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
Nutrition
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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. ;)
Hi Beth, the ingredients list says 1 chicken breast but the picture steps say 2 chicken breasts. If I’m only using 1 chicken breast, should I use half of the other ingredients as well?
Ah, that made me do a double-take! I went back and looked at my notebook and then it made sense. The ingredient list said 1 pound of chicken breast. I had two chicken breasts that were about 1 pound total. I’ll re-word that in the ingredient list to make it more clear. :)
Ahhh makes sense. Thank you!
My family enjoyed this meal. I like the one skillet meals. Very quick. Took some leftovers to work even.
Could you leave tomatoes out of this recipe? I can’t have tomatoes, but the recipe looks good otherwise.
It will definitely change the recipe quite a bit. I’d need to test it without the tomatoes before giving an opinion on whether it’s a good option or not.
Could I butterfly the chicken instead of flattening it?
Yes :)
I made this tonight for dinner and it was really good! So easy to make too. I prepped the chicken and the onions and the spices ahead of time so final cooking was only 20 minutes
Really good! Subbed the chipotle powder for some chili powder.
I’ve amassed quite a few of cans of tomatoes in my pantry so whenever I get the chance to use them, I’m gamed. I messed up twice while making this recipe. First, when I was supposed to let the pot continue to cook the rice and chicken with the fire OFF for five minutes, the fire was so low that I accidentally left the stove on the entire time (ughh!). Second, I missed the part about sautéing the remaining spices with the onion, so I ended up just adding it to the pot at the end. My result wasn’t as pretty as Beth’s, but it was still a yummy lunch. It’s definitely heavy on the tomatoes, so skip this if you’re not a tomato person. Otherwise, it’s a great and inexpensive recipe to munch on for a few days.
I made this as a lunch prep for the week and I looooove it. I’ve just been eating it cold over a bed of spinach and it’s still terrific.
This was really good! I made up some fajita veggies along with it. I like spicy food, but if you’re sensitive to spice you may want to tone down the chipotle some. Make sure you just sear the chicken to get some good color on it. It will cook PLENTY with the rice. Mine ended up being a touch dry, but that can easily be fixed by toning down the sear time and not pounding it out as thin.
An easy, tasty recipe that’s delicious and flavorful. Even though it was a little spicy, it was still enjoyable. Although I didn’t cube the chicken as you suggested, it was still good anyway. Is there a particular spice that adds to the ‘spiciness’? It would be nice if you could tone it down a little bit next time.
That’s the chipotle powder, which is smoked jalapeño. :) You can sub some of it with mild chili powder, if you prefer.
Just cooks down into tomato-ish rice with some chicken. While pretty much everything we’ve tried from Budget Bytes has been incredible, this one is forgettable. Hey, they can’t all be top draft picks!
Thanks for the idea for our family dinner tomorrow! I have all these ingredients on hand yet would have never dreamed of putting them all together like this!!
Really good! We didn’t have any cotija, but we topped it with shredded cheese and sour cream. DELICIOUS! Will definitely make this one again. Thanks Beth!
Really delicious, flavorful, and easy recipe to make. A little bit spicy but not bad at all and still enjoyable. I followed it exactly except I cubed the chicken like your other recipes and it’s still really good. Which of the spices adds the ‘spicy-ness’? I’d like to tone it down just a tad next time.
That’s the chipotle, which is smoked jalapeño. You can substitute with some mild chili powder, if you prefer.
How could this be adapted for brown rice?
You’d need to make quite a few adjustments, including cooking time, liquid amount, and how the ingredients are added so you don’t end up overcooking the chicken. Because so many changes would need to be made, I’d need to fully retest the recipe using that ingredient before offering any suggestions.