This loaded Mexican rice with chicken, veggies, black beans and cheese is easy to make and you only need one pan! There’s a small amount of prep, but it’s mostly a dump and stir operation making it a great weeknight dinner option. Oh, and don’t forget the garnishes! The sour cream and quick and easy guacamole top of each serving.
One-Pan Loaded Mexican Rice
I come to you today with this recipe for loaded Mexican rice which is sort of like nachos without the chips or a burrito without the tortilla that you serve in bowls topped with a super easy guacamole and dollops of sour cream. Plus, the rice cooks up in one pan with veggies like corn and bell pepper, black beans, chicken and while the ingredient list is long it really is a dump and stir operation.
It’s the sort of dinner that’s great for a weeknight – it takes less than an hour and doesn’t have a whole lot of prep steps (especially if you take a short-cut and buy pre-cut veggies) – but it’d be great for game-day get-togethers, too. Make up a batch and set out a toppings bar and everyone can help themselves.
Some Ingredients You’ll Need
- Boneless skinless chicken breast: cut it into bite-sized pieces before tossing it in the pan.
- Onions, garlic, bell pepper, and frozen corn
- Black beans: although pinto beans or kidney beans would work well, too
- Tomatoes! Some tomato paste, tomato puree, and diced tomatoes
- Chili powder
- Long-grain white rice
- Cheese: I used a mix of cheddar and pepper jack cheese
More One-Pan Recipes
Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans and Tomatoes
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One-Pan Loaded Mexican Rice
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
Loaded Mexican rice is like nachos without the chips or a burrito without the tortilla. It’s packed full of veggies, black beans, and chicken and topped with cheese – serve it with the simple guacamole and sour cream on the side.
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, drained
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
For the Guacamole
- 2 avocados, pit and skin removed
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Other Garnishes
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook it until it’s no longer pink on the outside. Add the onions and cook them for a few minutes, just until they start to soften. Add the garlic and bell pepper and let it all cook for another 3 minutes or so. Add the corn and black beans and stir it all together.
- Add the vegetable stock, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring the pan to a simmer and then add the chili powder, cilantro, and salt. Let it all simmer for a few minutes and then raise the heat to bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add the rice and stir. Cook the rice, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
- While the rice is cooking prepare the garnishes. In a medium bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Add the salt, lime juice, and cilantro. Give it a quick stir and set it aside.
- Once the rice is tender, add the cheese in a layer on top. Pop the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese. Serve with the guacamole, sour cream, and lime wedges.
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 595
- Sugar: 12.1g
- Sodium: 1624.6mg
- Fat: 25.4g
- Carbohydrates: 47.7g
- Fiber: 15.4g
- Protein: 35.9g
Keywords: mexican rice, one pan recipe
In Other News!
After many months of discussions and back-and-forths and soul-searching (should we, shouldn’t we?) we finally decided to open our hearts and home to this little fella…
Say hello to Feynman!
It’s Day 3, so we’re still in the getting-to-know-you stage but he’s already stolen our hearts and turned our world upside-down.
In a totally good way. Ugh, that face!
Based on the reactions we’ve already gotten about his name (what’d you say his name was?), you might be wondering why we named him Feynman (pronounced Fine-min) and, no, we weren’t on something when we came up with it. It’s a long story, but he’s named after this guy and, just like the man who inspired his name, Feynman is handsome, smart, and happy-go-lucky. Do they award Nobel Prizes to dogs? If they ever do Feynman should totally win – I’m thinking for World Peace delivered through his amazing ability to look adorable. Not that I’m biased or anything.
That puppy is gorgeous!!! Definitely the right decision as is the decision to make this wonderful loaded Mexican rice. With so many wins, you should buy a lottery ticket. 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks, Maureen! Maybe we should – we’re feeling pretty lucky right now 🙂
Oh my goodness, he’s SO cute! I want snuggles! And a big bowl of this rice, because it looks pretty good, too 😉
Thank, Denise! We’re pretty smitten 🙂