Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice

5 from 1 vote

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Salsa verde chicken and rice skillet is a one pan dinner full of southwest flavors! This wholesome, easy dinner has minimal prep work and will be on the table for your family to enjoy in 40 minutes.

Looking for more ways to use salsa verde? Make this salsa verde baked chicken or this southwest chicken and rice soup.

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salsa verde chicken and rice in a skillet with a wooden serving spoon.

Why You’ll Love Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice

One pan dinner – Who doesn’t love a one pan meal? It makes cooking easy and cleanup even easier.

Wholesome and balanced – This chicken and rice recipe includes a nice balance of carbs, protein, and fat. The more balanced a meal is the more satiating it is.

Minimal prep – Prepping this meal should only take about 10 minutes. The only chopping you’ll be doing is the green onions, cilantro, and chicken.

Meal prep – This is a great recipe to make for meal prepping. It keeps for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it.

Ingredients used to make salsa verde chicken and rice.

Ingredients Notes

Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Chicken thighs can be used as well.

Chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder – Be sure the chili powder is mild chili powder that’s available in almost all American grocery stores.

Green onions – Green onions are great for an onion flavor that isn’t as sharp. They also cook faster.

Salsa verde – Use a jar of your favorite salsa verde. Salsa verde is a mild salsa that uses tomatillos, which gives it a slightly sweet flavor.

Chicken broth – Use low sodium broth to prevent the meal from being too salty.

Rice – Long grain white rice or jasmine rice should be used. Brown rice will have a much longer cooking time and more liquid would be needed.

Frozen corn – You could also use fire roasted corn to add a smoky charred flavor.

Green chiles – Use a can of mild or hot diced green chiles depending on how spicy you like your food.

Cilantro – If you don’t like cilantro omit it. Don’t substitute with parsley, it’s not the same.

Monterey jack cheese – Grate cheese from the block. The flavor is best this way and it melts better.

Wooden spoon scooping up Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice out of the skillet.

How to Make Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Skillet

Coat the chicken in the spice blend, salt and pepper, and saute in a large skillet (with a lid). Cook until it’s browned on the outside, but not cooked through. Remove it onto a plate.

Cook the green onion in the skillet until it’s soft. Stir in the rice, green chiles, corn, cilantro, and salsa verde.

Pour in the chicken broth, stir, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid and lower the heat to low. Simmer until the rice is tender, 15-20 minutes. You’ll need to stir the rice every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Top with cheese and cover with the lid again until the cheese is melted.

Recipe Tips

  • Cut the chicken into similar sized pieces so that they cook evenly.
  • Don’t cook the chicken all the way through when you sear it. It will continue to cook as the rice cooks.
  • Stir the rice occasionally as it’s cooking to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Two bowls of salsa verde chicken and rice.

Substitutions and Variations

  • Use different veggies. Zucchini, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and yellow onion would all work well.
  • Stir in a can of drained and rinsed black beans for extra fiber.
  • Make it vegetarian. Skip the steps for cooking the chicken. I suggest adding a can of beans if you omit the chicken so it’s a more balanced meal.
  • Use a different kind of cheese. Cheddar, colby jack, and pepper jack would all be good.
  • If you don’t have salsa verde you can use regular tomato salsa or green enchilada sauce.

Storage, Freezing, Reheating

Storage – The salsa chicken and rice will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Freezing – You can freeze salsa verde chicken and rice for up to 2 months. Be sure it’s completely cool before freezing it. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheating – Reheat the leftovers in a skillet on the stove over medium heat until hot. Individual servings can also be reheated in the microwave. You can also transfer it to a casserole dish or oven safe skillet and reheat it in the oven at 350° F. Cover with foil before baking.

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice in a skillet.

More Chicken and Rice Recipes

Chicken and rice is a staple meal for me and there’s so many ways to change of the flavors and preparation of it to keep things interesting.

If you love rice bowls make these honey chipotle chicken rice bowls or teriyaki chicken and rice bowls.

For an easy one pan dinner try this cajun chicken and rice and Greek lemon chicken and rice.

When you want a comforting meal on a cold night, this chicken and rice soup or green chile chicken and rice casserole hit the spot!

Did you make this salsa verde chicken and rice? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.

Wooden spoon scooping up Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice out of the skillet.
5 from 1 vote

Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Resting Time: 5 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Salsa verde chicken and rice skillet is a one pan dinner full of southwest flavors! This wholesome, easy dinner has minimal prep work and is ready in 40 minutes.
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Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup salsa verde
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 4 ounces diced green chiles
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Instructions 

  • Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet (or pot) that has a lid and heat it over medium-high heat. Add in the chicken, spices, salt and pepper. Cook just until the chicken is browned, but not cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken onto a plate.
  • Add the green onions to the skillet. Saute for 1-2 minutes then stir in the rice, corn, green chiles, cilantro, and salsa verde. Add the chicken back into the skillet and pour in the chicken broth. Stir everything together and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pan with the lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir every few minutes to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the liquid absorbs before the rice is cooked, add in 1/4 cup of broth at a time until it’s tender. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.
  • Turn off the heat and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Cover again with the lid for another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Garnish with green onions and cilantro or other toppings of your choice.

Nutrition

Calories: 565kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 45gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 1339mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 1 vote

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Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. Zoe says:

    5 stars
    Made this easy meal using mild chilies, mild salsa verde and half the chili powder. Perfectly seasoned for us and perfectly delicious! Lots of leftovers for another night.

    1. Danae says:

      Thanks for making it!