Easy, effortless midweek meal! Rice with shredded chicken cooked in a homemade enchilada sauce (or use store-bought!), topped with cheese. All made in one pot!
All you need is chicken, rice, tomato passata (or canned tomato) and a handful of pantry essentials to make this incredible flavour loaded, comfort-food-central meal. Oh wait – cheese. Of course you need cheese. This would not be “Enchilada” without cheese!
I’ve been overloading on Mexican over the last couple of weeks, sharing my Mexican Shredded Beef and Freezer Friendly Beef Burritos. I feel a bit silly sharing yet another Mexican(-esque) recipe today, but I hadn’t actually planned to! I had Cashew Chicken all ready to go, then I got the sweetest message from TWO readers in one day asking me to please share more one-pot recipes because they loved my One Pot Greek Chicken & Lemon Rice so much. 🙂 So I decided to shuffle my posting calendar a bit and share this today. I hope you don’t mind!
I love this kind of food for midweek. I call it Couch Food. The definition of Couch Food is “any meal that can be served in a bowl and eaten with a fork or spoon without taking your eyes off the TV”.
This qualifies. 100%. 🙂
There are quite a few spices required for this recipe because the sauce the rice is cooked in is essentially homemade Enchilada sauce. I’ve marked the ingredients that make up the Enchilada Sauce with an asterisk (*) so you could in fact substitute with a store bought Enchilada Sauce and it will become even easier to make!
My key tip for making this is to take it off the stove while it is still quite saucy because the rice will continue to absorb water while it is resting – and even while you are serving it. You want it pretty saucy – not sloppy, but not dry.
And please please please don’t overcook the rice so it is mushy! The liquid quantities I’ve provided will not yield mushy rice – I like mine tender but firm (it’s an Asian “thing”), but I know some people have a tendency to get stressed that the rice isn’t cooking and add more water. Which is totally fine, cook the rice to your taste but just don’t let it turn into baby food! 🙂
Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Back on Wednesday with something a bit different – but super easy, super tasty and totally irresistible! – Nagi x
PS Check out how bubbly and golden it looks…..ugh. Help me. I just want to dive in and grab a spoonful.
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One Pot Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400g (13oz) chicken breast, about 1/3"/1cm thick, sliced horizontally into thin steaks (Note 1)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 red bell pepper/capsicum, diced
- 680g (24oz) tomato passata or crushed canned tomatoes* (Note 2)
- 3 cups chicken broth or water (750ml)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn (250g)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper* (spicy - adjust to taste)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano*
- 2 tsp cumin*
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander*
- 2 tsp onion powder*
- 1 tbsp brown sugar*
- Salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (270g) white rice (short, medium or long grain , uncooked (Note 4)
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (about 125 - 150 g)
To Serve
- Chopped cilantro/coriander optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat in large skillet.
- Add chicken and cook each side for 2 minutes or until cooked, then remove onto a plate.
- Add extra oil if the skillet is looking dry. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 1/2 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add bell peppers and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients except rice and cheese. Bring to simmer, then add rice.
- Stir, cover with a lid and turn down heat to medium low. Cover and cook until rice is cooked but not mushy and most of the liquid is absorbed - about 15 to 18 minutes. (Note 3). Do not stir while it cooks.
- Meanwhile, shred or roughly chop chicken.
- When rice is cooked, quickly stir chicken through, sprinkle with cheese then pop under broil / grill until golden and bubbly.
- Serve, garnished with fresh cilantro/coriander if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings.
Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says
Ha! “It’s an Asian thing”. Girl… don’t I know it! Rice might as well be my ‘sacred cow’ – you just don’t mess with rice. Thanks to my dad, it’s the reason why I went off college with a rice cooker – I think my roommate thought I was a little weird 😉
So back to this awesome dish! Talk about some serious comfort food – me, couch, spoon, no plate. That’s what I see for the future of this dish! P.S. keep coming with the Mexican inspired dishes… love them!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
OMG I love that!!! BA HA HA!!! It reminds me of being sent to school with bento boxes!!
