Blackened Chicken and Rice with Cilantro Lime Dressing
Jul 17, 2024, Updated Jun 17, 2025
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Enjoy the flavours of this juicy blackened chicken recipe, served with a flavourful rice and veggie blend, topped with a zesty, bright and creamy feta cilantro lime dressing. Blackened Chicken and Rice can be made in one skillet and takes less than 30 minutes to whip together, making it the perfect weeknight dinner.
Table of Contents
- 😍 Why You’ll Love This Blackened Chicken and Rice Recipe
- 🗒 Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Blackened Chicken and Rice
- 👀 How To Make Blackened Chicken and Rice
- 🗒️ Variations & Substitutions
- 🤝 Pairs Well With
- 🤔 FAQ’s
- 🍴 Leftovers? Lucky you.
- 👩🏻🍳 Hungry For More?
- 💌 Let’s Stay Connected
- Blackened Chicken and Rice with Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe
😍 Why You’ll Love This Blackened Chicken and Rice Recipe
Made all in one pan: Yes, one pan! This blackened chicken and rice recipe couldn’t be easier to come together, and requires only one pan.
Ready in about 30 minutes: Making it a great option for busy weeknights.
The leftovers taste great: I love a one-pan dinner that also serves for the lunch the next day, and these leftovers taste fantastic which is always a win-win!
🗒 Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Blackened Chicken and Rice
- Rice
- Chicken breasts
- Bell peppers
- Yellow onion
- Corn
- Black beans
- Chicken stock
- Sharp cheddar
- Feta cheese
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- Garlic cloves
- Cilantro
- Maple syrup
- Lime
- Variety of spices
👀 How To Make Blackened Chicken and Rice
- Prepare the dressing: first, prepare the dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a small blender.
- Season the chicken: secondly, generously season both sides with the seasoning blend, then pan fry on each side until cooked through.
- Sauté the veggies: then, fry the bell peppers, onion, garlic, corn, beans and seasonings. Next, add the rice and stock and let simmer until cooked through.
- Add the cheese and dressing: finally, mix in the cheese and top with the cilantro lime dressing and enjoy your blackened chicken and rice.
🗒️ Variations & Substitutions
Rice variations: for example, brown rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice or quinoa will all work in this recipe.
Vegetable variations: for example, zucchini, tomatoes and sweet potatoes would all be great added options in this blackened chicken recipe.
Bean variations: for example, black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, or any other bean variety would work well.
🤝 Pairs Well With
- Simple House Salad
- Caesar Pasta Salad
- The Best Caesar Salad You’ll Ever Have
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Roasted Pepper Salad
🤔 FAQ’s
Yes! For example, vegetable stock is a great alternative.
You sure can. While boneless/skinless chicken breasts or thighs are recommended for their even cooking, you can switch it up. However, be sure to keep in mind that bone-in chicken will change the cooking time. Therefore, ensure they reach a safe internal temperature before consuming. Furthermore, the rice cooking time may differ from the recipe below.
Of course! Instead, any large pan with a tight fitting lid will do the trick.
🍴 Leftovers? Lucky you.
Store any leftover blackened chicken and rice in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat simply microwave for 30-45 seconds or pan fry until warm throughout.
👩🏻🍳 Hungry For More?
💌 Let’s Stay Connected
Keep in touch with me on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest! If you do make this recipe (or any recipe of mine) don’t forget to leave a review.
Blackened Chicken and Rice with Cilantro Lime Dressing
Equipment
- 1 Large frying pan
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Dressing:
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream, or plain greek yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 lime, juiced + the zest
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt to taste,
Chicken Breasts:
- 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 4-5 thinly sliced chicken breasts
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- chili powder
- paprika
- cumin
- coriander
Everything Else:
- 1 tsp olive oil, for frying the veggies
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ cups basmati rice, uncooked to measure
- 3 cups chicken stock, salted
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 can corn, drained
- 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
Instructions
- Begin by adding all of the cilantro lime dressing ingredients to a small blender or use an immersion blender, and mix to combine, just until smooth.Taste for any additional seasionings, and set aside until ready to use.
- To the thinly sliced chicken breasts, generously season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chilli powder, paprika, cumin and coriander.
- To a large frying pan set to medium/heat, add the oil.Pan fry the chicken cutlets on each side for 2-3 minutes, or until fully cooked.Remove from the pan and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- To the same frying pan, add 1 tsp of olive oil followed by the bell peppers and onion and let sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, corn, beans and seasionings. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the uncooked rice and gently toast for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the chicken stock, cover and let simmer on low for 10-12 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the majority of the stock has been absorbed. Sammy's tip: stir at the halfway mark to prevent from sticking.
