Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake
A hearty baked dinner combining seasoned chicken, long-grain rice, kidney beans, a homemade enchilada-style tomato sauce, and a layer of melted cheddar and mozzarella.
Print Pin Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup (180g) of long grain rice
- 2 cups 480ml of chicken stock
- 10.5 oz 300g canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- small handful of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro)
- 2 uncooked chicken breasts, sliced into cutlets - approx 500g (17.5oz)
- 2 oz 50g of mozzarella, grated
- 1 oz 30g of cheddar, grated
- cooking oil spray
- salt and pepper to season
- 1 cup 240g of canned crushed tomatoes (or use passata and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste)
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (use more of less depending on your spice level)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Coat a small saucepan with cooking oil spray and place it over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until softened. Stir in the passata, stock, spices, vinegar and maple syrup. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender, process until smooth and set aside.
- Rinse the rice under running water until the water becomes clear. Place the rinsed rice in a saucepan with 2 cups of chicken stock.
- Bring the rice and stock to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until almost all of the stock has been absorbed. Switch off the heat but leave the covered saucepan on the hob for approximately 10 minutes to finish cooking the rice.
- Preheat the oven to 180c, fan 160c, 350f or gas mark 4.
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat with some cooking oil. Add the chicken breasts and fry on each side until lightly browned. They do not need to cook all the way through because they will finish cooking in the oven. Pour the blended Enchilada sauce into the pan, making sure the chicken is fully coated.
- Combine the cooked rice with the kidney beans and freshly chopped coriander, then transfer the mixture to an oven-proof dish. Arrange the chicken breasts and sauce over the rice, followed by the cheddar and mozzarella.
- Loosely cover the dish with foil and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has melted. For a more browned cheese topping, place the dish under the grill for a couple of minutes.
- Finish with a sprinkling of fresh coriander before serving.
- Enjoy
