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Cheesy Grilled Mexican Chicken and Rice is a Mexican fiesta in every bite! Spicy flavors and bold color make this a feast fit for any night of the week!
Table of Contents
This Cheesy Grilled Mexican Chicken and Rice is a favorite at our house. Bright and bold, this dish is a feast for your eyes and stomach, and incorporates all of our favorite Mexican flavors into one delicious meal. The cheesy sauce served over the chicken and rice gives it an extra boost of flavor and creaminess. Plus, it’s a perfect dinner for warm, summer nights because it doesn’t require any baking so you can keep the oven off! Double the batch; this delicious marinated chicken makes delicious tacos or quesadillas the next day. Serve it with some chips and Queso recipe and you have a full Mexican meal in no time!
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts – boneless and skinless
- Lawry’s Baja Chipotle Marinade or Lawry’s Mesquite Marinade
- Mexican Queso (or see notes for our Nacho Cheese Dip recipe)
- Diced tomatoes
- Cilantro – chopped
Suggestions for Cheesy Grilled Mexican Chicken
- There are several bottled marinades available that work great with grilled chicken. For this recipe, we suggest a marinade with chipotle seasoning, made from smoked and dried jalapeno peppers. This gives some heat to the chicken and a delicious smoky flavor. We like to use Lawry’s Baja Chipotle marinade.
- When grilling the chicken, try out this great tip from our friends at “Skip to my Lou” to keep your chicken from sticking to the grill. Heat the grill, then cut an onion in half and rub the cut side of the onion on the grates of the grill. We did it and it worked GREAT, better than even using oil or anything else to keep it from sticking. Genius!
- Add as many toppings as you like for this dish! We love using bright cilantro and plump tomatoes, but you could add sliced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, grilled corn or green onions.
- Save the extra chicken breasts (or make a double batch) to use in tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, salads and more! The chicken freezes nicely in freezer safe bags for up to a month.
More Mexican Recipes
We just can’t get enough Mexican food around here! From spicy enchiladas to hearty chili, try a few of our very favorite authentic Mexican recipes. Enjoy!
- Easy Chicken Flautas
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Enchilada Chili
- Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Beef
- Mexican Street Corn Cups (Disney Copycat)
- Easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice
Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend using our Mexican Rice recipe. It is better than anything you can buy in a store, and just as easy to make.
When grilling the chicken for this recipe, try out this great tip from our friends at “Skip to my Lou” to keep your chicken from sticking to the grill. Heat the grill, then cut an onion in half and rub the cut side of the onion on the grates of the grill. We did it and it worked GREAT, better than even using oil or anything else to keep it from sticking.
Watch your liquid. If your rice has absorbed too much liquid, the grains may have split and the starches may have given the rice a soft, gluey consistency. Cook rice according to directions and be careful not to add too much liquid.
Read More: 75+ Cinco de Mayo Food Ideas
More Chicken Recipes
Grilled, baked or fried, you just can’t go wrong with a classic chicken dinner. Check out some of our most popular recipes and get a few new fun ideas for your family!
- Top 10 Best Chicken Recipes of 2019
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
- Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken
- Cranberry Chicken
How to Make Grilled Mexican Chicken
Cheesy Grilled Mexican Chicken
Equipment
- Outdoor Barbecue Grill
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 1 bottle Lawry’s Baja Chipotle Marinade or Lawry’s Mesquite Marinade
- 1 jar Mexican Queso (or see notes for our Nacho Cheese Dip recipe)
- 2-3 cups Mexican Rice (Recipe link in notes)
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag. Set aside about ½ cup of the marinade and pour the rest into the bag, covering the chicken.
- Press all the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Marinate for at least an hour (best if overnight in the refrigerator).
- While chicken is marinating, prepare Mexican rice. See recipe link in notes.
- When chicken is finished marinating, remove from bag and discard marinade.
- Grill chicken, brushing on a little remaining marinade (the ½ cup that was set aside earlier) every few minutes, until done and internal temp reaches 165-degrees F.
- Heat queso/nacho cheese sauce according to directions on jar.
- Place each chicken breast on about ½ cup of rice, top with queso, tomatoes, and cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Yummmm! This was so good! I especially loved the queso sauce, noms.
My family loved this dinner! Such great flavors and really easy to make. Will definitely be adding to our rotation!
This was so delicious! I love queso, so this recipe caught my attention. Very easy to make. Hubby gave a big thumbs up! I will definitely make again!
We are always looking for just the right side dish with our tex mex foods. This fits the bill. Everyone’s favorite because it’s always gone first!!
The nacho cheese sauce on top… ohmygosh! I cannot wait to dive into this dish! It looks AMAZING!
Where can I find decent Mexican rice? Or what brand/store do you recommend? I’m coming up short… thanks
We recommend using our Mexican Rice recipe. It is better than anything you can buy in a store, and just as easy to make. Here is the recipe:
/restaurant-style-mexican-rice/
Looks delicious! Thought you’d want to know the links about the chicken tip don’t work. 🙁
So easy and very tasty! This will become a regular menu item.
We love this at our house too! I’m so glad you liked it!
Oh my goodness! This sounds delicious! =)
I love cheesy mexican dishes like this one! Pinned to save.
Looks so delicious!! Love the recipe!! Pinned 🙂