There are few recipes that I take the time to post the night I make them for dinner. Not because the recipes I am making are not worth posting right away, more just because I get busy and forget to blog about them until I have a few minutes to sit down at my laptop and post. This recipe however was a MUST-POST-RIGHT-AWAY kind of dish for me. I found a recipe that looked delicious from my friend Jamie’s blog and knew I needed to make and try this for our ‘rice’ month here at Deals to Meals.
This recipe didn’t disappoint, it was awesome!! I did change several aspects of the salad, so I gave it a new name (a little wordy I know..but, it will do) and am so excited to share it with you. I could see this dish being one I make all of the time in the summer. It would be fabulous warm or cold (in fact, it was..I had two bowls of it tonight–one at dinner and one an hour later when I was cleaning up, delicious both ways!!). Either way, the fact you don’t have to turn on the stove and it is a one bowl wonder, it is the perfect recipe to eat on the go, on a picnic, camping, at a family gathering or for a weeknight meal. We ate this for dinner tonight and all of the kids LOVED it!! Even my 10 month old baby couldn’t get enough (that says a lot, he is a picky chap!)
Bottom line, add this to your list of meals to try before the month is through. I hope you love it as much as I did! The other great thing about this recipe is that it is a great dinner option for people who are unable to eat gluten. If you want to also cut back on your food budget, leave out the chicken. I think it would be just as good without it. A good vegetarian meal never hurt anyone, right 🙂


- Cilantro Lime Chicken & Rice Salad
- 1 c. long grain white rice
- 2 c. brown rice (or 2 more cups white rice)
- 2 chicken breasts, cut or shredded into small pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can rotel tomatoes (or 1 c. diced tomatoes & 1 more can diced green chilies)
- 2 t. chili powder
- 1 t. salt
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed (much better with frozen corn, but can could work too)
- 1 c. cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 c. green onions, sliced
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 2 avocados, peeled and diced
- 1/2 c. lime juice
- 1/4 c. white vinegar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 1/3 c. vegetable or canola oil
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced fine (if you like it more spicy add 2 or 3, or leave seeds in)
- 2 t. chili powder
- 2 t. cumin
- Salt, to taste
- Cilantro Lime Chicken & Rice Salad: Cook the rice on the stove, in a rice cooker or pressure cooker until tender and fluffy, about 20-30 minutes depending which method you choose.
- Grill, bake or cook the chicken over the stove until cooked through and no longer pink. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then cut into bite sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and then add the cooked rice. Dice the onion and add to a saute pan.
- Saute together the onions and seasonings in a pan until the onions are soft. Add the onions to the cooked rice. To the rice and chicken, add the drained black beans, frozen corn, chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes and diced avocado.
- For the dressing, add the ingredients together and whisk until smooth. Pour the dressing over the salad. Serve the salad with extra fresh lime slices on the side and extra cilantro.
Healthy tip: anytime I make a recipe where the rice is covered in a sauce of some kind or lots of seasonings, I always use a ratio of 2 parts brown rice to 1 part white rice. Brown rice is so much more nutritious than white rice so if it is going to be covered up anyway with sauce, use the brown rice and your family will never know. I know they are supposed to cook at different temperatures and time frames, but I have found in a rice cooker, pressure canner or on the stove they turn out just fine being cooked together.
Looks and sounds deee-lish! Let's have it for Sunday dinner, eh? Love, Mom PS–How does Todd like it? Rice and all?
We had this for dinner tonight! It WAS soooo wonderful! Thanks for the great recipe!
Super yummy! Thank you!
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Shandra,
I am the one from Riverton who came to your rice class. I enjoyed it so much and really appreciate all the time and energy you put into it. Your ward is lucky to have you to teach them! Even though your class was meant for your ward members, I wanted to thank you again. I loved it!
Sarah
Quick question: in the rice picture, it looks like you're using a pressure cooker. If so, could you tell me your rice/water ratio? I'm still fiddling with mine, and if you can get yours perfect, I'd love to know! Thanks! Oh, and LOVE y'all's blog! Thanks for all the invaluable help.
Yes, I was borrowing my sister's pressure cooker. I tried all different ratios and sadly I don't know that I came up with the perfect amount of rice per water. It seemed like the less water I used the better it came out (something like 1 c. rice and 1 1/4 c. water). I will have to play around with the ratios some more and let you know.
Thanks!