Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice
This Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice is as delicious as the colors are vibrant. It’s truly a feast for the senses. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are rubbed with a blend of spices then nestled into a creamy rice mixture and slow cooked until the rice and chicken are tender. Topped with plenty of gooey cheese and chopped chives or green onion for even more color then serve with your favorite taco toppings for a homemade fiesta any night of the week.
Fiesta Chicken and Rice is Slow Cooked Mexican Food for Dinner
If your family is like mine, we have to have at least one Mexican or Southwestern inspired dish every week. Truth be told, we often enjoy these flavors in some form more often. Dishes like tacos, enchiladas, pico de gallo, taco salads and queso dips are fun food to make and eat. Then there’s guacamole which we love so much we vote it should have its own food group.
Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice
This festive chicken and rice dish is one you might not think there’s time to prepare on a busy day but, it‘s designed for just that. Everything goes into the slow cooker and the rest is history. Top it with sour cream, olives, pico de gallo, salad or guacamole and it becomes a one pot meal. Other dishes you may like to try 10 Dishes To Rock Your Cinco de Mayo Celebration, a classic side dish made on the stovetop Mexican Rice and Slow Cooker Street Tacos.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil plus additional as needed
- 2 tsp ground cumin divided
- 2 tsp chili powder divided
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 medium red bell pepper poblano pepper & onion diced
- 4 Tbsp butter or light butter
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 10 oz package of saffron rice [I used Mahatma]
- 1 14 oz can chicken broth
- 1 10 oz can cream of celery soup
- 1/2 cup chunky salsa
- 1 cup cooked black beans rinsed
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
- chopped chives or green onions for garnishing
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together, lime juice, olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder and garlic salt to form a paste. Rub on all sides of chicken, set aside.
- On the stove top, saute the diced peppers and onions in a couple of drizzles of olive oil until beginning to brown. Season with salt and black pepper to your taste. Add butter and minced garlic. Simmer for 1 minute.
- To the pan add the chicken stock, scraping any brown bits from pan. Stir in remaining cumin, chili powder plus 1 tsp oregano. Stir well.
- Add rice, soup, salsa, cilantro, black beans, corn and chopped cilantro. Mix thoroughly then pour into slow cooker. Arrange chicken breasts on top..
- Cook on low for 4 1/2-5 hours. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and sprinkle shredded cheese on top then replace the lid. Keep warm just until cheese has melted.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole on the side and garnish with chopped chives or green onions before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Can you freeze leftovers?
Yes, cool completely then, package and freeze.
We had this for dinner tonight and it was a universal hit! Absolutely delicious! We needed a bit more rice, so I added 1/2 cup of Basmati Rice and an extra cup of chicken broth. Served with sour cream, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, and Salsa Verde. Well worth the effort!
Sounds wonderful, thanks so much!
Is this really spicy or just good flavor? Would love to make for dinner tonight!
You can adjust the heat to your taste by using a mild salsa. Since spice is totally subjective I would say adjust any of the seasonings to your personal taste and it should work well for you.
Wow! This was awesome! Only had to make a few changes. Substituted kidney beans for black beans (black beans really mess with my stomach). The only rice i had on hand was Goya Spanish rice and it worked out nicely in this recipe. I did end up adding another half cup of chicken broth. Used fresh pablano peppers from my garden and added a dash of chipotle hot sauce. Thanks for this recipe! Will definitely make this again!
Wonderful, so happy you loved this one!
Can you put the chicken in frozen or does it have to be defrosted?
I’ve done it both ways and frozen or partially frozen is fine.