Description
This One Pot Queso Chicken and Rice is a quick, family-friendly dinner featuring tender chicken, fluffy rice, nacho cheese sauce, and zesty Rotel tomatoes. Everything cooks together in one skillet for minimal cleanup and maximum flavor. Ready in just 33 minutes with simple pantry ingredients!
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 large chicken breasts)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2¼ cups chicken broth
- 1 can (15 oz) nacho cheese sauce
- 1 can (10 oz) Rotel
- 1½ cups uncooked long-grain white rice
Optional Toppings:
- Sour cream
- Pico de gallo or chopped tomatoes
- Sliced avocado
- Your favorite taco toppings
Friendly Notes:
- Nacho cheese sauce can be found in the Mexican food aisle near the salsas and canned goods
- Rotel comes in different heat levels – mild, original, medium, or spicy. Pick what works for your family!
- Use long-grain white rice only – NOT minute rice or instant rice
- Oil options: I prefer light-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, but avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil work great too
- Chicken swap: Chicken tenderloins work perfectly here instead of breasts
Instructions
Cut up your chicken into little bite-sized pieces. I go for about an inch, sometimes smaller. Smaller pieces cook faster and nobody wants to be cutting up their dinner at the table, you know?
Heat up your pan with that oil over medium-high heat. When it’s good and hot, toss in the chicken and all those seasonings at once – garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, pepper. Stir it around pretty often so nothing burns. Takes maybe 6-8 minutes for the chicken to cook through. Sometimes there’s extra liquid in the pan after the chicken cooks – just tip the pan and pour it out.
Dump in the chicken broth, the entire can of nacho cheese sauce, and that can of Rotel with all its juice. Stir it all up and let it come to a boil. Shouldn’t take long, maybe two or three minutes.
When it’s boiling, pour in the rice and stir it around so it’s all mixed in. Put the lid on, turn the heat way down to medium-low, and set a timer for 20 minutes. I know it’s tempting to keep checking on it, but every time you lift that lid, steam escapes and it messes with how the rice cooks. Just leave it alone.
After 20-25 minutes, take the lid off and check if the rice is soft and all the liquid’s soaked up. If it is, you’re done! Scoop it into bowls and let everyone add whatever toppings they want.
Notes
- Pan size matters! Use a 12-inch skillet with higher sides. A pan that’s too small will overflow, and a pan that’s too shallow won’t contain the liquid properly during the simmer.
- Drain that liquid! If you see excess moisture in the pan after cooking the chicken, definitely drain it. Too much liquid will throw off the rice-to-liquid ratio.
- Chicken tenderloins hack: If using tenderloins instead of breasts, remove that white tendon-like string before cutting into chunks. It’s tough and chewy – nobody wants that!
- Check for doneness: If your rice isn’t quite tender after 25 minutes, add a splash more broth (¼ cup), cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex