One of my favorite texts that my Hubby send me is "Wanna meet for lunch?" I always say yes, followed by the obligatory response of "When and where?" He almost always picks a Mexican Grill restaurant near his office. I have come to love burrito bowls, or naked burritos, or earmuffs, or whatever you want to call them depending on the restaurant you frequent. I like having a big bowl of flavorful rice and chicken topped with cheese, served with a side of tortilla chips for scooping. Recreating those flavors in an easy make-at-home version has been something I've been meaning to try for a while now. This is definitely my new favorite "casserole"-style meal. Baked Cilantro-Lime Chicken and Rice makes for an easy supper at home.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¾ cup olive oil
1 cup fresh Cilantro leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ cups uncooked rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup chopped Cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper
1 cup chunky salsa, medium or hot
8 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
Additional chopped Cilantro and lime slices for garnish
Directions:
- Combine marinade ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag and add chicken breasts. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine rice, chicken broth, Cilantro, lime juice, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in the bottom of a large,shallow baking dish. (9x13 or larger works well.) Top with chicken breasts. Discard leftover marinade.
- Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 40-45 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, stirring rice halfway through cooking time.
- Spread salsa over the chicken, and top with Monterrey Jack cheese.
- Return to oven, uncovered, until cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Serve with tortilla chips and salsa.
Thank you so much for visiting my site. It means so much to me! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
-Mandy
CakePants
Mmm...this looks fantastic! Definitely going to be trying this, and soon!
Maebells
Such a great weeknight meal! It is hard to beat a cilantro lime flavor combo!
Mandy
I agree. I love just about anything that has cilantro and lime in it!
Carrie
We loved this! Thanks for the recipe! :)
Mandy
So glad you liked it, Carrie!
Abbie
Do you use minute rice or regular rice?
Mandy
Abbie- I use regular long grain white rice, not minute rice.
Memoria
This dish looks lovely. I might make this with brown rice. Thanks for sharing this recipe and lovely photos.
Mandy
I haven't made it with brown rice yet, so let me know if you try it. We had this for dinner again tonight because it is so easy and I just love it. Hopefully you'll enjoy it too! Thanks for visiting!