Description
This Cheesy Chicken and Rice recipe is a comforting one-pan meal featuring tender chicken thighs, flavorful spices, and melted cheddar cheese. Cooked together in a skillet, the dish combines sautéed vegetables, seasoned chicken, and long-grain rice with diced tomatoes and peas, resulting in a hearty, cheesy, and delicious dinner perfect for weeknights.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Vegetables
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
Rice and Seasonings
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Finishing
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and bell pepper, sautéing for about 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Cook Chicken: Add the chicken chunks to the skillet with the sautéed vegetables and cook until lightly browned on all sides, ensuring the chicken is partially cooked through.
- Add Rice and Seasonings: Stir in the rice, diced tomatoes with green chilies, chicken broth, frozen peas, ground cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix everything well to combine flavors evenly.
- Simmer: Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the skillet with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed completely.
- Melt Cheese: Remove the lid and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the cooked rice and chicken mixture. Cover again and let it sit for 2-3 minutes on low heat to allow the cheese to melt perfectly.
- Garnish and Serve: Serve the cheesy chicken and rice immediately, garnished with freshly chopped cilantro for added freshness and flavor.
Notes
- Make sure to cover the skillet tightly when simmering the rice to ensure even cooking and liquid absorption.
- Adjust the spice levels by adding more or less chili powder or using mild diced tomatoes if preferred.
- You can substitute chicken thighs with chicken breast, but thighs provide a juicier texture.
- For a creamier texture, consider stirring in a little sour cream or cream cheese before adding the cheddar.
- This dish can easily be doubled to serve a larger group, just increase the liquid accordingly.
