Description
Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake is a comforting, cheesy, and spicy dish featuring tender chicken cutlets baked over seasoned rice and kidney beans, topped with melty mozzarella and cheddar, and smothered in a homemade enchilada sauce.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup (180g) of long grain rice
- 480ml (2 cups) of chicken stock
- 300g (10.5oz) canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- small handful of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro)
- 2 uncooked chicken breasts, sliced into cutlets – approx 500g (17.5oz)
- 50g (2oz) of mozzarella, grated
- 30g (1oz) of cheddar, grated
- cooking oil spray
- salt and pepper to season
- For the Enchilada Sauce:
- 240g (1 cup) of canned crushed tomatoes (or use passata and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste)
- 180ml (3/4 cup) of chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon of paprika
- 1.5 teaspoons of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Spray a small saucepan with cooking oil and cook the onion and garlic over medium-high heat until softened.
- Add passata, stock, spices, vinegar, and maple syrup; stir thoroughly, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Blend the sauce until smooth and set aside.
- Rinse the rice until water runs clear. Add to a saucepan with chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until stock is almost absorbed. Leave covered off the heat for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°C (fan 160°C), 350°F, or gas mark 4.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
- Heat a frying pan with cooking oil and lightly brown the chicken on both sides. Pour the enchilada sauce over the chicken to coat.
- Mix the cooked rice with kidney beans and chopped coriander, and transfer to an ovenproof dish.
- Layer chicken and sauce over the rice mixture, top with cheddar and mozzarella.
- Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes until the cheese has melted and chicken is cooked through. Optionally, grill for a few minutes to brown the cheese more.
- Serve sprinkled with fresh coriander and enjoy.
Notes
- Adjust cayenne pepper to your preferred spice level.
- You can substitute mozzarella and cheddar with your favorite cheeses.
- Allow rice to rest after cooking to achieve perfect texture.
- Grill at the end for extra cheesy browning if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 680mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 36g
- Cholesterol: 90mg