One Skillet Chipotle-Ranch Chicken with Salsa Rice

Cozy comfort food with a hint of spice! Salsa in the rice adds a ton of flavor and is an easy way to add a vegetable to a one skillet meal.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 4 large bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (or 6 small to medium)
• 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk ranch seasoning mix
• 1 tablespoon ground chipotle
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 jarred roasted bell pepper, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 1/3 cups jasmine rice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 14 oz Sam’s Fresh Cantina Medium Salsa

Instructions

 

• Sprinkle chicken thighs all over with spices. In a large, deep skillet add a small amount of oil, the onion, pepper,  and brown the chicken, skin-side down.
• Remove the chicken to a plate or bowl and set aside. Add the rice and garlic and stir for 1 minute.
• Add the stock and salsa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir,  and return the chicken to the pan, skin side up.
• Cover and cook until the chicken and rice are cooked through, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

Spice it up! Add ground chipotle to taste to the stock before adding it to the pan.

Use homemade ranch mix and homemade stock for bonus points for effort. 

Keyword weeknight meals

Longtime readers know I really hate making both interesting side dishes and the main course. Unless I have a great idea for a complete meal, I want to focus on the main or the sides. Not both! In an ideal world with unlimited funds, I’d love a place where I could pick up the perfect steak and only have to make the creamed spinach and baked potatoes.

Living in the real world and having made at least one meal and at least 99% of the time all meals since mid-March 2020, I’ve been trying to make more one-skillet, one-pot, extra-vegetables-in-everything-so-I-don’t-have-to-make-a-side meals. So when Sam’s™ Fresh Salsa got in touch about a blogger recipe contest I knew I wanted to make something low fuss but high flavor.

Thanks to a ton of tomatoes in the cantina-style salsa, I was able to create a delicious one-skillet meal that cooks in about 30 minutes, side dishes included. The trick is to count the salsa a little towards the amount of water needed to make the rice and add in some spices, extra pepper, onions, and garlic for added flavor and texture interest. Voila! I found the salsa to be the perfect addition to the rice–it wasn’t too thick or thin and it had a fresh garlicky tomato flavor. It even infused the chicken with flavor as it cooked!

You can purchase Sam’s Fresh Salsa at”: ShopRite, Acme, and Safeway.

If they are not in your local store, ask them to carry Sam’s Fresh Salsa products! Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more info and inspiration.