Far, far, FAR too often I end up with boneless, skinless chicken breasts in my fridge with no plan in sight.  Then, what happens is I avoid them…like the plague.  They sort of bore me and man is it easy to fall into ruts of grilling or pasta-ing them.  No clue why I continue to put them in my cart at the beginning of the week but I do…likely because they force me to get creative.  So the end of the week comes and all I’ve got left in the fridge is those poor little chick-a-dees and a bunch of randomness in the veggie drawer, freezer and pantry to work with. 

And that would be how this little doozy came to life.  Loney chicken, a craving for southwest flavor and enough pantry/fridge staples to get a darn good meal accomplished is what got this One-Pot Party started.

This One-Pot Southwest Chicken and Rice is basically a chicken burrito minus the effort.  Chicken, rice, corn, beans and red peppers make up the bulk of this pot of gold…and it tastes as if you simmered it all in a magnificent homemade salsa because of the diced tomato and seasonings that are thrown into the mix.

Top it with a little sliced green onion and shredded gouda and you’ve got yourself a super tasty, super easy, super healthy, super-kid approved, super-de-duper one pot meal.  Just super, no?!

One-Pot Southwest Chicken and Rice

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter

1 Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces + seasoned with salt+pepper

1 Small White Onion, diced

3 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced

1 Roma Tomato, diced

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika (or sweet will do)

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Cup Drained and Rinsed Canned Black Beans

1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Corn Kernels

1 Cup Jasmine Rice

3 Cups Chicken Stock

Sliced Green Onion, for topping

Shredded Gouda, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.  Heat olive oil and butter in a large oven-safe dutch oven or skillet.  Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned but still pink in the middle, about 3 minutes.  Remove chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Turn heat down to medium and add onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic, peppers, tomatoes, chili powder, paprika, salt and black pepper and cook for 1 minute.  Add beans, corn, rice and chicken stock and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken back to the pot, cover with a lid, transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 35 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.  Serve topped with green onion and gouda.  Serves 4-6.