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This Chicken and Rice Taco Skillet is a weeknight hero in my house and I know it will be in yours too! There’s much flavor in one skillet and it comes together in just about one hour — what more could you ask for?
My family loves this twist to taco night and so do I. This recipe is the perfect way to use a packet of taco seasoning. It adds so much flavor all in one go, so you don’t need to raid your spice cabinet. But note, your taco seasoning will impact the flavor profile you get with this dish. I like to use Dalkin and Co.’s Taco Seasoning or Siete’s Mild Taco seasoning mainly because my kids can’t handle a spicier blend. Both have the perfect touch of flavor without a crazy kick, but if you prefer something with a little more heat (like me), add some freshly sliced jalapeño peppers on top!
Beyond the flavor, this recipe is a weeknight hero, due to the method! After you brown the chicken, you’ll add some veggies and rice into the skillet and let everything finish baking in the oven. While it’s baking, you can tidy up the kitchen, prepare the guacamole (if you want to make this fresh), and set the table!
Ingredients:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Kosher Salt
- Taco Seasoning
- Avocado Oil
- Red Bell Pepper
- Green Bell Pepper
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- White Jasmine Rice
- Lime Zest and Juice
- Chicken Broth
- Fresh Cilantro
- Guacamole, For Serving (Optional)
- Sour Cream, For Serving (Optional)
- Tortilla Chips, For Serving (Optional)
- Jalapeño Peppers, For Serving (Optional)
Step-by-Step:
Step One: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Step Two: Season the Chicken
Trim the excess fat off the chicken thighs and pat dry. Season the chicken evenly with salt and taco seasoning.
Step Three: Brown the Chicken
Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches as needed, add the chicken in a single layer and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked through as it will continue to cook in the oven.
Step Four: Cook the Veggies
Reduce the heat to medium and add the bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender, about 4 minutes.
Step Five: Toast the Rice
Add the rice, salt, and taco seasoning. Cook, stirring, until the rice is fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
Step Six: Cook the Rice and add the chicken
Add the lime zest, lime juice, chicken broth, and cilantro leaves and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet. Cover the skillet, carefully transfer to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully uncover the skillet and continue baking until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 7 to 9 minutes.
Step Seven: Fluff the Rice
Remove from the oven and fluff the rice with a fork. Garnish with more cilantro.
Step Eight: Serve and Enjoy
To serve, spoon the chicken and rice onto plates and garnish as desired. I like to top mine with some sliced jalapenos, a dollop of guacamole, sour cream, and tortilla chips for scooping and crunch!
Yes! You could prep and sear the chicken, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the rest of the dish.
Yes! Because chicken breasts are typically leaner and thinner than chicken thighs, you’ll probably want to reduce the cook time a bit so that they don’t dry out.
I hope y’all love this Chicken and Rice Taco Skillet! Comment below once you try it.
looking for more easy chicken recipes? try these!
One-Pan Roasted Chicken Ratatouille
Herby Chicken and Orzo Skillet
One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemony White Beans
Chicken and Rice Taco Skillet
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
For the Rice and Veggies:
- 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup white jasmine rice, rinsed well and drained
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- zest of 1/2 lime
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
For Serving:
- guacamole (optional)
- sour cream (optional; omit to keep dairy-free)
- tortilla chips (optional)
- sliced jalapeno peppers (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Cook the Chicken:
- Trim the excess fat off the chicken thighs and pat dry. Season the chicken evenly with salt and taco seasoning.
- Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches as needed, add the chicken in a single layer and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked through as it will continue to cook in the oven.
Cook the Rice and Veggies:
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add the rice, salt, and taco seasoning. Cook, stirring, until the rice is fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
- Add the lime zest, lime juice, chicken broth, and cilantro leaves and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet. Cover the skillet, carefully transfer to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes. Carefully uncover the skillet and continue baking until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 7 to 9 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and fluff the rice with a fork. Garnish with more cilantro.
Serve and Enjoy:
- To serve, spoon the chicken and rice onto plates and garnish as desired. I like to top mine with some sliced jalapenos, a dollop of guacamole, sour cream, and tortilla chips for scooping and crunch!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
Can you use a Dutch oven?
Yes, so long as it’s nice and wide!
Made this last night and my family LOVED it! My husband, who hates leftovers, was excited to have it again tonight. I made mine with black beans and it was so delicious! Thank you for this lovely recipe.
yay!! love to hear it!
Can I make this with chicken breast instead of thighs? If so would I have to adjust the time in the oven?
Yes, you can use chicken breasts, but I worry about them drying out since they tend to cook more quickly than thighs!
I used chicken breast. I pounded them thin so they would cook better.
This was delicious! Could I make this with brown rice or quinoa? How would I need to adjust the recipe?
I haven’t tried it with quinoa, so I don’t want to make any promises about how it would come out but quinoa typically cooks a little more quickly than rice!
Thanks! How about brown rice?
Brown rice will take longer to cook than white rice, but I wouldn’t want you to overcook the chicken
Wondering about cooking the entire thing stove top vs oven? Our oven is currently broken 🙁
Yes, that should work! You may want to cook the chicken a little bit longer in step 3 and be sure to cover the skillet when you simmer everything on the stovetop in step six. I’d cook it over medium-low heat and just keep an eye on it so that the ingredients don’t overcook or scorch.
This was so delicious! The entire family loved it. I added in a can of Mexican diced tomatoes and served it was guacamole and a chipotle mayo sauce. It was the bomb!!
Yum! I want to come over for dinner at your house haha
Made this tonight and it couldn’t have been easier! We have a pepper aversion in our house so I added zucchini sticks to it and it was delicious. I discovered I was almost out of dalkin and co taco seasoning as I went to add it so I had to make extra homemade taco seasoning and it came out great.
Wondering if I can do everything before the baking in the oven before hand and have my husband finish it in the oven an hour later. Or is there another suggestion for having this prepared for my family beforehand. Thanks!
I came to the comments hoping someone had an answer to this same question! I wonder if you could do everything short of putting it in the oven?
You could sear the seasoned chicken in advance and store it in refrigerator until you want to make the rest of the dish!
Made this last week and my husband already wants it again. Lots of flavor!
So glad to hear that!
This was a great recipe. We just moved over the weekend, and it was our first home cooked meal in our new house 😊 will definitely be making again.
Wow this was incredible! I made her “perfect guacamole” recipe as a topping…. Delicious!!