I saw a picture of this recipe and it looked so satisfying. It is a pretty simple meal, but I like the combination of highly spiced, grilled chicken, cheese sauce and rice.
Ideally you should always marinate chicken breasts the day before, unless the marinade contains a lot of citrus or vinegar, in which case it can break down the meat too much. For spiced based marinades like this one, a day ahead gives so much more flavor to the meat.
You can either grill this chicken or cook it in the oven. If I use my oven, I broil it first to get some good char on it and then turn the oven down and cook until it is cooked through. This gives nice juicy chicken breasts.
I used a box rice mix for this, and the cheese sauce is super simple so this meal comes together really quickly. It would be great served with some taqueria style pickled carrots and jalapenos.
Mexican Chicken with Cheese Sauce and Rice
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 tsp chili powder reg, plus a bit of ancho or chipotle if you have it
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
- 1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed
For the cheese sauce:
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- dash of hot sauce
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 can diced green chilies
Instructions
For the chicken:
- Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a ziploc and add the chicken and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to cook, heat your grill and cook the chicken until it reaches at least 165 on a instant read thermometer in the thickest part.
- If using oven, line a sheet pan with foil and place the chicken on it. Put under the broiler and broil each side until it has some nice char like you'd get on a grill. Then lower the heat to 350 and cook until the thickest part reaches 165.
- Rest and then slice.
For the cheese sauce:
- Melt the butter and add the flour and stir over medium for a few minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened. Add the cheese off the heat in batches and stir until combined and smooth. Add the salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste and the green chiles.
- Make rice according to the mix and then top rice with sliced chicken and cheese.