Mexican Chicken and "Rice" Sheet Pan

Chicken and rice is one of those classic dishes that everyone will eat and it screams comfort. I can always guarantee that my whole family will eat dinner if a clucker and some rice is on the menu. If you are watching your carbs or eliminating grains, you are probably using a ton of cauliflower rice. This is a great dinner that is packed with flavor without the carbs and only uses one sheet pan to make a meal with 4-5 servings, perfect for feeding a family or meal prep goodness to get you through the week.

There isn’t too much to say about this, I did mix up a taco seasoning that you will want to sprinkle on all the things. I found it really hard to find brands of spices that did not include weird stuff in their taco seasonings so this is a great alternative if you need it in any recipe. The thing I love about this meal is you don’t need to prep anything before placing it on the sheet, cauliflower rice stays frozen, chicken gets nestled in there and peppers and onions are just sliced up and sprinkled over, EASY.

Mexican Chicken and “Rice” Sheet Pan

• 1-2 bags frozen cauliflower rice or cauliflower & sweet potato mix

• 2 Tablespoons oil, divided

• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

• 2 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided

• 3 bell peppers, sliced

• 2 onions, sliced

• 1 pound chicken drumsticks (bone-in, skin on)

• 1 pound chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)

• 2 teaspoons Taco Seasoning (below)

- Preheat the oven to 400

- On a baking sheet, dump out the frozen rice and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Mix until combined and spread in an even layer on the sheet.

- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and 2 teaspoons of Taco Seasoning evenly on both sides of the chicken pieces. Nestle the legs and thighs amongst the rice, make sure the chicken is touching the pan on not on top of the rice.

- In a bowl, toss the peppers, onions, and remaining tablespoon oil and teaspoon of salt and pepper. Arrange the peppers and onions around the chicken.

- Tossing hallway, bake for 25 minutes or until the chicken’s internal temperature is 165 when checked with a meat thermometer. Broil for 2-3 minutes until the chicken skin is a little crispy and browned.

- Serve with cilantro, green onions, salsa, avocado or sour cream.

Taco Seasoning

• 4 Tablespoons chili powder

• 3 Tablespoons ground cumin

• 2 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika

• 1 Tablespoon granulated garlic

• 1 Tablespoon onion powder

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- Mix spices in a jar or bowl. Store in a mason or spice jar.

I love that you don't need to cook or thaw the rice before, just toss it with oil and salt and pepper and spread it out. I used one bag of cauliflower rice and half of one mixed cauliflower and sweet potato.

Season those chicken drums and thighs, the taco seasoning is only on this so make it count. Think it needs more seasoning, you do you baby. Then get them cozy on the sheet pan. Make sure they are not on the rice, that will make the rice super soggy.

Those colors get me every time! Toss the peppers and onions with oil, salt, and pepper then scatter it all around the chicken on the sheet.

Now it is ready for the oven! Bake it and make sure to toss it around a little about halfway through baking time. Once it is cooked through, broil for a couple minutes to get that skin a little crispy.