Arroz Con Pollo (Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole with Queso)
Arroz con pollo is Mexican chicken and rice, and this easy baked casserole version brings the flavors of your favorite Mexican restaurant right to a 13×9 pan. Taco-seasoned grilled chicken thighs get sliced and laid over cheesy Mexican rice, baked until tender, and finished with warm white queso poured over the top. It feeds eight people and comes together in about 75 minutes with almost no hands-on time.
If you love chicken and rice and Mexican food, then this Mexican chicken and rice with queso recipe is just for you. It is simple to put together thanks to the simplicity of making grilled chicken on the Ninja Foodi Grill. I just can’t stop with this countertop appliance. And no they are not paying me to say that.
This recipe is so much like my arroz con carne asada recipe and arroz con carne molida recipe too. A quick and easy Mexican Cheesy Rice and Hamburger Skillet recipe.
Arroz Con Pollo Ingredients
Many of the recipes for arroz con pollo come up as a Cuban or Puerto Rican version of this recipe. But this version of arroz con pollo is the Mexican chicken and rice recipe including the white queso cheese. Here are the ingredients you will need to make this Mexican specialty.
- Mexican Rice: For this recipe, I used the Old Elpaso Cheesy Mexican Rice. Any packaged Mexican rice will work.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are my preference for this recipe because they cook quickly and are full of flavor. Chicken breasts could definitely be substituted for this.
- Butter
- Taco Seasoning: This is to season the chicken before you cook it. Adobo seasoning can also be used instead of taco seasoning.
- Water: Obviously, this rice needs to cook.
- Shredded Queso Quesadilla: If you have not started having a few rounds of this on hand at all times, are you even taking Mexican food seriously? Look for it where all the Mexican cheeses and creams are sold.
- Queso Cheese: The white delicious goodness. I know your grocery store has it in plastic tubs.
How to Make Mexican Chicken and Rice Recipe
The ease of putting this recipe together is why I love it. Arroz con pollo was definitely inspired by my traditional chicken and rice recipe. Rice packets are underutilized in my house and that is ending right now. Rice packets are my new answer to an easy dinner. However, to get this meal in the oven, you need to start by making the chicken.
Season the chicken with the taco seasoning and throw it on a grill or in the skillet.
While the chicken cooks, shred the quesadilla cheese. Then pour the boxes of rice into a rectangular casserole dish or 13 x 9 pan. Dump the seasoning over the rice and then top off with the water. Stir the water into the rice and let sit until the chicken is done.
When the chicken is cooked, pull off the grill or out of the pan. Let rest a few minutes and then slice. Lay the chicken into the rice and water. Spread it out over the entire area of the pan.
Cover the pan and bake for one hour. Stir the chicken and rice together. Leave uncovered and bake another 15 minutes. Pull out of the oven and spoon warmed queso cheese dip over the entire casserole.
Serve with extra cheese if you are a cheese-crazy family like we are. Go ahead and serve with a big bowl of tortilla chips too. You might as well make ACP as much like a Mexican restaurant as possible. Your family will love this arroz con pollo dish at home.
Pro Tips for the Best Arroz Con Pollo
- Swap half the water for chicken broth. Use 1¾ cups chicken broth and 1¾ cups water instead of all water. It makes a noticeable difference in how flavorful the rice turns out.
- Add Rotel or salsa to the rice. Stir in ½ cup of drained Rotel tomatoes (original or hot) with the water before adding the chicken. It adds color, texture, and a layer of flavor the rice packet alone can’t deliver.
- Fix for watery rice: If your casserole came out too wet, reduce the water by ¼ cup next time (3¼ cups total instead of 3½). Casserole dishes trap steam that stovetop cooking releases, so you need slightly less liquid. Make sure to leave it uncovered for the full final 15 minutes.
- Let the chicken rest before slicing. Give grilled chicken thighs at least 5 minutes to rest before cutting — this keeps the juices in the meat rather than releasing them into the rice.
- Squeeze lime over everything before serving. A squeeze of fresh lime juice right before serving brightens the entire dish and cuts through the richness of the queso. Game changer.
Substitutions
Whether it is not having the ingredients as the recipe calls on hand or you just have other dietary restrictions, here are some suggestions for making this arroz con pollo recipe.
- Ground Beef and Rice – Want to try this recipe with ground beef? Check out this arroz con carne molida recipe.
- Rice and taco seasoning – Don’t have a box of Mexican cheesy rice. Use long-grain rice and taco seasoning as a substitute. You will want to add a bit more cheese and maybe a splash of taco sauce too.
- Vegetarian – the chicken can be replaced with black beans, chickpeas, or even a plant-based burger to make this vegetarian.
FAQ
Arroz con pollo literally translates from Spanish as “rice with chicken.” It appears in many Latin American cuisines — Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and others, each with its own version. This recipe is inspired by the Mexican restaurant version, where the chicken and rice are served with a drizzle of white queso on top.
Cuban arroz con pollo is typically cooked entirely on the stovetop or in one pot, using beer and saffron or bijol for color, with the chicken simmered directly in the rice. The Mexican restaurant version, on which this recipe is based, uses grilled or sautéed seasoned chicken served over separately cooked rice and finished with white queso cheese. Different flavors, different techniques, but both delicious.
Yes, chicken breasts work fine. They’re leaner than thighs, so they can dry out more easily; don’t overcook them on the grill. Pull them off at 165°F internal temperature and let them rest before slicing. Chicken thighs are more forgiving and tend to stay juicier in the casserole, which is why this recipe uses them.
Yes, season the chicken and place it directly in the slow cooker over the uncooked rice, seasoning packet, and liquid. Cook on LOW for 4–5 hours. Add the cheeses in the last 30 minutes. The texture will be slightly softer than the oven version since the steam stays in the pot, but the flavor is great.
The most common cause is using the full 3½ cups of water in a sealed casserole dish, the steam can’t escape the way it does on the stovetop, so the rice absorbs more moisture than the recipe intends. Reduce to 3¼ cups of liquid, stir well at the 45-minute mark, and bake it uncovered for the full final 15 minutes.
Easy Mexican Recipes
We love Mexican food at our house. Every day of the week, my kids ask for one of the amazing recipes I make inspired by Mexico.
Arroz Con Pollo – Mexican Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 packages Old Elpaso Cheesy Mexican Rice
- 8 ounces Queso Quesadilla Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 3.5 cups water
- 1 cup queso cheese dip
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°.
- Season the chicken pieces with taco seasoning. Cook on an indoor grill or sautéed in a pan. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, and then remove and let rest.
- Spray a rectangle casserole dish with cooking spray. Dump the two packages of rice and seasoning into the dish, spreading them out evenly across the bottom.
- Pour water over the rice. Shred the queso quesadilla cheese. Stir half of it into the rice.
- Slice chicken and lay into the rice, water, and cheese. Stir to combine.
- Bake covered for 45 minutes. Stir to make sure the liquid is reaching all the rice. Top with the remaining shredded cheese. Then finish cooking for another 15 minutes or until rice is soft.
- When ready, spoon the queso cheese dip over the top of the casserole.
Video
Nutrition
Shared on Meal Plan Monday
- Italian Grinder Bean Salad (Easy, High-Protein BeanTok Recipe) - January 25, 2026
- 🦃 The Ultimate Thanksgiving Side Dishes Roundup - November 16, 2025
- Crock Pot Crab Rangoon Dip - October 19, 2025
Very bland and a lot of work for something that could be made in half the time on a stove top
Did anyone else’s come out watery?
Delicious!