One Pot Queso Chicken and Rice

Tonight was open house at the Elementary school, and you know what that means - chaos galore! With our back to school bed time routine looming, I didn't have much time to whip up a huge meal. That's when I remembered I had bought the stuff to try Queso Chicken Rice. So, I decided to break it out for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner that would satisfy my large family. 

Here is what you need to grab at the store:

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – Cut the chicken into small pieces (like small bite-sized, about 1-inch or less) so it cooks quickly in the skillet pan. 
• Olive Oil 
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Cumin
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Chicken Broth
• Nacho Cheese Sauce in a can-- 15 ounces to be exact
• Rotel – One can, or you can find the off brand diced tomatoes with chiles added
• White Rice – Uncooked white rice gets added to the skillet pan. No need to cook it prior to using it. DO NOT use minute rice-- You need to grab the long grain white rice.

Here is how you will make all of that edible!

1. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet pan (with higher sides on it), over medium high heat, and add the chicken pieces and sprinkle the dried seasonings over top.(1 teaspoon garlic powder,½ teaspoon onion powder,½ teaspoon cumin,½ teaspoon kosher salt,1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil,½ teaspoon black pepper) Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, nacho cheese sauce, and rotel. Bring to a boil and then add the uncooked rice. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Let it simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice cooked through and no liquid remains in the pot.

Here is my bowl! Ruby and I put shredded mild cheddar on ours-- ALL of the kids came back for seconds! Picture below! 

My husband even loved it to pack for his lunch! He even texted me to tell me he loved it!