Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword crockpot-chicken-and-rice, slow-cooked-fiesta-chicken-and-rice

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Total Time 5 15

Servings servings

Calories 632kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

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.
Cover and 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

It's a good idea to stir this at least once midway through cooking, if possible. I usually remove the chicken breasts, give the rice a good stir, and then replace the chicken. This will prevent the rice from getting too brown around the edges.

Nutrition