Mexican Chicken and Rice

Mexican-styled baked chicken breasts and spicy rice is an easy and healthy meal, perfect for those busy weeknights. 

Meals based on chicken and rice are always a great weeknight option, they are quick, easy, inexpensive, and versatile. This chicken and rice dish adds lots of spices and fresh lemon and coriander to create a simple Mexican-inspired dish. 

The chicken is baked with a lovely herb rub on top. This gives lots of flavor to the chicken and adds a great texture too. 

This rice works really well in lots of dishes. If you have left over roast chicken, shred it up and stir it through the rice for an even easier meal.

Mexican Baked Chicken Breasts and Spicy Rice

Serves 4

Chicken

2 Large or 4 small chicken breasts

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp mild chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

Olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Rice

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 Cup medium grain rice

2 1/4 Cup chicken stock

1 400 g can crushed tomatoes

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 Jalapeno, finely diced

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp oregano

1/2 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Mix the spices for the chicken in a small bowl and spread over the chicken breasts. Drizzle each with olive oil and squeeze over some lemon juice.

2.  Place chicken in the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.

3. While the chicken is cooking, make the rice. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add a dash of olive oil. Fry the garlic, onion, and jalapeno for a couple of minutes. Add the cumin and paprika. Fry for a further 30 seconds. Add the rice, tomatoes, stock, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and rice cooked. Stir through the coriander.

4. Serve the chicken breasts over a bread of rice and top with some extra fresh coriander.