I’m all about cooking as much flavor into rice as possible and this Chipotle Lime Chicken and Rice is FLA-VOR-FUL! You’ve got a hefty dose of spices, tangy lime juice, and a bunch of flavor from the chicken that cooks right in the same pot. It turns out smoky, spicy, tangy, and oh so delicious! And don’t worry, I’ve got some suggested sides to round out your meal listed below.
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What is Chipotle Powder?
Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeño peppers. They give a beautifully spicy, smoky flavor to everything. You can buy chipotle peppers dried, canned with adobo sauce, or ground into a powder. This recipe uses the powdered form, which can be found along with other herbs and spices in the spice aisle.
Can I Use Bone-In Chicken?
The quick cooking method used in this recipe is not suitable for bone-in chicken breasts, as they require a much longer cooking time. It may work with smaller bone-in chicken thighs, but you’ll want to use a meat thermometer to make sure they reach 165ºF on the inside. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work just as well as the boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe.
Tomato Options
You have a few options for the diced tomatoes in this recipe. I used a can of plain diced tomatoes because that is what was available the day I made this, but I also tried it with fire-roasted diced tomatoes while in the recipe testing phase and they were fantastic. You could also do a petite diced tomatoes if you don’t like such large tomato pieces, or even a diced tomato with green chiles if you want it extra-EXTRA spicy.
What to Serve with Chipotle Lime Chicken and Rice
Because this dish is so spicy you’ll probably want to pair it with something that has a cooling effect, so something that is creamy or can be served cold to balance the heat. A little dollop of sour cream on top would be good, or maybe a slice or two of avocado, if you have it. And I highly suggest something green to round out the colors on your plate. Here are some great side dish options:
- Charred Corn and Zucchini Salad
- Warm Corn and Avocado Salad
- Cowboy Caviar
- Quick Seasoned Black Beans
Chipotle Lime Chicken and Rice
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1.5 tsp chipotle powder ($0.15)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1 lime ($0.50)
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1 lb.) ($5.79)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes* ($0.59)
- 1 cup chicken broth ($0.13)
- 1 cup long grain white rice ($0.62)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.22)
- 1 oz. Cotija cheese (optional) ($0.55)
Instructions
- Combine the chipotle powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a bowl. Squeeze 2 Tbsp juice from the lime into a separate bowl (this should be about half a lime, save the other half to cut into wedges for garnish).
- Use a rolling pin or a mallet to gently pound the chicken breast to an even thickness (about ¾-inch thick). Use half of the prepared spice mix to coat both sides of the chicken pieces (reserve the other half of the spices for later).
- Heat the cooking oil in a large deep skillet over medium. Once hot, add the chicken and cook for a few minutes on each side, or until browned. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked, just browned on both sides. It will continue to cook with the rice.
- While the chicken is cooking, dice the onion. Remove the browned chicken from the skillet to a clean plate. Add the diced onion to the skillet and sauté until softened. Add the remaining spices and sauté for one minute more.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), rice, chicken broth, and lime juice to the skillet with the onions. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the browned chicken back to the skillet. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium high, and allow the liquid to come up to a boil.
- Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, and allow the chicken and rice to simmer on low for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let the skillet rest, without lifting the lid, for an additional 5 minutes.
- Finally, remove the lid, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Fluff the rice to stir the tomato and onion back in. Slice the chicken then place it on top of the rice. Sprinkle with slice green onion and Cotija cheese. Add any remaining lime wedges, and serve!
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Notes
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How to Make Chipotle Lime Chicken and Rice – Step by Step Photos
Combine 1.5 tsp chipotle powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Squeeze about 2 Tbsp juice from a lime into a separate bowl (that should be about ½ the lime, so you can save the other half to make wedges for garnish).
Use a rolling pin or a mallet to gently pound 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts out to an even thickness (about ¾-inch thick). Use half of the spice blend to season both sides of the chicken. Save the other half of the spices for later.
Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a large deep skillet. Once hot, add the seasoned chicken and cook for a few minutes on both sides, or just until browned. It doesn’t have to be cooked through here because it will cook more with the rice.
While the chicken is cooking, dice one yellow onion. Remove the browned chicken to a clean plate, then add the diced onion in its place. Sauté the onion for a few minutes, or until softened, then add the remaining spices and sauté for one minute more.
Add one 15oz. can diced tomatoes, 1 cup long grain white rice, 1 cup chicken broth, and 2 Tbps lime juice to the skillet. Stir briefly to combine and dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.
