Tex-Mex Chicken Enchilada Bowls
with Chicken Thighs, Zesty Rice, Pico de Gallo & Spiced Crema
- Milk
Rice bowls are one of our go-to dinnertime staples. And why not? They’re hearty, flavorful, and so versatile. This version’s got bold ’n’ saucy chicken thighs served over a bed of fluffy lime rice, topped with fresh salsa, Monterey Jack cheese, and Southwest crema. Yep, this blissful bowl is sure to satisfy.
Ingredients
1 unit
Tomato
1 unit
Yellow Onion
1 unit
Lime
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
3 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
10 ounce
Diced Chicken Thighs
1 unit
Tex-Mex Paste
¼ cup
Monterey Jack Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Dice tomato. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion; mince a few slices until you have 2 TBSP (3 TBSP for 4 servings). Zest and quarter lime. Halve, core, and thinly slice green pepper into strips.
• In a small pot, combine rice, ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4 servings), 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.
• While rice cooks, in a small bowl, combine tomato, minced onion, and juice from half the lime. Season with salt and pepper. • In a separate small bowl, combine sour cream and ¼ tsp Southwest Spice Blend (½ tsp for 4 servings; you’ll use more in the next step). Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add green pepper and cook until slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. • Add sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are browned and tender, 5-7 minutes. • Add half the remaining Southwest Spice Blend (you’ll use the rest in the next step), 2 TBSP water (4 TBSP for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until water has mostly evaporated and veggies are coated, 1-2 minutes. • Turn off heat. Transfer to a plate; cover to keep warm. Wipe out pan.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for veggies over medium-high heat. Add chicken* and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. • Stir in Tex-Mex paste and remaining Southwest Spice Blend until combined. Add ¼ cup water (1⁄3 cup for 4 servings); simmer until mixture is reduced and saucy, 2-3 minutes more. • Remove from heat and stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
• Fluff rice with a fork; stir in lime zest and season with salt and pepper. • Divide rice between bowls and top with chicken mixture, veggies, Monterey Jack, pico de gallo, and crema. Serve with remaining lime wedges on the side.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Mar 2026- Flavor: Many loved the bold, spicy flavors, though some found it too salty or overpowering; adjusting seasoning to taste is recommended 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to make, with pre-chopped chicken saving time; some found the multiple seasoning steps confusing.
- Suggestions: Consider adding black beans, corn, or avocado for extra texture and flavor; cilantro would enhance the pico de gallo.
- Portions: Several noted not enough rice for the servings; adding more grains or serving with tortilla chips could help bulk it up.
- Chicken quality: Some found the thigh meat too fatty or gristly; substituting chicken breast was a popular modification.
Reviews from our home cooks
This is a 10 star meal. We loved it. Cooked the chicken a little longer and had a nice crust. Had this with chips and wanted more. This maybe be my fav Tex-Mex meal.
Can't go wrong with an enchilada bowl. The diced chicken thighs were good with the veggies and the sauce. 10/10
Excellent flavor profile! Added more tomatoes to the salsa and substituted red onion for the white onion. It was fantastic! Instructions seemed somewhat out of order because the rice was done cooking long before I even started the chicken. Other than that, fantastic!
Love, love, love the Tex-Mex paste, makes the meal so flavorful, my 16 and 18 year old sons especially enjoy & Mexican-type bowls from Hello Fresh! On their part, with their appetites, they only wish they were a little bigger!
Would prefer chicken breast over thighs. Would also be good as a vegetarian dish with beans as the protein. Some of the tex-mex sauce and seasoning are overpowering. We used less than half of each.
Wanted chips to go with it or enchilada bits - here in the Southwest we add tortilla bits so it actually tastes like an enchilada to our bowls.
Great and easy dish to prepare. The chicken thighs added lots of flavor.
Cilantro would've put this one over the top. Good thing I had some in the fridge and added it to the salsa. The recipe was ok, I feel like the measurements were off or something because the seasonings were a bit strong. Could've used more rice. Don't think I'd order this one again.
Good. Easy to make. Needed tortillas and more rice. Too much onion. One onion and one pepper is enough
For two servings it made enough chicken but there wasn't enough rice, but the meal was again delicious
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