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Healthy Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet

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This is a sponsored post by USA Rice Canada, but, as always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that make Girl Heart Food possible and for helping me continue to do what I love – cook, eat and share delicious recipes! #ReachForRice

This one pot Healthy Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet is sure to be a family favourite!  It’s loaded with flavour from spices like cumin, cayenne and smoked paprika and packs a filling punch of nutrition from whole grain brown rice and chicken thighs.  Garnish to your heart’s content!  This is one delicious recipe!

Overhead shot of southwest chicken and rice skillet garnished with jalapeno, tomato, cilantro and avocado.

Hey, my friends!  How has January been treating you so far?  I gotta say – it hasn’t been too bad ’round here.  The weather hasn’t been ‘summertime level nice’, but decent for this time of year. And I’ve been cooking up a storm with all sorts of nutritious comfort food recipes, like this chicken and rice skillet.

Easy One Pot Family Recipe

You know what I love about this recipe besides the awesome flavour?  It’s SO easy to prepare!  You just put all the ingredients in one pot and way to go!  There’s not a kitchen full of dishes required and very minimal clean up.  I don’t know about you, but I need more recipes like that in my life.  To be honest, though, no matter what I do in the kitchen, I somehow always make a mess…..hubby can attest to that.

Ingredients for a southwest chicken and rice skillet.

What are the Benefits of Rice?

Are you a fan of rice like me?  It’s eaten in our home on the regular.  It’s so inexpensive (like, I bought a huge four pound bag of whole grain brown rice for less than $7!).  I’m pretty sure I can feed the entire street for a week on it, lol.  Plus, it’s a delicious base for so many recipes like stir fry, veggie and rice bowls and, of course, this healthy southwest chicken and rice skillet.

Photo collage of how to make a chicken and rice skillet.

The main reason why I love rice is because its nutritious!!  Did you know that it’s low in calories (108 calories for half a cup), it’s gluten free and loaded with fibre!  Rice is also a plant based protein and when combined with beans (like in this recipe), it’s giving you eight essential amino acids! That’s good stuff 🙂

Squeezing fresh lime juice over a skillet.

Trying to keep any healthy eating new year’s resolutions on track?  Well, this recipe is for you!!  And one thing about me, is that I will never sacrifice flavour.  I’ve been there in my younger days, eating boring ‘diet’ foods.  These days in my more experienced, (or, er) older wisdom, I’m all about real food.  This chicken and rice skillet hits all the important check marks for me.

A close up overhead shot of southwest chicken and rice skillet garnished with jalapeno, tomato, cilantro and avocado

If you can’t finish this whole pan in one sitting (because there’s only two people in your household like mine), leftovers warm up beautifully.  If you want to bring a little more ‘life’ to the dish upon reheating, just add a touch of chicken stock to the mix as you reheat.  And, if you are thinking beyond dinner, leftovers are delicious for breakfast with a poached egg on top…..just sayin’.

Healthy Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet -girlheartfood.com

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Healthy Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet - girlheartfood.com
5 from 7 votes
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Healthy Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet

This one pot Healthy Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet is sure to be a family favourite! It's loaded with flavour from spices like cumin, cayenne and smoked paprika and packs a filling punch of nutrition from whole grain brown rice and chicken thighs. Garnish to your heart's content! This is one delicious recipe!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Canadian, Mexican
Keyword one pot dinner, chicken and rice, tex mex
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 502 kcal
Author Girl Heart Food

Ingredients

Healthy Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion -minced
  • 3 cloves garlic -minced
  • 1 lb bonelss/skinless chicken thighs -cut into chunks
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup brown rice -rinsed
  • 1 cup salsa -your favourite
  • 1 cup black beans -rinsed
  • 1/2 bell pepper -cut into chunks
  • 1 ear corn -kernels removed (or about 1 cup frozen)
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter -optional
  • 2 cups chicken stock - I used unsalted

Suggested Garnishes

  • tomato -diced
  • avocado -sliced
  • cilantro
  • jalapeno or pencil chili -sliced
  • lime
  • yogurt

