CHEESY CHICKEN & SPANISH RICE

Cheesy Chicken & Spanish Rice is a quick & easy weeknight meal! Great flavor in this comforting One-Pot Spanish Rice recipe with added chicken and cheese. Can be made on the stove or in an Instant Pot!

Cheesy Chicken & Spanish Rice is a delicious dinner recipe sponsored by Hunt’s Tomatoes. All opinions are 100% mine. #HuntsDifference  This is a flavorful one-pot Spanish Rice recipe with chicken and cheese. Serve on its own topped with cilantro and sour cream or in a tortilla!

If there’s one word I can use to describe this recipe it’s FLAVOR! The smoky paprika and cumin combined with sweet tomatoes and tender chicken and rice just make this dish amazing. I like to use Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes because they taste great and I can find them everywhere.  Hunt’s prepares their tomatoes differently than other brands and you can taste the difference. Tomatoes are vine ripened and are canned within hours of being picked. Their tomatoes are peeled using steam without any chemicals. The end result is sweet, flavorful canned tomatoes ready to be made into dinner!

If you’re pressed for time, I suggest using 1 tsp onion powder in place of diced onion. Also, know that this dish is fabulous when made ahead of time! Reheat in the microwave or on the stove, then top with the cheese for dinner.

Notes on Making this Cheesy Chicken Spanish Rice in the Instant Pot: Since the instant Pot essentially steams the food with heat and pressure to cook it, this rice dish ends up having a softer, more risotto-like texture. If you’re not keen on this, I’ve heard that using parboiled rice works well in maintaining a more rice-like texture in the Instant Pot.

Cheesy Chicken & Spanish Rice

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 chicken breast, diced
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 14.5 oz can Hunts Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1 8-oz can Hunts tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

Skillet Directions:

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
2. Add uncooked rice and seasonings, stirring to combine. Saute for 3 minutes and then add broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
3. Stir, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 40 minutes.
4. Remove lid and stir, continuing to cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in half the cheese. Top with remaining cheese, as well as cilantro. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Instant Pot Directions:

1. Select “Saute” mode on Instant Pot and drizzle pan with olive oil. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
2. Add uncooked rice and seasonings, stirring to combine. Saute for 3 minutes and then add broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Attach lid and make sure steam valve is sealed.
3. Select “Cancel” on the Instant Pot. Select “Rice” setting. Once pot comes to pressure, it will cook for 12-16 minutes. Once it’s done, Natural Pressure Release for 5 minutes, then flip the steam valve to “Vent” and quick release the remaining pressure. Stir in half the cheese and top with remaining cheese. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and topped with a dollop of sour cream.
4. Alternatively, you can instead cook on Manual High pressure for 4 minutes, instead of using the “Rice” function, before continuing with the rest of the Instant Pot directions. This saves time as using the Rice function adds 5-6 minutes.

If you liked this easy 20-Minute Chicken Stew, check out these other amazing weeknight dinners:

• Taco Calzones
• Slow Cooker Madras Lentils
• French Onion Tomato Soup
• Chicken Coconut Curry
• The BEST Crockpot Beef Stew
• Summer Vegetable Stew
• Zucchini Sausage Soup

For more great recipe inspirations from Hunt’s tomatoes, visit www.hunts.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hunt’s. The opinions and text are all mine.

Cheesy Chicken & Spanish Rice

Cheesy Chicken & Spanish Rice is a quick & easy weeknight meal! Great flavor in this comforting One-Pot Spanish Rice recipe with added chicken and cheese. Can be made on the stove or in an Instant Pot!

4 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Servings: 6

Author: Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 chicken breast diced
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 14.5 oz can Hunts Diced Tomatoes undrained
• 1 8- oz can Hunts tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

Instructions

Skillet Directions:

• Saute onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
• Add uncooked rice and seasonings, stirring to combine. Saute for 3 minutes and then add broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
• Stir, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 40 minutes.
• Remove lid and stir, continuing to cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in half the cheese. Top with remaining cheese, as well as cilantro. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Instant Pot Directions:

• Select "Saute" mode on Instant Pot and drizzle pan with olive oil. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
• Add uncooked rice and seasonings, stirring to combine. Saute for 3 minutes and then add broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Attach lid and make sure steam valve is sealed.
• Select "Cancel" on the Instant Pot. Select "Rice" setting. Once pot comes to pressure, it will cook for 12-16 minutes. Once it's done, Natural Pressure Release for 5 minutes, then flip the steam valve to "Vent" and quick release the remaining pressure. Stir in half the cheese and top with remaining cheese. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and topped with a dollop of sour cream.
• Alternatively, you can instead cook on Manual High pressure for 4 minutes, instead of using the "Rice" function, before continuing with the rest of the Instant Pot directions. This saves time as using the Rice function adds 5-6 minutes.

Notes

Notes on Making this Cheesy Chicken Spanish Rice in the Instant Pot: Since the instant Pot essentially steams the food with heat and pressure to cook it, this rice dish ends up having a softer, more risotto-like texture. If you're not keen on this, I've heard that using parboiled rice works well in maintaining a more rice-like texture in the Instant Pot. 

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