skillet chicken with mexican green rice in a pan with a spoon

I made this for dinner last night and it was so delicious, I knew I had to share the recipe right away. My husband and 2-year-old loved it and both went back for seconds. I love a good meal that my boys devour.

That is one of the reasons I love cooking so much! It is all about taking care of the people we love.

It makes me happy to create delicious, healthy, and gluten-free meals that help me and others do just that. And if we’re being honest the other big reason is just because I love to eat!

This meal is a win-win-win as far as I’m concerned. It is most importantly so delicious!

Skillet chicken and mexican green rice in a pan with a spoon

The chicken and rice are simmered in a flavorful mixture of peppers, garlic, onions and spicy sauce. With a mix in of fresh cilantro and spinach before serving, it is bursting with flavor. It is also a one-pan meal, and who doesn’t love that. I am forever scarred by living in dishwasher-less apartments in college. Long live one pan meals!

You can make this dish with either brown or white rice. I love the nutty texture and flavor of brown rice with all the spices, but you can easily make it with white rice for a quick 30-minute meal. I’ve included instructions for both.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as we did!

Skillet chicken over rice with beans on the side on a grey plate

Skillet chicken with mexican green rice in a pan
5 from 3 votes

Skillet Chicken with Mexican Green Rice

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 servings
A one-pan meal with chicken and rice simmered in a flavorful mixture of peppers, garlic, onions and spicy sauce. A delicious weeknight meal!

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 or 3 pieces each
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion finely chopped (about 1/2 an onion)
  • 1/2 cup poblano pepper cored, seeded, and chopped (about 1 poblano pepper)
  • 2 garlic cloves finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup salsa verde
  • 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
  • 3 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves (optional)
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Pepper Jack for a spicier option

Instructions 

  • Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet (that has a tight-fitting lid) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until browned on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side. You may have to do this in 2 batches. You don't want to cook the chicken all the way through here. Just give it some color! Transfer to a plate.
  • Add the onion and poblano to the now empty skillet. Add a touch more oil if necessary. Add a bit of salt and pepper and saute until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Add the cumin, salt, salsa verde, chicken stock, and rice and stir to combine. Nestle the chicken back into the rice mixture.
  • Place a lid on top then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pot from the heat then let sit with the lid on for 5 minutes. Fluff rice and chicken then cilantro, spinach and cheese and stir. Let dish sit for 3-4 minutes to thicken and then serve.
Skillet Chicken with Mexican Green Rice! An easy, flavorful weeknight dinner. (Gluten-Free)

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Hi, I’m Erin!

BS Food Science,

MS Nutrition

I believe you can make amazing, gluten-free food with everyday ingredients that everyone will enjoy. I’m here to share my tried-and-true recipes with you!

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Comments

  1. hola como puedo ver el contenido de esta pagina bueno de las recetas en español, gracias por todo gracias

  2. Hi- love this recipe but the cooking time is off. If using regular rice (not quick cooking), it takes well over 90 minutes for the brown rice version, and over 55 minutes for the white rice version. It is super yummy, but difficult to plan when the cooking time is so much longer. It also needs amore cooking liquid due to the longer cooking time.

  3. hey,i just wanted to say that the rice to liquid ratio is all wrong. I barely put one cup of rice and it came out good, but kinda mushy. There was no extra liquid left over. I think I will put less rice next time. The dish was great though, i rly liked it.

    1. I think you need to do the reverse. If you put the suggested 1 1/2 cups of rice, it won’t be mushy in the end because you’ll have more rice for the water to absorb, making each grain less mushy or water-logged. Hope that helps!

  4. Made this tonight and it was fantastic!! Great recipe thanks for sharing. Tripled the garlic because we love garlic. Added a Serrano for some heat. Quick and easy and delicious!

  5. Just made this but substituted with chicken thighs. After they came out of the oven I shredded up the chicken and mixed in with the rice. So good! Great recipe!

  6. 5 stars
    Hey Erin,
    Sydnie Freeman pointed me to your blog for some great Gluten Free meals. And I love what I am seeing. I do have questions about this recipe. No the recipe actually, but what sides would you suggest with this meal? We are having some gluten free guests over and I am have a lot of trouble with this!

    Any help would be great. If you could reply with an email, even better!

    -Marche

  7. I’m a little confused – is step 3 for the brown rice variation, or step 4? If you read through the instructions, it’s not clear.

    1. Thanks for pointing this out! I’ve changed the instructions. Hopefully they are more clear now! Let me know if you have any other questions.

  8. This looks really good! Will definitely put this on my ‘to cook’ list 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!

  9. 5 stars
    Looks really good! I’m thinking of making it tonight. Did you have any issues with the rice being overdone or too soggy because your liquid to rice ratio was off?

    1. Hi Amanda! The rice turned out perfect for me! The green enchilada sauce counts for some of the rice cooking liquid. I hope it works for you!

  10. I am so going to make this!! It looks amazing and I’m all about the one-pan-no-dishes approach!

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