Skillet Cheesy Vegan Enchilada-Inspired Chick'n & Rice Bake
The next time your looking for an absolutely delicious and easy recipe, look no further than this Skillet Cheesy Vegan Enchilada-Inspired Chick'n & Rice Bake! It's hearty, comforting and perfectly spiced. But the best part? Most of the cooking is done in the oven ... making for a nearly effortless cozy weeknight meal!
Ingredients
Enchilada-Style Sauce:
- 2 dried California Chiles
- 2 dried New Mexico Chiles
- 1 dried Pasilla Chile
- 2 ¼ cup vegan chickn broth or vegetable broth
- 1 7 ¾ oz can of El Pato or tomato sauce
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 TBS chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 TBS Mexican oregano
- 1 TBS ground cumin
Rice Bake:
- 2 TBS avocado oil
- 1 10 oz bag vegan chick’n strips
- 1 white onion chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- 1 deseeded deveined, and minced jalapeno
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice *See notes
- 6 cloves fresh minced garlic
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz corn, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro plus more for serving
- 2 cups vegan mozzarella or cheddar shreds divided
For Serving:
- Sliced avocado
- Fresh chopped Cilantro
- Fresh lime wedges
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- To make the enchilada sauce, rehydrate the dried chiles in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and place the chiles in a high-powered blender along with the rest of the enchilada sauce ingredients. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt if necessary. Set aside.
- For the rice bake, heat the oil in a large, 12-inch oven safe sauté pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. (*See notes).
- Once the oil is hot and shimmering at the bottom of the pan, add the chick’n strips, onion, bell pepper and jalapeno, and cook, stirring often, until the chick’n is warmed through and the onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Pour in the rice and garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is just barely toasted.
- Reduce stovetop heat to low and pour in the prepared enchilada sauce, black beans, corn, ½ cup cilantro, and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Mix carefully to combine.
- Turn off the stovetop and top the rice with the remaining cup of cheese shreds and cover with an oven safe lid or tin foil. Place in the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake until the rice is fluffy and has absorbed the liquid, 35 to 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with avocado slices, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and hot sauce (if using). Enjoy!
Notes
RECIPE NOTES:
* You cannot make substitutions for rice or grains here. Different types of rice and grains require different amounts of liquid and cooking times.
* If you don’t have an oven-safe pan or skillet this large, you can saute the chickn, onions, peppers, rice and garlic in a pan and transfer the ingredients into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
* This dish can easily be made gluten free with the swap of a gluten-free vegan chick’n, such as Sweet Earth Foods Mindful Chik’n Pieces or soy curls (rehydrated according to package directions).
* You cannot make substitutions for rice or grains here. Different types of rice and grains require different amounts of liquid and cooking times.
* If you don’t have an oven-safe pan or skillet this large, you can saute the chickn, onions, peppers, rice and garlic in a pan and transfer the ingredients into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
* This dish can easily be made gluten free with the swap of a gluten-free vegan chick’n, such as Sweet Earth Foods Mindful Chik’n Pieces or soy curls (rehydrated according to package directions).
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!