- Remove from heat and add the shredded cheddar and mix until melted.
- Serve and top with a chicken breast and a generous drizzle of dressing.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and more crumbled feta if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Easy to make, delicious, and very filling. I made it without cilantro and it was great!
Hi Kelly! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. So happy you liked the recipe! xo – Sammy
Great recipe! Just did it. Very delicious! Thank you!
Soooo good omg
Hi Olivia! Yay! I am so happy you loved it! Makes me so happy! xo
Delicious and easy enough to make. Will definitely be a favourite at our house. The dressing is beyond amazing!!
Hi Brianna, thank you for taking the time to leave a review! I am so happy you liked the recipe! – Sammy xo
Delicious and quick. Sammy’s recipes never disappoint!
Hi Aimee! Bless you! Thanks for the support, xo!
BIG, BIG HIT! The fam absolutely LOVED the is dinner. I’ll be making it again!
Hi Susannah! That makes me so happy! Thank you for sharing!
hi there! i am making this tonight, we can’t wait to try! wondering if you can recommend a different cheese other than feta? if not would it be ok to leave out of the dressing?
Hi! You can absolutely leave the feta out. Some people have been adding cottage cheese in place to bulk the dressing up, so if thats more your jam, give that a go!
Good to know…..my family hates feta. They can always taste it when I try to sneak it in. Would Boursin work as a replacement?
Can you use different cheese or leave it out of dressing?
Hi Gina, you can leave it out all together if you don’t eat feta!
This dish is supppppeeerrr good. I doubled the recipe because I had family over and they all absolutely loved it. I kept the cheddar cheese shredded on the side because a family member was lactose intolerant haha but this is now a weekly dish. Very healthy and everyone builds their bowl as their like.
Hi Mya – thanks for the review! So happy everyone loved it!
We absolutely loved this! I will definitely be making again. I added an avocado on top but it’s amazing without as well.
Hi Alyssa, thank you for sharing a review! So happy you enjoyed it! xo
This was delicious! Such a nice meal to add to the mix and the flavours of everything were so good! I will be making this again for sure. Thank you!
Hi Kait! So happy you enjoyed this one! Makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing! – Sammy
Would this freeze well, if I make double a freeze a tray?
Hi Marie- If you decide to freeze this one, just freeze it without the sauce!
This is by far one of my favorite dinner recipes ever! The cilantro lime dressing is to die for, best part of the whole meal. It reheats really well for leftovers too. It’s easy to make and love that it’s done all in one pan. I will definitely be making again and again!
Hi Leah! Thanks for this awesome review. I really love this recipe as well! Thanks for being here! xo – Sammy
Probably the best thing I’ve made so far and just keep coming back to this recipe over and over again
This was fantastic! Super easy, made the dressing and prepped the veggies the day before. The only thing I did differently is add some chopped jalapeños and doubled the dressing because it was soooo delicious. Keep posting the deliciousness ❤️
AMAZING! I only used two cups of chicken broth instead of the three and husband and I LOVED this! The dressing…a little goes a long way but used it two days later with a different chicken recipe and it hit!
I love a lot of your recipes but this one is absolutely FIREE!! The cilantro lime dressing is so delicious wow. Thank you sooo much!
HIIII Sarah! Awe thank you so much! So happy you liked it!!
Absolutely fantastic recipe! So delicious and quick. A perfect weekday meal packed with lovely flavours. It’s a staple in our house now, thanks Sammy!
So good! I had to leave out the cumin as one family member doesn’t care for it, but it was still amazing. Leftovers the next day even better. And the cilantro cream dressing? I could seriously drink the stuff lol.
Thanks for a great tasty recipe for our dinner rotation!
O MY Goodness! So delicious! Comes together quickly and the flavors- YUM! Thank you.
Made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! Big hit in my house and will be on rotation. Thank you!
Plan to make the rice and veg for dinner tonight to serve with steak! You mention garlic in the instructions, but don’t say how much in the ingredient list? I’m thinking a couple of cloves, but it would be great if you could confirm!
Thanks for your help and for all your recipes!
Doing this tonight!! Just a side note to let you know the garlic is missing in the ingredient list in the “everything else” section
Thank you for this! Just updated 🙂
Omg, I made the Caesar salad yesterday and this chicken today. I am blown away by how amazing this tastes. I forgot the feta cheese and I feel like it would have elevated the flavor but it’s still so good without it. You are a flavor god, thank you for sharing.
This turned out great! We ate left overs cold over some arugula and it was delish!
Very good recipe. I “know my way around the kitchen” and making this for the first time took easily an hour. I really wish the times given for prepping and cooking were more accurate/realistic.