice. It is gluten free, nutrient dense, and healthy!
This one pan recipe is sponsored by the awesome folks at Green Pan!
What makes this recipe so wonderful?
I absolutely love whipping up this Southwest chicken and rice when I'm pressed for time during the week.
My whole family loves it, and it's incredible that I can make the whole thing in under 30 minutes.
- The recipe is incredibly nutrient dense with plenty of healthy fats, fiber, protein, and carbs.
- It's great for meal prep... it'll stay good all week in the fridge!
- It's naturally gluten free- just check your labels.
- The flavor is incredible... you are going to be so impressed you've created such bold flavors in such a short amount of time.
What ingredients will you need?
Here is what you will need to make this dish.
- A fabulous homemade spice blend (see below.)
- Shredded chicken
- Bell peppers and onions
- Chicken broth
- Fresh garlic
- Black beans
- Fire roasted tomatoes
- Corn
- Long grain white rice
- Mexican shredded cheese
- Cilantro
- Lime
The magic is really in the spice blend if you ask me.
No need to buy a fajita seasoning packet or anything like that... just mix these spices together in a small bowl, and you're good to go! 😉
It's simply a mixture of: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper, and cayenne.
Make this Southwest chicken in a nonstick pan
I absolutely recommend using a large non-stick pan with a lid for this recipe.
My favorite is GreenPan! Their entire product line is extremely well made and affordable. They are a non-toxic and non-stick ceramic cookware brand that are all free of PFA's, PFOA, lead, and cadmium.
It's very high quality and not too heavy, so I can still lift it with one hand wrangle Sophie at the same time, ha! 😉
It makes cleanup a complete breeze, and I love that I don't need to spend several minutes scrubbing and scrubbing this pan to no resolve when I'm done eating.
How to make one pan Southwest chicken and rice
Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a large saute pan that has a lid over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and let that heat through for 1 minute. Add shredded chicken and evenly sprinkle half of the seasoning mixture over the top and stir. Cook 2 minutes until it is heated through. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
To the same pan, add remaining tablespoon of oil and add a glob of butter. Add diced onions and bell peppers. Cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic cloves and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently until quite fragrant.
Add tomatoes, black beans, remaining spice mixture, salt, and chicken broth. Stir together well and then stir in rice.
Bring to a boil over medium heat and cover with lid, reducing heat to low and simmering for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. When no excess liquid remains and rice has become tender, turn off and remove from heat.
Fluff rice with a fork or a wooden spoon/spatula and stir in half of the cheese. Add fresh cilantro, lime juice, corn, and cooked chicken. Top with remaining cheese, cover and let everything sit for a few minutes, until cheese has melted.
Serve and top off with extra cilantro, lime wedges, crushed tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt if you'd like. Enjoy!
Store away those leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy clean up because with this non-toxic, ceramic cookware, it'll take you 1 minute to clean the pan! 🙂
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Purchase a Rotisserie chicken from the store. That'll save you tons of time. Otherwise, use my recipe here for shredding your own chicken thighs at home.
- Find a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend you love.
- Use fresh lime and fresh cilantro- it makes a big difference.
- Top it off with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt for extra goodness.
More one pan recipes you'll love:
One Pan Creamy Chicken Piccata
One Pan Southwest Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
- ⅛ teaspoon coriander
Southwest Chicken and Rice
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil split in two
- 2 ½ cups shredded chicken see notes
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1 small green bell pepper diced
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup black beans drained
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth
- ⅔ cup long grain white rice rinsed and drained
- ⅔ cup canned corn kernels drained
- 1 lime juiced
- ¼ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheese split, see notes
Instructions
- Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat a large saute pan that has a lid over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and let that heat through for 1 minute. Add shredded chicken and evenly sprinkle half of the seasoning mixture over the top and stir. Cook 2 minutes until it is heated through. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- To the same pan, add remaining tablespoon of oil and add a glob of butter. Add diced onions and bell peppers. Cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic cloves and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently until quite fragrant.
- Add tomatoes, black beans, remaining spice mixture, salt, and chicken broth. Stir together well and then stir in rice.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat and cover with lid, reducing heat to low and simmering for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. When no excess liquid remains and rice has become tender, turn off and remove from heat.
- Fluff rice with a fork or a wooden spoon/spatula and stir in half of the cheese. Add fresh cilantro, lime juice, corn, and cooked chicken. Top with remaining cheese, cover and let everything sit for a few minutes, until cheese has melted.
- Serve and top off with extra cilantro, lime wedges, crushed tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt if you'd like. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use Rotisserie chicken and shred it with two forks. Alternatively, follow my recipe to make shredded chickens here.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Use your favorite Mexican shredded cheese blend. Use half in the pan and use half to top everything off when it's done cooking!
Danielle says
Taste was amazing! I would love if you could add conversions such as the rice (oz, rather than cups) unfortunately I suck at conversions and the rice came out a little hard. Otherwise great recipe !!
Melissa says
This is so GOOD! I made this the other night and used some ground Turkey that I had on hand. This recipe is going into our regular menu rotation!!
Oh heck yes, that makes me so so happy to hear Melissa! 🙂