The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
Some nights you just want that cozy Mexican-restaurant flavor without leaving the house. This one-pan chicken and rice has turned into one of my go-to dinners on busy weeks — simple ingredients, minimal cleanup, and it tastes like way more work went into it than actually did. Once you try it homemade, you might stop ordering it out.
Why This Works
The chicken gets seared first and pulled out, so all that seasoned fat stays in the pan — that’s what the rice toasts in. Skip that step and cook the rice in plain oil instead, and you lose most of the flavor before the broth even goes in. The rice also cooks in a mix of broth, water, tomato sauce, and bouillon instead of plain water, so it’s absorbing flavor the whole time instead of after the fact. Letting it rest covered for those last 5–10 minutes matters more than people think — the residual steam finishes cooking any stubborn grains near the top without drying out the rest.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast or thighs, cut into small pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for cooking
- 1 tsp each: garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, cumin
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- Quick swap: skip all the spices above and use 1 packet fajita seasoning instead
For the Rice
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp Knorr Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor
- Olive oil, as needed
To Serve
- Half a jar of your favorite queso
- Chips, salsa, pico, guac
How to Make It
- Toss the chicken with the olive oil and all the spices until fully coated.
- Cook in a hot, lightly oiled skillet about 3 minutes per side until done through, then pull it out and set aside.
- In that same pan, add a bit more oil, the onion, and rice — stir often until the onion softens and the rice turns lightly golden.
- Pour in the broth, water, and tomato sauce, then stir in the bouillon.
- Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer 15–20 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid is gone.
- Turn off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 5–10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
- Pile the chicken back on top, pour queso over everything, and serve with chips and all your favorite toppings.
Prep time: 10 minutes · Cook time: 30 minutes · Servings: 4–6
Tips
- Don’t lift the lid while it simmers — let the steam do its job.
- If the rice needs more time but the liquid’s already gone, add a splash of broth and keep cooking.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully with a spoon of broth stirred in to loosen it back up.
Variations
The fajita seasoning swap works in a pinch, but the from-scratch spice mix has more depth — I’d skip the packet if you have five extra minutes. Swapping in brown rice sounds healthier on paper, but it needs almost double the liquid and cook time, and by the time it’s done the chicken’s gone cold — not worth the trade here. Black beans stirred in during the last few minutes of simmering are worth trying if you want more bulk.
Make-Ahead
The rice and chicken both hold up fine in the fridge for a few days, but don’t add the queso until you’re ready to eat — it breaks and gets grainy once it’s been refrigerated and reheated. Reheat the rice and chicken together with a splash of broth, then melt fresh queso on top right before serving.
FAQ
What’s the difference between arroz con pollo and regular Mexican rice with chicken on the side?
Arroz con pollo cooks the chicken and rice together (or at least in the same pan, using the same seasoned fat and broth), so the flavors actually merge — it’s not just two separate components plated next to each other.
Can I use brown rice instead of white?
Technically yes, but I wouldn’t. It needs close to double the water and simmer time, which throws off the whole timing of the dish and the chicken ends up sitting around too long.
Why did my rice turn out mushy?
Usually too much liquid, or the lid got lifted mid-simmer and let steam escape unevenly. Stick to the exact liquid measurements here and leave the lid alone until the timer’s up.
Can I make this in a rice cooker or Instant Pot instead?
You can adapt it, but you’ll lose the toasted-rice step that happens in the skillet, which is honestly half the flavor. If you’re set on a shortcut appliance, at least sear the chicken and sauté the rice in a pan first, then transfer everything over.
Closing Thoughts
A cold horchata or a simple margarita rounds this out nicely if you’re leaning into the restaurant-night feeling all the way.
Restaurant-Style Arroz con Pollo
This Restaurant-Style Arroz con Pollo is an easy one-pan dinner made with seasoned chicken, flavorful tomato rice, chicken broth, and creamy queso. It delivers cozy Mexican-restaurant-inspired flavor with simple ingredients and minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the chicken pieces to a bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and salt. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a small amount of olive oil.
- Add the seasoned chicken and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until fully cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Add a little more olive oil to the same skillet. Add the diced onion and long-grain white rice.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften and the rice becomes lightly golden.
- Pour in the chicken broth, water, and tomato sauce. Stir in the tomato bouillon with chicken flavor.
- Cover the skillet and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Do not lift the lid while the rice cooks.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Fluff the rice gently with a fork.
- Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and arrange it over the rice.
- Pour the warm queso over the chicken and rice.
- Serve warm with chips, salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole if desired.
Notes
For a shortcut, replace the garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and salt used for the chicken with 1 packet of fajita seasoning.
Do not lift the lid while the rice simmers. Keeping the skillet covered allows the steam to cook the rice evenly.
If the rice still needs more cooking time but the liquid has already been absorbed, add a small splash of warm chicken broth, cover, and continue cooking.
For leftovers, add a spoonful of chicken broth before reheating to help loosen the rice and keep it moist.
