Mexican Chicken and Rice

mexican chicken and rice|Life With Garnish

I first had this dish last year when I went to my mom’s house for the Thanksgiving holiday. My kids and I arrived a couple days early. Along with my sister and her two kids, my lovely mom and her wonderful husband, Servando. Total=10 people! That’s 10 people ya’ll, in one house, for three days!

Needless to say, we had to eat more than just Thanksgiving dinner while we were there, although we did cook enough Thanksgiving dinner to EAT ON for 3 days:) When we arrived at my mom’s and walked into her house there was THE MOST amazing smell coming from her kitchen. Of course me being me, off to the kitchen I went. If you ever decide to give this recipe a try you will understand what I mean when I tell you I totally thought Servando was pulling my leg when he told me he was cooking chicken and rice. It didn’t smell like any chicken and rice I’d ever eaten. Well believe me when I tell you it wasn’t! It’s so much more.

mexican chicken and rice|Life With Garnish

After eating this dish it will make you not want to eat the traditional southern chicken and rice recipe ever again. Not joking here! And with me being raised and presently living in the south I have had my fair share of different chicken and rice recipes. Or as some people call it, chicken pilau, or as we SAY it, chicken (PER-lo).

mexican chicken and rice|Life With Garnish

Well anyway, no matter how you say or spell it, it still doesn’t compare to this Mexican Chicken and Rice recipe. Or should I say Mexican Chicken Pilau, or maybe Mexican Chicken Per-lo? Or how about pollo y arroz? Is that the correct way to say it in Spanish?

mexican chicken and rice|Life With Garnish

There is one difference between his recipe and mine. He uses fresh cut up tomatoes and tomato sauce where I use Thick and Chunky Salsa. Sorry Servando! I didn’t have any tomatoes and seeing that salsa has tomatoes, garlic and onion in it I didn’t think it would hurt to use what I had. It didn’t. It was still amazing!

mexican chicken and rice|Life With Garnish

Anyway, here’s the recipe to the most delicious mexican chicken and rice recipe you’ll ever need!

Mexican Chicken and Rice

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 cups rice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 green onion stalks, chopped
  • 4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced into bite sized pieces
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • 1 cup Thick and Chunky Salsa

Instructions

  1. Put oil and rice in a large pot.
  2. Cook on medium high heat until light brown, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add garlic and onion.
  4. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
  5. Add chicken breasts, broth, cumin and salsa.
  6. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer, cover.
  7. Cook until rice is tender.

Notes

Cook time is for brown rice. If you use white rice the cook time will be less.

https://lifewithgarnish.com/mexican-chicken-rice/

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