A lot of my recipes are born out of laziness. Laziness or resourcefulness, depending on how you look at it.
When I made this recipe, I was too resourceful to wash a ton of dishes.
I was also too resourceful to drag myself out to the grocery store.
I had a serious craving for One Pot Cheesy Chicken Taco Rice last week, but I found myself without most of the ingredients. Rather than go out, I decided to majorly improvise.
What I thought would wind up as a sad attempt at Taco Rice actually wound up being a killer, creamy, cheesy chicken and rice dish all on its own that I couldn't wait to share with you. I dinner-ified Jalapeno Poppers!
Thank goodness for lazy days, right?
To make this recipe work, I saute cubed chicken breast, diced jalapenos, and minced garlic in butter and oil. Rice and chicken stock are then added in and cooked until the rice absorbs most of the liquid and the chicken is cooked through. Next, milk, cream cheese, cheddar, green onion, and a few spices are stirred in, and... well, that's about all that's necessary, actually. Who knew something so delicious could be so simple?
To take it a step further, if you use an oven-safe pot to make this recipe, you can sprinkle the Creamy Jalapeno Popper Chicken and Rice with breadcrumbs and put it under the broiler until crisp and golden-brown on top. I like to divide mine into little cocottes first so I can serve them in intact individual portions, and I garnish with sliced jalapeno, green onion, and cilantro.
It's one of those dishes that make you realize that it's alright-- and even downright delicious-- to cut corners in the kitchen sometimes!
Print
One Pot Creamy Jalapeno Popper Chicken and Rice
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced, plus more to garnish
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups instant rice
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 3 sprigs green onion, sliced, plus more to garnish
- ½ cup milk
- 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs, to top (optional)
- Cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- In a large, high-walled skillet or pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter and oil together. Season the cubed chicken breast with salt and pepper and then add to the pot. Add in the diced jalapenos and saute until the chicken has browned and the jalapeno has softened, stirring and turning often, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about one minute.
- Add the instant rice, spices, and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed the majority of the liquid, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add in the green onion, milk, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese, and stir until completely melted and evenly distributed.
- Transfer to oven safe dishes (or keep in the pot, if oven-safe) and sprinkle with breadcrumb. Broil until the tops have browned lightly, 1-2 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, sliced jalapeno, and green onion and serve warm.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
Kate says
Magnificent site. Lots of useful info here. I am sending it to a few pals ans additionally sharing in delicious.
And of course, thanks for your effort!
Karen @ On the Banks of Salt Creek says
I probably would have ordered pizza.....oh wait, that was my city life. No pizza joints in the boonies.
This recipe looks delish! Great job.
Rebecca @ Bring Back Delicious says
Well, when you have things like milk, breadcrumbs, butter, and cheese, it's bound to be good! I like the little pots you served them in too.
I'm about to go eat my bagged lunch at work. My health (aka boring) grilled chicken and veggie lunch. Reading this post before lunch was apparently a very very bad idea... 🙂
CakePants says
I saw this on Foodgawker a few hours ago, but my (dinosaur of a) computer was having issues all afternoon so I wasn't able to load the actual page until now. The photos are so tantalizing that they kept me trying all day to come back to view the recipe, and I have to say, it looks well worth the wait! I'm looking forward to trying this!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Wow.. so creamy and delicious! These little one pot chicken rice dishes look so comforting, warming and inviting. They are all I am craving right now.
nicky @ Kitchen Sanctuary says
I have a pile of dishes that i'm resourcefully avoiding right now too.
Sometimes I think we need the challenge of limited ingredients (and pots) to come up with a winner. That's what I'm telling myself anyway, now I've read your post.
You're a bad influence Morgan 🙂
Looks delish btw!
The Blonde Chef says
Wow does this look delicious! I love the flavor profiles here and that you served it up in cute little cocottes! Definitely a winner 🙂
Teresa says
I made this a few weeks ago and added some cooked, crumbled bacon before putting in the oven. It was delicious! My little family of four left so little that my husband and daughter fought over who would get the small leftover dab for lunch the following day. My daughter has been begging me to make it again soon and I plan to. Thanks for sharing!
John Kentzel-Griffin says
I made a pot of this yesterday. I used instant brown rice instead of white. I thought it was going to be too soupy, but it thickened up. I'm going to make this again!
Thanks.
Jeannie says
Can i substitute regular rice? I dont have instant rice.
Morgan says
Regular rice needs to be cooked much longer so you'd have to fully cook your chicken, remove it from the pot (so it doesn't overcook), cook your rice, and add the chicken back in at the end. Hope that helps!