Lone Star Chicken & Rice Bowls
topped with Smoky Red Pepper Crema & Salsa Fresca
- Milk
Bowls have gone beyond “having a moment” and officially become a dinnertime staple. And why not? They’re hearty, comforting, and the ultimate culinary blank canvas. This version is packed with Tex-Mex-style fixings like saucy, spiced chicken and charred poblano pepper. They’re served over a bed of lime rice and topped with fresh salsa and smoky red pepper crema. Yep, this bodacious bowl is sure to satisfy.
Ingredients
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
1 unit
Tomato Paste
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
4 tablespoon
Smoky Red Pepper Crema
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
1 unit
Tomato
1 unit
Lime
2 unit
Scallions
1 unit
Tex-Mex Paste
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• In a small pot, combine rice, ¾ cup water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve. • 4 SERVINGS: Use 1½ cups water.
• While rice cooks, wash and dry all produce. • Finely dice tomato. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Zest and quarter lime. Core, deseed, and dice poblano into ½-inch pieces. • Pat chicken* dry with paper towels.
• In a small bowl, combine tomato, scallion whites, and a squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt. • Add smoky red pepper crema to a separate small bowl. Stir in water 1 tsp at a time until it reaches a drizzling consistency.
• Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add poblano; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 4-6 minutes. • Add another drizzle of oil, chicken, Southwest Spice, and a pinch of salt. Cook until poblano is tender and chicken is browned all over, 2-4 minutes (it’ll finish cooking in the next step). • TIP: Add a splash of water if chicken begins to brown too quickly.
• Pour in ½ cup water, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. • Add Tex-Mex paste and tomato paste; stir until fully incorporated. Bring to a simmer and cook until mixture has thickened and chicken is cooked through, 2-3 minutes. • Turn off heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter until melted. Add a squeeze of lime juice to taste. Taste and season with salt and pepper. • 4 SERVINGS: Use 1 cup water.
• Fluff rice with a fork; stir in 1 TBSP butter and lime zest. Season with salt and pepper. • Divide rice between shallow bowls. Top with poblano and chicken mixture, salsa fresca, smoky red pepper crema, and scallion greens. Serve with remaining lime wedges on the side. • 4 SERVINGS: Use 2 TBSP butter.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the bold, smoky Tex-Mex flavors, though some found it too tomato-heavy or spicy.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to make, with pre-cut chicken strips making it even easier.
- Suggestions: Consider adding black beans, cheese, or extra veggies like bell peppers for more variety.
- Portions: Some wanted more rice or chicken to balance the sauce; others found it perfectly filling.
- Spice level: Opinions varied widely; adjust seasoning to taste or add hot sauce for extra kick 🌶️.
Reviews from our home cooks
A little spice is always nice. The sauce gave you a hint of spicey but did not take from the dish. The flavor was very nice paired with the salsa fresca. Definitely a saved recipe!
We really loved this, and would definitely get it again! Only suggestion would be to add some hot sauce to the red pepper crema or maybe to add on top.
This was really good! It was easy to make and the smoky red pepper crema was great!
Loved this! Different from other rice bowls we've tried with Hello Fresh. The spicy, smoky tomato flavors were great.
The flavors were delicious, but the portion size was slightly disappointing. The half cup of rice was very sparse split between two people, and the chicken and veggie portion was great but overpowered the amount of rice. I would have added more rice had I not been following the recommendations, but I did enjoy the flavors overall.
I absolutely love this. The spices, the heat, The rice, all of it. I continues to smell it all day and could still taste it. I want this one at last once a Month, probably more.
This was straight yummy. Our son who is very picky enjoyed this. Unique flavor. A little skimpy for 4 people. Consider adding a little more chicken if you can for this meal if you're feeding 4.
This was a hit at my house! My daughter ate her chicken tortillas instead of the bowl and loved it. We also added some typical taco items to ours like cheese and sour cream.
Really loved the flavors. Smokey! Tex Amex comfort food in a bowl!
Direction at terrible all jumbled into paragraphs instead of bulleted lists of instructions. Food very good with nice mix of flavors. Not enough rice to look like pictures.