Instructions

  1. In a 10 inch skillet on medium heat olive oil. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
  2. Add chicken, salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Stir for a minute.
  3. Add rice, salsa, black beans , bell pepper, and corn. Stir to combine. Add butter (if using) and stir. Add chicken stock and stir to combine.
  4. Bring stock up to a light simmer and cook, covered, about 40 minutes. You may way to stir part way through to ensure it's not sticking. Also, ensure that the simmer is not too rapid so it doesn't burn.
  5. When liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked, turn off heat and let sit, still covered, for 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir. Portion and garnish as desired. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • I used whole grain brown rice (not precooked).
  • When cutting the chicken, you want about 4-5 chunks per thigh.  I left it on the larger size so it can withstand the cooking time.  Chicken thighs can withstand longer cooking times than chicken breasts too.
  • I used unsalted stock in this recipe.  If you use salted, please adjust your salt accordingly to taste.
  • Keep in mind that the spicier the salsa you use, the spicier this recipe will be.  If you are using a spicy salsa, you may want to omit the cayenne.
  • When cooking this dish, it is important that it's on a light simmer.  You want the rice to cook and liquid to absorb, but you don't want to burn the rice.  
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Southwest Chicken and Rice Skillet
Amount Per Serving
Calories 502 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 115mg 38%
Sodium 1146mg 48%
Potassium 993mg 28%
Total Carbohydrates 61g 20%
Dietary Fiber 8g 32%
Sugars 5g
Protein 34g 68%
Vitamin A 25.8%
Vitamin C 29.3%
Calcium 7.7%
Iron 21.3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. You know what? I DO love rice! I cook with it all the time, and it’s fabulous. I haven’t done much with brown rice, but I really should change that! This sounds so yummy 😀

    Reply

  4. This one pot meal sounds like my plan of a weeknight dinner. Thanks for such a wonderful and easy recipe. I love southwest flavors. Gonna give this one a try!

    Reply

  6. I love easy meals like this! Especially when they’re filled with southwest flavors, one of my favorites! I could easily make a meal out of this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Such a delicious dish! Pinned! Happy Monday to you!

    Reply

  7. I was just saying to Keith that we need more go-to weeknight meal that can be made in one pot and this fits the bill perfectly – so many flavors that we both love! Thank you, my friend!

    Reply

  9. These types of recipes are my absolute favorite! I love southwest flavors, I love healthy, and I love easy to prepare! Meaning, I straight up LOVE this recipe and I can’t wait to try it! Pinning!

    Reply

  12. Love that this is a one pan meal Dawn! My husband can also attest to the huge mess I make in the kitchen, so one pot meals are a win in our house! I also love that this dish is both hearty and healthy! A perfect winter meal! Happy weekend!

    Reply

  13. This is totally my kind of meal, Dawn!! I love skillet meals, I love rice, I love chicken, I love southwest spices….seriously, there is nothing NOT to love in here!! Can’t wait to try it and let you know how we love it!! I hope you have a great weekend!!

    Reply

  14. I can so relate to making a mess in the kitchen. The concept of “clean as you go” is totally lost on me, so this recipe is made for me! Rice is a staple around here for sure. I’ve recently started making it over the weekend and re-heating as needed throughout the week. It reheats beautifully, and rice-based dishes make the best leftovers I find 🙂

    Reply

  17. This is the perfect weeknight meal for my family. Every ingredient in this is something my daughter would actually eat…which is a small miracle!! YUMMMM! Thank you for the great recipe.

    Reply

  19. This is my favorite kind of dinner–easy, but delicious and nutritious. And comforting too! All those spices make me smile :). I’m glad your weather is a little better; berry season will be here before we know it and I can’t wait! Have a great weekend, Dawn!

    Reply

  20. We absolutely love rice around our house, too! This southwestern version is not just calling my name…it’s screaming my name! As in, I need to stop everything I’m doing and go make this one for dinner. I love the flavors you’ve got going on here, Dawn! Thanks for sharing, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead! 🙂

    Reply

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