Mexican (Spanish) Rice with Rotel Grilled Chicken

I decided to try something different and I pulled up a ton of recipes on Mexican (Spanish) Rice off the internet.  I mixed a few different recipes to make a kid friendly and tasty rice creation.  I pulled out all of the ingredients to get ready.  The broth was a little frozen so it took a few times of microwaving to defrost it.

I put the oil and the rice in the pan to cook.  It starts to turn white quickly but it takes a little longer to actually start to brown so make sure you wait for the color.

I used the microplaner to add the garlic to the dish and stirred quickly.  I added the tomato sauce and the chicken broth and it looked really soupy but I had faith that it was going to turn out okay.  I added the spices and brought this to a boil.  I put the lid of the container and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

I marinated chicken in Rotel tomatoes and then put them on the grill.  See the yummy grill marks already on the chicken.

Then, top the rice with chicken and cheddar cheese.  The cheese melts nicely and adds a great flavor to the rice and chicken.  The flavors nicely compliment each other and make for a yummy dinner.  If I were to make it again, I would make the rice a little spicer with some additional spices.  I hope that you try this new recipe and let me know how you like it for your family. 

Below is the recipe that I made but feel free to adjust based on your families favorite flavors.  Some suggestions are 1/4 of onion, 1/4 of green pepper, cumin, and additional seasonings. Make sure you add the veggies at the beginning to cook before adding the dry rice but add any additional seasonings with the liquids.  

Easy Mexican (Spanish) Rice

Ingredients:

·                        2 tablespoons oil

·                        1 1/2 cups rice

·                        3 cloves finely chopped garlic (I used microplaner)

·                        2 1/2 cups chicken broth

·                        1 cup plain tomato sauce

·                        1 tsp onion powder

·                        1 tsp chili powder

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add dry rice and cook for about 5 minutes or until rice becomes a golden brown color. Lower heat to low and add in the garlic to the rice and saute for one more minute.

Add in broth and tomato sauce. Add onion powder and chili powder.  Stir it up and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat to low and cover. Let it simmer for 20 minutes and fluff with a fork. Make sure you don't cook past when the liquid is absorbed.