One Pan Happy Plate (Queso Chicken and Rice)

🥘 Ingredients

• butter
  1 tablespoon
• garlic powder (or to taste)
  1 teaspoon
• green onions (pico de gallo, guacamole, cilantro, or jalapeños, for topping) (optional)
• oil (olive)
  1 tablespoon
• onion (yellow or white, finely chopped)
  1/2
• prepared queso dip
  1 cup
• rice (uncooked long-grain white)
  1 1/2 cups
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• skinless (boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)
  1 1/2 pounds
• taco seasoning (1-ounce, such as Old El Paso®)
  1 packet
• water (or as needed)
  2 3/4 cups

🍳 Cookware

• skillet
• pan
• bowl

1. 1

   Gather salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste , prepared queso dip , taco seasoning , green onions , skinless .

   salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, prepared queso dip: 1 cup, taco seasoning: 1 packet (1-ounce, such as Old El Paso®), green onions (pico de gallo, guacamole, cilantro, or jalapeños, for topping), skinless: 1 1/2 pounds (boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)
2. 2

   Season chicken with garlic powder , salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, undisturbed, until browned on one side, about ⏱️ 2 minutes . Flip and continue to cook until lightly browned, about ⏱️ 2 minutes (chicken will not be fully cooked at this point).

   garlic powder: 1 teaspoon (or to taste), oil: 1 tablespoon (olive)
3. 3

   Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften. Add butter and allow it to melt. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is coated and lightly toasted, about ⏱️ 1 minute .

   onion: 1/2 (yellow or white, finely chopped), butter: 1 tablespoon, rice: 1 1/2 cups (uncooked long-grain white)
4. 4

   Add water and stir until everything is well combined, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan . Bring to a boil. Stir once more and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until liquid has been absorbed, about ⏱️ 20 minutes .

   water: 2 3/4 cups (or as needed)
5. 5

   Warm queso in a microwave-safe bowl , stirring every ⏱️ 30 seconds , until heated through, about ⏱️ 2 minutes . Top chicken and rice with queso and serve immediately with desired toppings.