All you need to make this hearty weeknight dish is a handful of ingredients and one pot! Even better — all the components, including perfectly seasoned chicken, Mexican-style rice and chopped zucchini and bell peppers, get cooked together at the exact same time, so you can still help out with homework, catch up on laundry or take a few moments of “me time” before heading to the dinner table.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 plum tomato, finely diced
- 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 1/4 cups no-sodium chicken broth or water
- One 6.4-ounce box Mexican style rice
- Sliced scallions, fresh cilantro leaves and lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the chili powder and several grinds of pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots and almost cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in the same skillet. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes and zucchini and cook until the garlic is tender and fragrant, about 1 minute more. Stir in the broth, reserved chicken and the rice and seasoning packet from the box. Bring to a boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the rice is tender, the chicken is cooked through and the liquid is almost completely absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let sit for 3 minutes to steam. Top with scallions and cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 370 |
| Total Fat | 9 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 1 grams |
| Cholesterol | 83 milligrams |
| Sodium | 708 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 39 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 grams |
| Sugar | 7 grams |
| Protein | 33 grams |
Reviews
I am hoping this settles on my tummy okay. Spice is just right, but just noticed the store gave me the non gluten free version of Old El Paso (Spanish rice instead of cheesy Mexican rice (I’m exhausted and literally did not see the difference), which I will try next time). Unless you want a sauce forward dish, the broth needs to be reduced to allow for the water from the zucchini. I cooked mine for 25 minutes and the rice was still al dente and a bit chewy. I didn’t want to overcook the zucchini, so will cut it into bigger chunks next time and increase the time by a few minutes. Otherwise, spice is just right.