This Chicken Fajita Rice is a quick and easy, one-pan dinner recipe, loaded with Mexican flavors, made within 30 minutes. This chicken and rice recipe is made with onion, bell peppers, and homemade Fajita seasoning. Serve with sliced avocados, sour cream, lemon wedge, and salsa. Here's a step by step instruction and quick video tutorial on how to make it.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time40 minutesmins
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
Servings: 4people
Calories: 410kcal
Author: Preeti
Equipment
Heavy bottom skillet
Ingredients
Fajita seasoning
2teaspoonpaprika or red chili powder
½teaspooncayenne pepper(or any spicy chili powder)
1teaspoononion powder(optional)
1teaspoongarlic powder(or use freshly minced garlic)
1teaspooncumin powder
1teaspoonoregano
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
To marinate the chicken
2skinless boneless chicken breastor you can use chicken thighs
2teaspoonoil
2teaspoonlemon juice
fajita seasoning
For Chicken Fajita Rice
4teaspoonoildivided
½cuponionsliced
1cupbell peppersliced (I have used red, yellow and green bell peppers. You can use whatever you have)
1cupuncooked rice(i used basmati rice but jasmine rice can also be used)
1teaspoonbutteroptional
1and ½ cups of chicken broth.to substitute. use water.
½teaspoonblack pepper powder
1teaspoonlemon juice
Instructions
Preparations
Pound the chicken breasts or slice it in half. You will get 4 slices from 2 chicken breasts. Set it aside.
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients mentioned under fajita seasoning. Remove 1 teaspoon seasoning from it and set it aside. We will use that later.
In a big bowl, combine rest of the fajita seasoning, oil and lemon juice.
Marinate the chicken breast with it for atleast 4 hours. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator. If short of time, marinate for at least an hour.
Chop the onion, and bell pepper. Set it aside.
Rinse the basmati rice with water 3-4 times until the cloudiness of water is gone. Soak the basmati rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain off the water. Set it aside.
Making one pan chicken fajita rice
Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a pan over medium high heat.
Once the pan is hot, place the chicken breast on it.
Cook until char marks appear on both sides. The chicken will not completely cook at this stage. We will cook it agin later. Remove on a plate.
Scrape off the burnt bits or you can wipe it with a kitchen tissue.
To the same pan, add 1 teaspoon oil.
Add onions and bell pepper. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until slightly charred.
Add 1 cup of rice and butter. Gently toast the rice for a minute.
Add the reserved fajita seasoning. Combine it well and cook for a minute.
Next, add 1 and ¾ cups of chicken broth. Stir it to combine.
Taste the water and add salt (as per taste).
Also, add black pepper powder and lemon juice. Combine it well. Let the water come to a boil.
Meanwhile, slice the chicken. Give 10 minutes of resting time to the chicken after pan-frying it, before you slice it.
Reduce the heat and layer the sliced chicken over rice. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and set the skillet aside for 10 minutes. The rice will absorb additional moisture from the base of the pan and become fluffy.
Chicken Fajita and rice is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Slice the chicken breast in half or pound the chicken breasts. This helps the chicken breast to cook evenly.
Marinate the chicken for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. This will increase the flavor of the chicken. It keeps the chicken soft and juicy inside when you pan fry it. However, if short of time, you can marinate for at least an hour.
Pan-fry the chicken - Place the chicken on a heated pan. It will seal the outer surface of the chicken. Cook the chicken until it is slightly charred. It adds a smoky flavor to the dish.
Cooking rice - Cooking the rice correctly is the key. Here, the rice-to-water ratio is important. Add water as per the quality of the rice you are using. While cooking in a pan, for 1 cup of basmati rice, you need 1.5 cups of water.
Toasting the rice- It enhances the flavor of rice and gives it a nutty aroma. Do not skip this step.
You can increase or decrease the quantity of Fajita seasoning as per taste.