Add the browned chicken back to the skillet. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the liquid to come up to a boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let the pot simmer on low for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest, with the lid in place, for another 5 minutes.
Finally, remove the lid. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Fluff the rice with a fork to stir the tomatoes and onion back into the rice. Slice the chicken, then place it back on top of the rice.
Sprinkle sliced green onions on top, a little Cotija cheese, and add any remaining lime wedges.
Serve and enjoy! A little sour cream on top wouldn’t be so bad, either. ;)
Long-time fan, first time commentor. With one pot recipes like this, I am concerned about arsenic levels in rice (esp. brown), which are normally reduced by soaking the rice and then cooking in excess water that is poured off (I.e., how one more typically cooks pasta, as advised by the US FDA). Can you suggest alternate grains that would work for this style of recipe and how to make modifications? Thanks for your great recipes, Beth and team!
We’d have to test out some options to give you concrete swaps and instruction, and we only developed this one using white rice (even brown rice would require adjustments). If you do want to try it, quinoa would probably be the closest, but again, we haven’t tried it so no guarantees! :)
I would definitely be interested in seeing one-pot recipes with other grains cooked in the broth like this. Maybe quinoa, or bulgar, or barley. Thanks!
My family loved this! I saved this recipe over a year ago and finally made it today. I used chili powder instead of chipotle because I wasn’t sure how spicy chipotle powder is. I didn’t think there would be enough liquid so I added an extra 1/2 cup broth- it came out saucy, so maybe the extra wasn’t necessary, but we liked the consistency. My son hates tomatoes so I left them out, and mixed in some chopped fresh tomato at the end after scooping out his portion. I also cut the chicken up into little pieces and mixed it in with the rice before serving. Next time I’m going to try adding some corn.
This was AMAZING! Definitely an instant favorite with so many ways to mix it up.
I doubled the recipe and ended up adding 4c of broth instead of 2c and cooking for 25+ minutes to get my rice to cook. I’ll definitely add more broth from the start next time.
I also added a half pack of Sazon and one of my cans of tomatoes had jalepenos in it. Delish!!
Could I use Chipotle in Adobo sauce instead of the powder and how much?
I love this recipe! Sometimes I just make the rice in this recipe, or when I’m feeling really poor, I make the rice and then add red kidney beans and/or black beans for the protein instead of chicken. I also add some sazón seasoning. It always turns out right!
This recipe is awesome!!! I slightly reduces the amount of rice, increased chicken broth, substituted chipotle pepper paste over the powder, and added cilantro and avocado at the end. This recipe is an instant classic and I will definitely be making it again.
I followed the recipe to a T and this took absolutely forever to get the rice to cook. My chicken was done but the rice was hard despite cooking for the 20 mins allocated in the recipe.
This was delicious! Very easy and versatile with options for toppings – sour cream, cheese (only had tasty on hand) and avocado suited well. I added a bit more of all spices just by hand for more kick.
I even forgot to sauté the onion and it was still a hit!
Hi, do you have any suggestions for cooking the skillet in the oven instead? Unfortunately I don’t have one with a lid that’s large enough.
The browning steps for the chicken and then deglazing the pan to get up all that flavor definitely needs to be done on the stove top. While it may be possible to do something similar (but still different because no browning), we’d really need to do some testing before being able to offer concrete suggestions.
Question: Should we rinse the rice first?
It’s up to you, just make sure to drain it well. :)
Could I make this with rotisserie chicken?
Since the rotisserie chicken is already cooked you wouldn’t get the nice browning action that you get with cooking the raw chicken coated in spices. It would definitely turn out differently.
Love this recipe! Any word on a modification for brown rice?
Thanks!
Unfortunately, there is not an easy answer for that one! Brown rice requires more liquid and a much longer cooking time so that’s going to change the recipe quite a bit.
I have made this recipe twice and it is SO good! To make it an even easier meal, I just cut the chicken up in bite size pieces and toss with the spices in a bowl. It cooks faster in the pan and then you can just leave it in when you throw the onions in. If you have kids, like I do, it will get cut up eventually anyway so it’s easier to just do it in the beginning. Plus, then you can wash the knife and cutting board then when it simmers. I love that I can clean up almost everything while it simmers, so after dinner the only clean up is the actual pan it was cooked in! So easy and delicious!
Make this often – one of my many budget byte go to recipes. i sometimes use the chicken and rice to make tacos :)
Brined my chicken, cooked it, then took it out of the pan to cook the rice. Added black beans part way through and put it in a burrito shell. Yum!