Chili-Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Rice
Submitted by pw
Chicken thighs wrapped around cheese-stuffed green chilis, baked on a bed of toasted salsa rice with cumin and cilantro. A complete Southwestern one-dish dinner that’s worth every minute.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minThis is the kind of recipe that makes you look like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen when really you just rolled some chicken around some cheese and let the oven do the heavy lifting.
Boneless chicken thighs get wrapped around whole green chilis stuffed with strips of Colby or Jack cheese. They bake on top of rice that’s been toasted golden, then simmered in chunky salsa, garlic, cumin, and fresh cilantro.
Everything cooks together in one dish. The rice soaks up all that salsa and chicken flavor while the cheese melts into the chilis from the inside out.
Chef Tips
- Pound the chicken thighs to an even thickness so they wrap easily around the stuffed chilis without tearing.
- Toast the rice until it turns a light golden color before adding liquid. This gives it a nutty depth and keeps the grains separate.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil so the rice steams properly. Check at 40 minutes and add a splash of water if it looks dry.
- Let it rest covered for 5 minutes after baking so the rice finishes absorbing the liquid.
Ingredients
Directions
Remove skin and bone from chicken thighs.
Insert 1 strip of cheese in each green chile.
Wrap a chicken thigh around each stuffed chili.
Set aside.
Place oil in a 9 inch skillet and add uncooked rice and green onion.
Stir over medium heat until rice is a light golden brown.
Add salsa, water, minced garlic, ground cumin and cilantro.
Pour rice and salsa into an 8 x 11½ inch baking dish that has been coated with a non-stick cooking spray.
Cover dish with foil and bake at 350℉ (180℃) F for 40 to 50 minutes or until rice absorbs moisture and chicken is done.
Remove from oven.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
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