One Pot Southwest Chicken and Rice That’s Better Than ACP

This simple one pot Southwest Chicken and Rice can be made start to finish in forty minutes.  Rotisserie chicken, enchilada sauce, Rotel tomatoes and taco seasoning form the Tex-Mex flavors in this delicious weeknight dinner. Take restaurant ACP to the next level with this quick and easy chicken and rice casserole.

If You Love ACP, This is 10X Better!

One pot Southwestern chicken and rice is a take on arroz con pollo, or ACP. If you live in the South and have been to any Mexican restaurant, you will see ACP on the menu. Where I live, it’s a bland dish made with Spanish rice and chicken covered in a cheese sauce, and not something I would ever order. It has no flavor and tends to be mushy.

While I love Mexican and Southwestern food, when my girls were kids they would only order ACP at Mexican restaurants. I was convinced that I could make a chicken casserole that was both simple enough for us to make on a busy weeknight but with enough flavor that I would like it.

You’ll start by cooking the rice in chicken broth instead of water. After making the rice, it’s a dump and go recipe. Add it all to a baking dish, cover with cheese and bake until the cheese gets gooey. It’s so simple but still has flavor and texture. It’s much easier than enchiladas and takes less time than chickem covered in queso, and there’s hardly any dishes to wash.

I use a small Dutch oven to heat this in the oven, but you can use any type of casserole dish.

I’ve heard that ACP is unique in the South and that you won’t find it in other areas of the US. For some reason southerners like bland chicken and rice. I for one do not!

This Southwest chicken and rice recipe is so much better than any ACP I’ve tried.  If you like a good chicken and rice casserole, then you’re going to love this oven baked recipe.

Southwestern Chicken and Rice Ingredients

Get the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below.

• Shredded Chicken – you’ll need two cooked chicken breasts, about 2 cups of shredded chicken.
• Rice – do not use minute rice, you’ll want to prepare regular rice. Instant rice has been cooked and dehydrated and while quick, it will not have as much flavor or texture.
• Enchilada sauce – if you don’t make your own, then you can easily grab a can or two to keep in your pantry.
• Rotel tomatoes – diced tomatoes with green chilies offers a lot of zest to this dish, if you want it spicy, use the “hot” variety.

How to make Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Step 1: Cook the rice

Cook the rice with chicken broth per the package directions. If you have an oven proof pot, bake the rice in it. If not, this will be a two pot recipe.

I love this rice maker that I got for Mother’s Day one year. I didn’t know I needed one until I started using it. You just add liquid and rice and forget about it. One time I forgot about it all night and woke up to warm fluffy rice! Mine is made by Zujirushi.

Step 2: Combine all the ingredients

Step 3: Bake

Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly.

A Few Recipe Notes

• You can make this spicy by using hot rotel tomatoes, hot taco seasoning and pepper jack cheese. Otherwise this can be mild enough for kidos.
• Use whole grain rice and fresh or frozen corn to keep the dish from being mushy.
• You can easily double the recipe for a big crowd or if you want leftovers.

If you love queso, then this dish is even better with some drizzled over the top. Make this easy creamy queso or pick some up in the refrigerated section at the grocery.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.

One Pot Southwest Chicken and Rice That’s Better Than ACP

Author: Barbara Curry

This simple one pot Southwest Chicken and Rice can be made start to finish in forty minutes.  Rotisserie chicken, enchilada sauce, Rotel tomatoes and taco seasoning form the Tex-Mex flavors in this delicious weeknight dinner. Take restaurant ACP to the next level with this quick and easy chicken and rice casserole.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin

PREP: 30 minutes minutes

COOK: 15 minutes minutes

TOTAL: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup white rice
• ▢ 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• ▢ 10 ounces enchilada sauce
• ▢ 10 ounces rotel tomatoes and chilies drained
• ▢ 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• ▢ 2 shredded chicken breasts about 2 cups
• ▢ 2 cups frozen or fresh corn 10 ounce bag of frozen
• ▢ 2 cups pepper jack cheese grated, 8 ounces
• ▢ green onions optional
• ▢ Cilantro optional

Equipment

Dutch Oven

Rice Cooker

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350º.
• Cook rice per package instructions using chicken broth instead of water. If you have an oven proof pan with a lid you can use it to make the rice.
• Once the rice has cooked, add it to a large bowl and add chicken and corn and stir to combine. and combine.
• Add the tomatoes, enchilada sauce and taco seasoning and stir to combine. Pour it into a casserole dish and top with cheese.
• Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove and top with green onions and cilantro.

Barbara’s Tips + Notes

• This is even better with a little queso drizzled over the top.
• Add some red or green pepper for even more flavor.
• You can use cheddar or pepper jack cheese or any combination.
• Rice generally takes 30 minutes to cook, so plan accordingly.
• If you don’t have chicken broth, you can use water. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 759mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 677IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 235mg | Iron: 2mg

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