Ruby says
This looks amazing. Dinner tonight is sorted! Thank you
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Thanks so much Ruby!!! 🙂
Sabrina says
This looks so comforting and delicious, Nagi! Love it! Also wanted to thank you again for your book. I’m learning a lot (much more pleasant than reading my camera manuel or trying to do my own research), and can’t wait for next few photo sessions 🙂
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Oh boy, I hear you! I’m pretty sure I never referred to my camera manual until a couple of months ago!! I’m so glad you are enjoying the book Sabrina! N x
Jessica @ Sweetest Menu says
I can’t wait to try this one Nagi! I made enchiladas from scratch and the husband loved them. He will LOVE this one pot dish! Yum!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
I bet you make a MEAN Enchilada!! N x
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Your rice preference is like an Italian for pasta. Overcook pasta and it is mushy. This looks wonderful and I always like to take the grains/pasta off and let it finish absorbing the liquid off the heat.
Nagi | RecipeTin says
YES it is exactly the same with pasta!! I am very fussy about ensuring my pasta is al dente. 🙂
mila furman says
You KNOW I love your one pot dishes!!! I’m sick today and really am aching for some couch food…if only someone can make this for me…
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hope you’re feeling better Mila! Wish I could pop over and help make you feel better. 🙁 N x
Greg says
I’d love to. Hope u feel better.
Jen @ Carlsbad Cravings says
HELP ME TOO! Where is my spoon?! This looks incredible Nagi! Rice and chicken is one of my favorite combos in the world – add enchilada sauce and cheese and that whole pot is mine! and stunning as always! xoxox
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Ba ha ha!!! Tell you want – we’ll grab a spoon each, sit on the floor in front of the TV and share it? 😉 N x
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Oh my…my couch food never looks this good! I can’t even handle that first photo with the gooey cheese and all the rest with the browned bits and gorgeous color…do I say that too much? Consider me slayed, my friend!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Aww, thanks so much Annie! Amazing how a bit of cheese can do so much for a dish, isn’t it? N x
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Nagi! Just pass me the pan along with a big spoon! Love the flavor profile here and, of course, one pot! Have you seen Kevin’s Easy Tamale Pie post? You need to because it is killer! Gary doubled the recipe yesterday as two friends were coming over – there is maybe enough left for lunch. 🙂
Nagi | RecipeTin says
No! I haven’t seen it yet! I have to go check it out. I adore Kevin’s cooking. He’s also become a bit of my “go to” source for grilling!!
Immaculate says
So Incredibly Delicious Nagi! This has got me salivating, only you alone, can make one pot meals look so Devine!!
You always inspire me.
Nagi | RecipeTin says
You’re a bit of a queen of one pot cooking yourself Imma! 🙂 I am so keen to share your chickpea and potato curry soon. I’m still making it frequently!!!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
Ha! You know Nagi – every one of us who sees these pictures are gonna wanna “dive in and grab a spoonful”! That golden, melty cheese! WOW!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Awww, thanks Shashi, you are too sweet! N x
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
Oh Nagi!!!!
As if I needed an excuse to eat more melted cheese!!!
This looks amazballs!!
That first photo! I want to push everyone else out of the way and stand ready with my plate!
I also love the fact that the ingredient list is pretty much made up of my pantry/fridge staples!
Yum!!!!!!!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
You crack me up – the vision of you shoving a crowd of people aside to get to that pan of food!! BA HA HA!!! N x
mira says
Great dish and wonderful photos Nagi! I love firm rice and totally agree with you. Pinning!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Thanks Mira! N x
HELEN SAWYERR says
Hi Nagi
you have stated white rice in your recipe, does that include basmati?
Thanks
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Helen! I’m sorry, I am not 100% sure it will work with basmati. It should….but I can’t say for sure. It cooks slightly differently to short, long and medium grain white rice. I will update the recipe, thank you for the question!
Marissa says
Oh Nagi, you’re such a temptress with these photos! I love everything about this – truly a pan of wonderful! And, I agree wholeheartedly about rice, it should have some bite….mushy rice is ruined rice. 🙂
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hello Marissa! Shouldn’t you be out scaling the Eiffel tower? 😉 Hope you’re having a wonderful time!! N x
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen says
WOW Nagi this looks like the ideal one pot meal! LOVE how quick it is and I can imagine that it would be absolutely packed with flavour, especially with a homemade tomato passata sauce. That stringy cheese in the top photo looks amazing! And I bet it would be lovely topped with avocado or guacamole too – that is still Mexican right?! 🙂
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Thank you Claudia, that’s so kind of you to say! Ooh, I didn’t think of avocado. Silly me! Sour cream too – oooh, yummy! 🙂