This Mexican Chicken and Rice with Beans is a flavorful one-pan meal perfect for busy weeknights. Everything cooks together in a single pan for easy cleanup and a satisfying dinner filled with tender chicken, black beans, and seasoned rice.
At a Glance: One-pan dish • Ready in about 40 minutes • Uses canned beans and enchilada sauce for an easy dinner • Easy to make • Leftovers are just as delicious.
One-pan chicken, rice, and beans
I love making one-pan dishes for dinner. Everything comes together in just one dish, creating a flavorful meal with minimal cleanup.
This Mexican Chicken and Rice is made with a few canned ingredients. This makes the prep simple and helps get dinner on the table faster. If you prefer to keep everything homemade, use your favorite home-canned tomatoes, homemade enchilada sauce, home-canned black beans, and frozen roasted green chiles.
Cooking from scratch does not have to mean doing everything from scratch every time. The key is deciding what works best for you. There are no hard and fast rules. You get to decide when to make something completely from scratch and when you'll use a few convenience items. Some nights that might mean opening a few jars, and other nights it means using what you have already made and stored.
Key ingredients for Mexican Chicken and Rice
- Chicken - I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but breasts work too.
- Rice - Long-grain white rice or Jasmine rice.
- Enchilada Sauce - Use your favorite enchilada sauce and select the type of heat you prefer, mild or hot. You can also use homemade enchilada sauce if you prefer.
- Tomatoes - Use a can of diced tomatoes along with the juice.
- Black Beans - One can, rinsed and drained to remove all the sauce. Pinto beans can also be used.
- Green Chiles - Choose your favorite kind of canned chiles.
- Onion and Garlic - Use a white or yellow onion.
- Seasoning - Salt, pepper, and ground cumin.
Step-by-step directions
- Brown chicken in a large skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- When browned, but not fully cooked, remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil along with the onions.
- Sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Stir in the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Stir to remove all the brown bits from the pan.
- Add canned tomatoes along with the juice, the rinsed and drained black beans, the enchilada sauce, and the diced green chiles. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the rice. Heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer. Stir again to make certain the rice isn't sticking to the bottom.
- Reduce heat to low and place a lid on the skillet. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to make certain the rice isn't sticking to the bottom.
- Add the browned chicken to the pan and stir well.
- Replace lid and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes until the rice is fully cooked. If needed, add ¼ cup of chicken broth if the mixture becomes too dry.
- Once the rice is fully cooked, stir the mixture. Turn off heat. Place the lid back on the skillet and allow everything to rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve hot with your favorite toppings.
Recipe tips
- Stir the dish frequently to help prevent the rice from sticking to the pan.
- If the dish becomes dry before the rice is cooked, add ¼ cup of broth or water.
- Allowing the rice to rest with the lid on for 5 minutes without any heat will finish cooking the rice and absorb any excess liquid.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the type of enchilada sauce and chiles you use. Select mild varieties for less spicy and hot for very spicy.
Place any leftovers in a covered container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Serving suggestions
More delicious Mexican inspired dishes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my delicious one-pan meal recipes!
Mexican Chicken and Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound chicken thighs or breast (boneless, skinless)
- ½ onion (yellow or white, diced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 10 ounce can enchilada sauce
- 1 4 ounce can diced green chiles (mild or hot)
- 1 cup long grain white rice (rinsed and drained)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Optional Garnishes
- 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
- 1 avocado (sliced)
- chopped fresh tomatoes
- sour cream
- guacamole
- chopped green onions
Instructions
- Brown chicken in a large skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.2-3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 pound chicken thighs or breast
- When browned, but not fully cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil along with the onions. Sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until softened.½ onion
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant.1 clove garlic
- Stir in the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Stir to remove all the brown bits from the pan.1 cup chicken broth
- Add canned tomatoes along with the juice, the rinsed and drained black beans, the enchilada sauce, and the diced green chiles. Add salt, pepper, and cumin. Stir to combine.1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, 1 15 ounce can black beans, 1 10 ounce can enchilada sauce, 1 4 ounce can diced green chiles, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Stir in the rice. Heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer. Stir again to make certain the rice isn't sticking to the bottom. Reduce heat to low and place a lid on the skillet. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to make certain the rice isn't sticking to the bottom.1 cup long grain white rice
- Add the browned chicken to the pan and stir well. Place lid on skillet and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes until the rice is fully cooked. If needed, add ¼ cup of chicken broth if the mixture becomes too dry.
- Once the rice is fully cooked, stir the mixture. Turn off heat. Place the lid back on the skillet and allow everything to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Stir the dish frequently to help prevent the rice from sticking to the pan.
- If the dish becomes dry before the rice is cooked, add ¼ cup of broth or water.
- Allowing the rice to rest with the lid on for 5 minutes without any heat will finish cooking the rice and absorb any excess liquid.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by the Girl Who Ate Everything.
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