Description
Pollo Loco is a flavorful Mexican chicken and rice dish featuring tender, seasoned chicken breast cooked with vibrant saffron yellow rice and creamy white queso dip, delivering a comforting and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasoning
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1.5 lbs uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small bite size pieces
- 1 tsp Goya Adobo Seasoning
Rice and Broth
- 1 10 oz pkg Vigo Saffron Yellow Rice (Arroz Amarillo)
- 1 cube Knorr Tomato Bouillon (optional)
- 2½ cups water
Queso Mixture
- 3 oz White Queso Dip
- 2 tbsp milk (skim, 1%, 2%, or whole)
Other
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: If the chicken pieces seem wet, pat them dry with a paper towel. Then sprinkle evenly with the Goya Adobo Seasoning and rub it all over to ensure the chicken is well coated.
- Cook Chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or non-stick large deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the diced chicken breast and cook on one side for about 3 minutes, then turn and continue cooking until the chicken is browned and cooked through for several more minutes.
- Add Rice and Liquids: Once the chicken is cooked, add the package of saffron yellow rice, crush and add the Knorr Tomato Bouillon cube if using, then pour in 2½ cups of water. Stir the mixture and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat for one minute.
- Simmer Rice: Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet or pot tightly, and let the rice simmer for at least 25 minutes without lifting the lid, ensuring the rice absorbs all the liquid and becomes tender.
- Finish with Queso: When the rice is cooked thoroughly, stir in the white queso dip and milk. Fluff the mixture gently with a fork to combine everything evenly and serve warm.
Notes
- Serving size is based on 1.5 cups for nutritional calculations.
- WW Points per serving: 8.
- If your pot lid has a steam vent hole, cover it tightly with foil or tape to prevent rice from staying crunchy.
- When cutting chicken, slice against the grain to ensure tenderness.
- Different sizes of saffron yellow rice packages can be adjusted by weighing out 10 ounces to maintain recipe consistency.
- Milk types such as skim, 1%, 2%, or whole all work well in the queso mixture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 369 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 1000 mg
- Fat: 5.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 43.3 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
