Easy southwest chicken and rice is my go-to meal on a busy night, chock full of brown rice, chicken, tomatoes, Tex-Mex spices and cheese. Yum!

It’s also fast and delicious, and I only use one skillet on the stove top, so there’s very little clean up, too! Yeah! Best of all, from start to finish it only takes me about 20 minutes. (And that includes draining the beans, squishing the tomatoes, and chopping the onions.)

I found the recipe years ago on the back of a box of Uncle Ben’s instant brown rice. Since the recipe calls for mostly cans and boxes, I have the ingredients ready to go whenever I want to make this. I think the original recipe called for a pound of fresh chicken breast, but I don’t always plan far enough ahead to have my chicken thawed from the freezer, so canned works best for me for this recipe.

(Here’s how I prep and freeze my chicken)

So here is the Southwest chicken recipe:

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Southwest chicken and rice

13 oz. can of chicken breast chunks

1 tsp. each chili powder and ground cumin

1 tbsp. olive oil

small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with green peppers and onions (I use Del Monte)

1/3 c. salsa

1 c. instant whole grain brown rice (I use Uncle Ben’s)

15.5 oz. can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Colby-jack or cheddar cheese for topping

Directions

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.

Add the chicken chunks and sprinkle them with cumin and chili powder.

Cook, while stirring, until chicken is coated with spices and begins to lightly brown. It will smell heavenly 🙂

Add the onion.

Cook until onions are translucent, stirring often, about 2-3 minutes, then add in the garlic.  Cook for another minute.

Now for the fun part! Drain the tomatoes into a measuring cup.  Add water to the reserved tomato juice to make 1 cup. I usually get about 2/3 c. of tomato juice out of the can by squeezing the lid down into the can, squishing the tomatoes. (Very therapeutic after a rough day).

Next, add the tomato juice/water mixture and the salsa to the skillet.

Bring to a boil, then stir in the rice.

Next, stir in the drained kidney beans and reserved tomatoes.

Reduce heat to low, then cover tightly and simmer about 8 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Remove from heat and let stand for an additional 5 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Sprinkle with cheese to serve.

Click here for printable recipe.

This easy southwest chicken and rice makes a delicious dinner paired with a crisp salad and corn bread.  Yummy!

Like I said, this is one of my family’s favorite dishes and it is so simple to make.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

~ Pam

P.S. Looking for another easy skillet meal? Try easy skillet spicy veggie, beef and rice.  It’s also delicious and fast!

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