Today I tried to make my ‘Chicken & Chorizo Baked Rice’ into Mexican flavour. I basically added the same Spices that I use to cook ‘Chilli Con Carne’. I didn’t add Chorizo today, but you can add it. The brilliant addition to this dish is Cheese. I used ‘Cheese Mix for Baking’, that is a mix of Cheddar, Mozzarella and Parmesan. If you have Mexican Cheese, why don’t you use it? This is an easy dish that you can cook for your family, even on a busy weekday.

---

Makes

4 Servings

Ingredients

500g Chicken Fillets *Breast OR Thigh
Salt & Pepper
1 tablespoon Oil *plus extra
1 Onion *finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic *finely chopped
1 can (400g) Diced Tomatoes
360ml Chicken Stock
1 Capsicum *Today I used Red Capsicum
1 cup Corn Kernels
2 x 180ml cups (360ml) Short OR Medium Grain Rice *rinsed if required
1 cup shredded (grated) Tasty Cheese OR Cheese Mix for Baking
Coriander OR Parsley *I used finely chopped Parsley

Spices
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 teaspoon Ground Coriander Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Ground Chilli OR Cayenne Pepper *add more if you like
3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) Dried Oregano

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200℃.
2. Cut Chicken Fillets into chunky pieces and season with Salt & Pepper. Prepare Vegetables.
3. Heat Oil in an oven-safe shallow pan or a skillet over medium heat and cook Chicken until slightly browned, and transfer to a plate.
4. Add extra Oil if required, cook Onion and Garlic, add Capsicum and Corn, then add all spices and stir. Add Tomatoes and Chicken Stock. Stir in Rice evenly and return Chicken, then bring back to the boil. Season with Salt & Pepper as required.
5. Cover with a lid or cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, scatter Cheese, and cook for 5-10 minutes OR until Cheese is melted and golden.
6. Sprinkle with some chopped Coriander OR Parsley, and serve. *Note: I sprinkled with finely chopped Parsley because I have Coriander haters in my family.