Chicken Enchilada Rice
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Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Rice is a one pot meal you can make in under an hour. A weeknight dinner that’s protein packed & meal prep friendly!
This Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Rice is an easy, flavor packed one pot chicken and rice dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights!
Made with tender chicken, white rice, black beans, corn, peppers, enchilada sauce, and plenty of melted cheddar cheese, it has all the flavors of chicken enchiladas without the work of rolling tortillas.
Ready in under an hour with 57 grams of protein per serving, this easy chicken enchilada rice is a filling, high protein dinner that’s also great for meal prep!
Tyler’s Tips for this Recipe
- Stirring the rice and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon frequently to prevent sticking and allow it to evenly cook in one pot is the key to this dish.
- Cut the chicken into even strips so you can easily cube the chicken into half inch cubes, this is the easiest way to prepare and cut the chicken evenly.
- Use low sodium ingredients. We prefer to use low sodium beans, tomatoes and broth.
substitutions
Olive Oil: You could use avocado oil, but we really recommend extra virgin olive oil
Chicken Breasts: You can substitute with boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders but we like the texture of the chicken breasts the best. We have not tried this with cubed pork tenderloin or pork chops but that may also work. If you prefer ground beef, you can definitely swap that. Brown the ground beef instead of browning the chicken or check out this Ground Beef Taco Skillet.
Vegetables: The onions and garlic can be substituted for 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon onion powder if needed. The sweet red peppers can be substituted for green peppers or other sweet frying peppers.
Beans: Pinto beans or kidney beans can be used in place of black beans.
Corn: The corn can be omitted if needed. We use frozen corn but canned corn or fresh corn can be used as well.
Broth: Any broth or stock (broth and stock are the same) can be used in any soup recipe. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low or no salt broth.
Enchilada Sauce: We used 365 Brand Organic Enchilada Sauce. It’s lower sodium than most other brands and affordable. This is another great brand!
White Rice: We haven’t tested this recipe with brown rice but it might work. Brown rice takes longer to cook and will need more broth so without trying it I can’t be sure how it will turn out! If you prefer pasta, try this Chicken Enchilada Pasta.
Cheese: The cheddar cheese has great flavor and texture for this recipe, mozzarella can be used as well if needed.
How to Make Chicken Enchilada Rice
- Brown the chicken, onions and garlic.
- Add the bell peppers, enchilada sauce, chicken broth, black beans, rice and corn to the pot.
- Bring to a boil then cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Top with cheese and cover the pot until melted.
Serving Suggestions:
This recipe is a complete meal on it’s own, no need for sides! If you are wanting more veggies you could try serving it with our Marinated Vegetable Salad or our Peach Goat Cheese Salad.
For Extra Veggies: I like to stir in a cup of cauliflower rice to my chicken taco rice bowl. I microwave the frozen cauliflower rice and simply stir it in with the cooked rice and chicken and you can’t even taste it! We also like stirring in frozen green peas (might seem weird, but they’re pretty plain and add extra protein/fiber too!)
For Toppings: It’s great with Guacamole or Corn Salsa! We also like scooping this up with tortilla chips!
storage
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. We like these containers for freezing.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave, toaster oven or on the stove.
other One Pot Rice recipes:
Chicken Enchilada Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in ½ inch cubes
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 cups diced red bell peppers
- 1 ½ cups enchilada sauce
- 1 ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 15 oz can low sodium black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup dry white rice
- ½ cup corn
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onions and garlic to the pan. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers, enchilada sauce, chicken broth, black beans, rice and corn to the pot. Stir together, cover and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice is cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid.
- Once the rice has cooked, top with cheddar cheese. Cover the pan for one minute and let the cheese melt.
- Serve in a bowl and top with your favorite hot sauce, sour cream or salsa!
