Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice
The Mexican-restaurant favourite at home — seasoned chicken and rice topped with a blanket of melty white cheese sauce.
Ingredients
- 680 g Chicken breast
- 200 g Rice
- 480 ml Chicken stock
- 30 ml Cooking oil
- 30 g Butter
- 4 g Garlic powder
- 4 g Onion powder
- 3 g Smoked paprika
- 3 g Ground cumin
- 3 g Chili powder
- 8 g Salt
- 200 g Monterey Jack
- 180 ml Heavy cream
- 1 Chili (optional)
Method
- In a small bowl, mix the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and salt to make the seasoning blend.
- Cube the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.
- Toss the cubed chicken with the seasoning blend until well coated.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken in a single layer and sear, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove to a plate and tent with foil.
- While the chicken cooks, rinse the rice under cold water until it runs clear.
- In a separate pot, combine the rinsed rice with the chicken stock and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook until tender and the liquid is absorbed.
- Grate the Monterey Jack cheese.
- Finely dice the jalapeno, with the seeds removed for less heat, if using. (optional)
- Make the cheese sauce: in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the heavy cream until just steaming, then add the grated Monterey Jack a handful at a time, stirring after each addition, until smooth and pourable. Stir in the diced jalapeno if using.
- Plate the rice and top with the seared chicken. Pour the warm cheese sauce generously over the top. Serve immediately.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice
Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice is a Tex-Mex-style comfort plate modeled on the smothered arroz con pollo you'd order at a Mexican-American restaurant: seasoned chicken and fluffy rice buried under a blanket of melted white cheese sauce. It isn't a traditional dish from Mexico so much as a crowd-pleasing riff popularized by casual restaurants in the United States, where the queso-style topping is the whole point. Every bite is warm and rich — savory cumin-and-paprika chicken, tender rice, and a creamy Monterey Jack sauce that ties it all together. A little chili keeps the richness from turning flat and gives a gentle background heat.
The flavor here comes from a homemade spice blend of garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powder that coats the cubed chicken before it sears in oil and butter, building browned, deeply seasoned edges. Searing the chicken separately and resting it under foil while the rice simmers keeps the meat juicy rather than overcooked. The white cheese sauce, loosened with heavy cream, is what turns a simple protein-and-grain dinner into something indulgent, and it's ready in about thirty-five minutes. It's a satisfying, high-protein family dinner best served straight from the skillet, maybe with pickled jalapeños or a squeeze of lime to cut the cheese.
Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice?
A serving has about 888 calories — 54g protein, 49.5g carbs, 52.6g fat, 1.5g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 54g of protein, roughly 24% of its calories.
Is Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter, Monterey Jack, Heavy cream. Swapping those for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice take to make?
About 35 minutes start to finish, but only around 22 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out chili — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Mexican Cheesy Chicken & Rice make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.