One-Pot Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice

I've been really wanting some Tex-Mex food lately but couldn't make up my mind exactly what I wanted.  I started going through my pantry, fridge and freezer and grabbing everything that I thought would make a great dish.  One other thing I really love about this recipe is that it is all in one pot, so fewer dishes to be washed.  Anything that will save me some time cleaning up afterwards the better I like it.

The ingredients I used are:  (Printable Recipe)

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
• 3 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of diced yellow onion
• 1 cup of uncooked brown extra-long grain rice
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 15oz can of pinto beans with pork, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper
• sour cream 
  
  
  
  
  

1. Start by sauteing onions in 2 tablespoon of olive oil until they start to soften.
2. Season diced chicken with salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Add chicken to pan and cook over medium high heat until chicken has started to brown.
4. Move chicken to one side of pan, in the other side of the pan add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and saute uncooked rice for about 2 minutes or just until some grains start to turn golden brown.
5. Stir in beans, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low.
   
7. Cook about 40 minutes or until rice is tender.
8. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
9. Sprinkle with cheese, recover and let set for 2-3 off heat to melt cheese.
   
10. Garnish with sour cream.
    

There are several ways that you can alter this based on what you have in your pantry.  I used pinto beans with pork added, but plain pinto beans would have been great, as well as black beans.  If you don't have brown rice, use whatever rice you do have and adjust the cooking time according to the type.  For garnishes, you can also add chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped green onions, and/or guacamole.  The amount of spices listed above makes it very flavorful but not very spicy, adjust to your preference.