To be completely honest, we picked the side dish for this and then needed something to pair with it…and a quick look at what we had on hand revealed the presence of enchilada sauce and leftover roasted chicken. So, we decided to make a chicken enchilada rice…sort of an unwrapped enchilada if you will. In the end, it was pretty tasty, so while it wasn’t something we made thinking, “This is going to be posted,” we decided to share anyway!
We served our entree with Baked Jalapeno Poppers. It would also pair very nicely with Fiesta Corn Salad or Fiesta Black Bean Salad.
Time: 30-90 Minutes (depending on whether you’re using leftovers or raw chicken)
Ingredients:
- Chicken (We used leftovers from our Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken)
- Onion
- Ground Cumin
- Dried (or fresh) Cilantro
- Rice
- Enchilada Sauce (green or red…your call)
- Optional: Sliced black olives, sliced jalapenos, diced red peppers, etc.
Method:
- Note: If using raw chicken breast, you’ll want to start cooking that before you do anything else, as it takes the longest amount of time.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, line a baking sheet with foil, give the foil a quick oil spray, and place your chicken atop. Give your chicken a quick oil spray on top as well, and bake until it reaches an internal cooked temperature of 165 degrees F. Then, remove from the oven, and use two forks to shred the meat.
- Bring 3 cups of water (per cup of rice) to a boil, and when it reaches a rolling boil, add your rice, and turn the temperature down to low. Allow to cook for 20-25 minutes until the liquid has been fully absorbed.
- If using leftover roasted chicken, peel the meat off the bones, and shred it by hand or with forks.
- Dice an onion.
- As your rice finishes, heat some oil in a pan, and add your onion along with ground cumin and cilantro. Sautee for a few minutes, and then add in your chicken.
- When your onions are opaque, and your chicken is hot, pour in your cooked rice, and stir to combine.
- Add in your enchilada sauce, and again, stir to combine.
- Cook until everything is hot.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
