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. ;)
Delicious recipe! I made it as is, except I used bone-in chicken thighs since that’s what I had in the freezer. I browned the chicken as called for, then I put them in a small pan in my toaster oven to partially cook at 375 for around 15 minutes, and sautéed the onions while I waited, then proceeded with the recipe as normal. I will definitely be making this again, as it’s so easy and tasty!
Good recipes! My family enjoyed the overall flavor and concept of the dish, but the cooking of the rice didn’t work out. After 15 minutes of simmering with the lid on and an additional 5-minute wait, The rice was very unevenly cooked. There were still a lot of crunchy bits. I added more hot liquid and cooked another 10 minutes, but it still wasn’t fully cooked. I doubled the recipe. Would that have made a difference? I’d love any suggestions.
Yes, doubling the recipe might have impacted it because it may have caused some of the rice to not get as much heat as other areas. The cookware you use can also make a difference with how evenly the rice heats (any colder areas won’t cook through and may stay crunchy). Try to use a burner that is close in size to the bottom of your pot so that the heat radiates evenly throughout.
I had the same problem with the rice, so on my second atttempt I made the rice separate in the same pot and burner I normally use for the same rice which still failed to cook. I think it has something to do with the tomatoes changing how the rice cooks, or maybe it depends on the rice (I use brown jasmine). I like the overall flavors so I’m going to try pressure cooking the tomato rice separately.
Ah yes, brown rice requires more liquid and needs to cook for nearly 3x as long, so you’d definitely need to make a lot of adjustments for it to work in this recipe.
This is sooo good! Thanks for another great recipe.
If I’m using jasmine rice instead should I use the same amount of broth?
As long as it’s a long grain jasmine and not short or medium grain, then yes, you can use the same amount. :)
Yum!!! This was delicious!! I followed everything as is. I like a good amount of spice, so the spice level was perfect for me. And my husband eats a lot of rice, so this was the perfect dinner. I highly recommend topping with green onions, cheese and sour cream!
My husband said this was a little too spicy, but adding sour cream helped a lot. I was not able to find Cotija cheese, so I left that off. It would’ve been good, I’m sure. My daughter, who likes spicy food, said it was “yummy.” I was worried about the rice cooking properly, but I think it came out fine. I used plain diced tomatoes, store brand, which may be the low light of the dish. I may try some fancier tomatoes next time. Also, I will use more chicken next time. I had a lot of rice left with no chicken to go with it.
Love, love budget bytes but this simply didn’t set up for me :( the rice was way undercooked, and no matter how much I tried to salvage it, the dish was kinda disastrous after a certain point. I tasted a small piece of the chicken and it tasted so good, but the rice never came together and i sadly gave up. Fingers crossed the next recipe is better
Any idea of what I could sub for the tomatoes? I usually use blended red peppers for tomato sauce, but not sure if I need anything else
Hmm, I’m not sure. That would be a pretty significant change in the flavor so I’d need to test options before offering a suggestion.
This has become my husband and I’s favorite dish!
This recipes is absolutely DELICIOUS! Add a little sour cream or lime crema on the side and it’s a perfect dish!
Easy and flavorful! I substituted chili powder for the chipotle spice since it was all I had, and I loved it. The chicken was perfect, but the tomato-y rice was the star in my opinion. This is going to be a side dish staple from now on.
So good! Serious comfort food, but fresh and easy. Definitely a fan favorite!
As with a lot of recipes, you can make it without the garnishes, but I highly suggest you buy/use them if you’re able. I taste-tested before sprinkling with feta and green onion and found it too turned to the tangy/spicy side, but with some melted feta it becomes balanced and more enjoyably complex.
The flavor of this was really good but i had to add so much more chicken broth and cook the rice for am additional probably should have been 10 mins. Conchy rice dinner. 😂
Fantastic! Easy and zippy flavors.