Mexican-style Chicken Rice

Mexican Rice is a very simple dish to make, with just tomato sauce and spices. Here is a delicious way to prepare this rice, but with our own special twist! We have added some vegetables and chicken to our dish for some fibre and protein – all made in one-pot.

For our rice, we have used the People’s Choice Aromatic Basmati Rice Silver, provided to us by one of our partners, STO (State Trading Organisation). This is long grain basmati rice that smells fragrant and tastes just as good. It can be used to prepare many rice dishes such as biriyani, fried rice, nasi goreng etc.

As for cooking the rice, we have used the Russell Hobbs Good to Go Multi-cooker, also provided to us by STO. This multi-cooker has 8 versatile cooking functions; sear, roast, sous vide, slow cook, steam, boil, rice, and keep warm. So, there are endless possibilities of dishes you can make using this cooker, making it really convenient to have at hand. The best part about this cooker is that the control panel of the cooker is removable, making it safe to handle and wash. 

Serving size: 7-8

Ingredients:

For the chicken

• 500g skinless boneless chicken
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp oil

For the rice:

• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ medium sized onion (diced)
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 ½ cup People’s Choice Aromatic Basmati Rice Silver
• ½ cup diced bell pepper
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 tsp salt
• ½ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chilli flakes
• 2/3 cube chicken stock
• 1 cup mixed vegetables
• 1/3 cup sweet corn
• ½ cup kidney beans
• 5 green chillies (sliced from the middle)
• 4 cups hot water

Instructions:

1. Defrost and cut 500g skinless boneless chicken to 1-inch pieces.
2. To season, add the chicken to a bowl along with ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp paprika, and ½ tsp cumin. Mix to coat the chicken and set aside.
3. Heat up the Russell Hobbs Good to Go Multi-cooker on ‘sear’ mode. Once it is heated, add 1 tbsp oil and the seasoned chicken.
4. Sauté the chicken for 13-14 minutes or until the outside is fully cooked and golden brown. Then remove the chicken from the cooker.
5. Next, wash the People’s Choice Aromatic Basmati Rice Silver well and drain the excess water. Then, add 2 tbsp oil to the multi-cooker (there will be some oil leftover from the chicken as well).
6. On sear mode, heat up the oil and add in ½ medium sized onion (diced), and 2 chopped garlic cloves. Sauté for 2 minutes or until the onions soften and turns lightly golden in colour. 
7. Add in the washed rice and ½ cup diced bell peppers and sauté for 5 minutes or until it the bell peppers soften.
8. Then, add 1 cup tomato puree, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1/3 tbsp salt, ½ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp oregano, ½ tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp chilli flakes and 2/3 cube chicken stock (mixing the chicken stick with 1 tbsp of hot water). Mix well and cook for 1 minute.
9. After that, add 1 cup mixed vegetables, 1/3 cup sweet corn, ½ cup kidney beans and 5 green chillies (sliced from the middle). Mix well again.
10. Change the cooking mode to ‘rice’. Arrange the cooked chicken on top of the rice and carefully add in 4 cups hot water, making sure that all the chicken and the rice is completely covered with water. Cover and cook until the ‘rice’ timer on the multicooker beeps or until the water fully evaporates and the rice is fully cooked and soft. This took us around 20-25 minutes.
11. Take the lid off the multi-cooker and slowly mix the rice, careful not to mush and break the grains. Cover and let it sit for 5-10 mins to cool down, then mix it once more before serving.