Arroz con Pollo with White Queso Sauce is a Mexican-American one-dish meal combining fajita-seasoned chicken, homemade or boxed Mexican rice, and a creamy white cheese sauce made from melted cheese and evaporated milk. It offers multiple cooking methods—baked, skillet, or loaded Texano-style with steak and shrimp—all topped with pourable queso and served with warm tortillas and fresh garnishes.
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Season chicken thighs or tenders with fajita seasoning.
For homemade bake: Preheat oven to 350°F.
Layer Spanish-style rice mix, chicken broth, salsa (and salsa jar rinse water), and seasoned chicken in a baking dish.
Top with shredded Mexican cheese blend.
Cover and bake for 30–40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender.
For skillet rice: Cook white rice with water, tomato sauce, and chicken bouillon powder for Mexican restaurant-style rice.
Pan-sear or grill the seasoned chicken until cooked through.
Make queso sauce by melting cheeses in an evaporated milk base until smooth and pourable; add chopped jalapeños or green chiles for heat.
After baking, add warm queso on top of the dish and let it melt into a creamy layer.
Serve with warm flour tortillas, sour crema, jalapeños, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
For Texano ACP: add grilled steak and shrimp alongside the chicken over cheesy Mexican rice, then top with queso.
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat covered in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes, or microwave individual portions, adding a splash of broth to restore moisture.
9x13-inch baking dish (for baked version) · large skillet or grill (for pan-searing or grilling chicken)
Yes, prepare the queso by melting cheese in evaporated milk, then cool and refrigerate. Reheat gently on low heat before serving to restore a smooth, pourable consistency.
The baked version layers Spanish-style rice mix, broth, salsa, and seasoned chicken in a dish, then bakes covered for 30–40 minutes. The skillet version cooks white rice separately with tomato sauce and bouillon, then pan-sears the chicken separately before assembling.
For the baked version, bake for 30–40 minutes until the thighs or tenders are no longer pink inside. For skillet chicken, pan-sear or grill until it reaches safe internal temperature (165°F for poultry).
Yes, bone-in thighs work well, but extend baking time by 5–10 minutes to ensure they cook through, especially in the baked version.
Texano Arroz con Pollo adds grilled steak and shrimp alongside the chicken over cheesy Mexican rice, all topped with queso sauce for a heartier, surf-and-turf variation.
