Southwestern Cheesy Chicken Rice

We have had a loss of power for the last couple days.  Dana and I have been running out to various restaurants and stores to charge our phones and eat.  One of the restaurants that we frequented was a Mexican Restaurant.  I love tacos and tamales.  So those flavors were stuck in my head when I went to the store to restock our fridge.  So I decided to make a southwestern cheesy rice dish.  It was fabulous.  I grilled up some fajita chicken to add to it and it was a complete meal. Mac and cheese may be delicious, but rice and cheese takes the cake.

Southwestern Cheesy Chicken Rice

• Fajita Chicken
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 tbs fajita seasoning
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Cheesy Rice
  • 2 cups uncooked rice
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 can black beans, drained
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tbs butter
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half, you can substitute milk
  • 1/2 cup processed cheese, Velveeta
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Fajita Chicken

Trim the chicken and then add to a zip top bag with the fajita seasoning and olive oil.  Shake to coat and let sit until ready to grill.

Preheat your grill to medium/high, make sure to set aside a portion of the grill for indirect cooking.

Remove the chicken from the bag and place directly over the heat source on the grill.  Cook for 6-7 minutes on each side.  Then move to an indirect cooking portion of the grill.  Continue to cook until the juices of the chicken run clear. Roughly 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the grill and set aside.

Cheesy Rice

Cook the rice using your favorite method, except substitute 2 cups of the water with chicken broth.  My rice cooker requires about 4 cups of liquid for every 2 cups of rice.  So I used 2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of water.

While the rice is cooking add 1 tbs of butter to a large skillet or fry pan.  Heat the pan to medium/high and then add the peppers.  Cook for 5 minutes and then add the black beans.  Continue to cook for another 2 minutes or until the peppers start to soften.  Remove them from the pan and set aside.

While the pan is still over medium/high heat, add the remaining 2 tbs of butter to the pan and then add the flour.  Using  a whisk, stir together the flour and butter and create a roux.

Once combined cook while continuing to stir for two minutes.  Cook until the flour/butter mixture turns a light brown.

Add the half and half and stir until thickened.  While stirring add the salt, paprika, chili powder and garlic powder.  Next add the cheese.  Stir until the cheese is melted and you have  a smooth sauce.

Stir the cooked rice into the sauce.

Add the peppers and black beans into the sauce.  Then add the chicken.  Make sure to fold everything together so that the chicken does not shred.

Remove from the heat and serve.

This meal was quick and delicious.  The cheese sauce worked perfectly with the rice.