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One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice is Arroz con Pollo made easy! It’s got tender chunks of chicken, fluffy rice and vegetables simmered in a flavorful tomato broth. Everything cooks together in one pan and comes together in about 30 minutes, for a simple, flavorful meal with no mess and easy clean up!

Your family will love this meal – it’s one of our favorite Mexican dishes! And you’re going to love how incredibly easy this Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe is to make.

Be sure to try some of our other Mexican-inspired favorites, like Pozole Rojo with Chicken and Mexican Sopes.

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Table of Contents

Why We Love This One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
How to Make It
Serving Suggestions
Variations
Storage
Expert Tips
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice Recipe

Why We Love This One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice

Easy, One Pan Meal – This means less dishes so I’m totally here for that. All of the ingredients cook at the same time in one skillet for super easy clean up.
40 Minutes – I love a dinner that I can get on the table in about 40 minutes.
Great for leftovers – This dish freezes well and is great for leftovers the next day.

Ingredients

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – Chicken thighs can be used instead. Cut into bite size pieces.
Vegetable Oil – or another cooking oil like olive oil or canola oil.
Salt & Black Pepper
White Rice – You need a long grain white rice; Jasmine or Basmati rice will also work.
Chicken Broth – Adds lots of flavor to the dish. I recommend getting low sodium chicken stock or broth. You can use water as a replacement, but you’ll need to add salt.
Tomato Sauce – A small can.
Caldo de Tomate – This is tomato bouillon, a mix of powdered chicken bouillon and tomato powder with the flavors of onion, parsley and spices.
Garlic – 2 teaspoons or 3 garlic cloves.
Chili Powder
Frozen Veggies – Peas & carrots, corn or mixed vegetables.

How to Make It

See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Cook the chicken. Start by sauteing chunks of seasoned boneless, skinless chicken breast in olive oil in a large skillet. You can also use other cuts of boneless chicken. The key is for the pieces to be the same size to promote even cooking.

A cast iron skillet with cooked diced chicken breasts in one side and white rice on the other.

Add the rice. Push the chicken to the side and add a teaspoon of olive oil to the empty side of the skillet. Add some long grain rice and stir for a minute until the rice begins to turn translucent.

Cast iron skillet, chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced cooked chicken, frozen vegetables.

Cooked chicken, vegetables and rice in a cast iron skillet.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer. Add tomato sauce, tomato bouillon, chicken stock, minced garlic, and frozen veggies to the skillet. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pot and let it cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

Cooked chicken, vegetables and rice in a cast iron skillet topped with sliced olives.

Serve. Let the chicken and rice sit for a few minutes to rest, then fluff and stir before garnishing and serving.

Serving Suggestions

This is a complete meal all in one pan, so there is no need to serve anything on the side if you don’t want to. Just top with garnishes like avocado, sliced olives, green onions, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime juice. However, if you’re looking to stretch this meal a little further, here are a few suggestions:

Variations

Spicy – Want to crank up the heat? Add some diced jalapenos to the veggies or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the rice mixture.

Cheesy rice – After you’ve fluffed up the rice, sprinkle on some grated sharp cheddar or Jack cheese.

Rice – This recipe has not been tested with brown rice. It can be used, but will require an additional 20-30 minutes of cook time, which will likely overcook the chicken. I would recommend keeping the chicken pieces whole in this case.

Add some black beans – Drain and rinse a can of black beans and add them in place of or with the vegetables.

A large pot of Mexican Chicken and Rice with a wooden spoon for stirring.

Storage

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Freezing: To freeze, place leftovers in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3-4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheating: I find it best to reheat on the stovetop over low-medium heat. It may be necessary to add a small amount of water to rehydrate the rice. Reheat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, stirring about halfway through.

Expert Tips

For the veggies, you can use any frozen veggies that you have on hand. Fresh can be used but I recommend cooking them separately and adding them at the end to keep them from getting mushy.
Jasmine rice works great if you don’t have long grain white rice.
Caldo de Tomate is a granulated tomato bouillon. It’s usually found in the Hispanic aisle of the grocery store or at hispanic markets, but can be left out if you’re not able to find it. To get the tomato flavor, you can add a tablespoon of tomato paste instead.

A bowl with a serving of mexican chicken and rice

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