We’re making a delicious Southwestern Chicken and Rice Bowl. This recipe is a fantastic fusion dish that’s both hearty and flavorful. To get started, you’ll need deboned chicken breasts and/or thighs, thick-cut bacon, black beans, corn, and your choice of rice. We’ll guide you through searing the chicken to get that perfect crust and finishing it off in the oven. We’ll also show you how to deglaze the pan and prepare a special Southwestern spice blend to create a rich coating for the chicken. The final bowl is topped with bacon, pico de gallo, melted Mexican blend cheese, and fresh avocado.
Note: Scroll down to see a Southwest Spice Mix recipe, or use a Fajita spice mix found at your local grocery store.
Special Equipment:
none
Ingredients:
- 3-4 Deboned chicken thighs or breasts
- Four to six ounces of thick-cut bacon
- One can (about 13 ounces) of black beans, drained and rinsed
- Kernels of two cobs of corn
- One avocado, sliced
- 3/4 to 1 cup Pico de gallo
- About 3/4 cup of a shredded Mexican blend cheese (or Monterey Jack or cheddar)
- Cilantro-lime rice kit, or your choice of rice (Mexican, white, brown, or wild)
- Water for cooking the rice and for deglazing
- Three tablespoons of a Southwestern spice blend, or 1 packet of Fajita seasoning (See recipe that follows for mix recipe).
- Salt and pepper for seasoning the chicken
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Combine the drained black beans and corn in a saucepan. Add water to cover them and boil for eight to ten minutes to remove any canned taste from the beans and to give the corn a head start on cooking. Once cooked, strain the mixture and set it aside in a bowl.
Place the thick-cut bacon in a skillet set to slightly less than medium heat. Cook the bacon until it’s done and has rendered fat into the pan. Remove the cooked bacon, place it on a plate, and set it aside.
Season the deboned chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
With the bacon grease still in the skillet, place the chicken pieces in the hot pan, skin-side down first. Sear for about five minutes per side, but don’t cook it all the way through, as it will finish in the oven.
As the chicken sears, start preparing the rice according to the package directions. Add about a half teaspoon of salt to the water before bringing it to a boil.
Transfer the seared chicken to the preheated oven. Use a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature, which should reach a safe 165°F. The chicken should take about 15 minutes to cook in the oven.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and set it aside on a clean plate. Drain the excess oil from the skillet.
Return the skillet to the stovetop and turn the heat to medium. Carefully deglaze the pan with a quarter cup of water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
Add the three tablespoons of the Southwestern spice blend to the skillet with the deglazing liquid and stir to hydrate the spices.
Return the cooked chicken to the skillet, turning it once or twice to coat each piece with the spice mixture. Turn off the heat on the skillet.
Place the cooked bacon, pico de gallo, and cheese on top of the chicken in the skillet.
Change the oven setting to broil on max. Place the skillet back in the oven, leaving the door slightly ajar. Broil for one to two minutes, watching carefully until the cheese is melted and slightly bubbly.
To serve, place a bed of the prepared rice in a bowl. Add the black beans and corn mixture to the side. Top the rice with a piece of the broiled chicken.
Garnish the bowl with sliced avocado. Consider serving it with a dollop of sour cream or extra salsa, and lime wedges for presentation.
For the Southwestern Spice Mix:
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
Stir or shake to combine.
