Mexican Rice Salad with Chicken and Lime Recipe
This salad is a bowl full of rice, juicy chicken and crunchy vegetables, seasoned with lime and coriander. It’s a bit like Asian rice salads, but instead of soy sauce you get cumin, chili and lime juice. Perfect to pack in a lunchbox for work or a picnic, as it also tastes great cold.
This salad combines filling rice and tender chicken with typically Mexican accents – cumin, chili and lime – which give it a completely different character from familiar Asian rice bowls. Every bite is a mix of juicy meat, crunchy vegetables and fresh coriander, and it tastes just as good on a warm summer day as straight from the fridge. Thanks to that, it easily replaces classic sandwiches, offering a complete “to-go” meal.
Chef's tips
The most important thing is to cool the rice properly – spread it in a thin layer on a tray so the grains stay loose and the salad doesn’t turn into one solid lump. Don’t overcook the chicken: when the cubes are golden, cut one piece – if it’s completely white inside, take the pan off the heat right away. Before serving, always taste the salad and, if needed, add a little more lime juice, because the acidity becomes less pronounced after chilling.
How to serve
Pack the salad into an airtight container and take it to work instead of a bar lunch – it travels well and doesn’t lose flavour after a few hours. For a picnic, serve it with nachos and a simple yogurt-lime dip that you can scoop up together with the rice. To drink, serve water with lime, homemade lemonade or lightly sparkling coconut water if you like a more “holiday” vibe.
Ingredients
- long-grain rice dry, before cooking - 200 g
- chicken breast cut into small cubes - 300 g
- red bell pepper diced - 1 piece
- fresh cucumber diced - 1 piece
- canned corn drained - 150 g
- red onion finely chopped - 0.5 piece
- vegetable oil for frying the chicken - 2 tablespoon
- lime juice freshly squeezed - 3 tablespoon
- rapeseed oil or olive oil for the dressing - 3 tablespoon
- ground cumin - 0.5 teaspoon
- sweet paprika powder - 0.5 teaspoon
- salt or to taste - 1 teaspoon
- ground black pepper - 0.25 teaspoon
- fresh coriander chopped - 0.5 bunch
Preparation
- Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water until the water runs almost clear. Cook it in salted water according to the package instructions, then drain and spread it out on a large plate or tray so it cools faster and doesn’t stick together.
- Cut the chicken breast into small cubes, season with a pinch of salt, pepper and half of the cumin.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and fry for 7–9 minutes, stirring often, until the pieces are golden on the outside and completely white inside. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Dice the pepper, cucumber and red onion. Drain the corn.
- In a large bowl, mix the cooled rice, chicken, pepper, cucumber, onion and corn.
- In a separate small bowl, make the dressing: mix the oil for the dressing, lime juice, the remaining cumin, sweet paprika, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and gently mix with a large spoon or your hands so the rice doesn’t break apart.
- Finally add the chopped coriander, toss lightly again and taste. If needed, season with extra salt or lime juice.
- Place the salad in the fridge for at least 20 minutes so the flavours meld, then serve chilled.
Storage
Keep leftovers in a tightly closed container in the fridge and eat within 2 days. If the salad seems a bit dry, refresh it with a little extra lime juice and oil just before serving.
