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Box Office Heat — Spicy rice-cooker Mexican Rice-A-Roni

Spicy rice-cooker Mexican Rice-A-Roni. Read the full method and preparation notes before starting.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box Mexican Style Rice-A-Roni, 6.4 ounces
  • 1 seasoning packet from the Rice-A-Roni box
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon regular chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or up to 1/4 teaspoon for more heat
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, optional
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice, optional after cooking

Method
 

  1. Add the entire rice-and-pasta mixture, seasoning packet, water, butter, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and optional oregano to the rice-cooker pot. Do not rinse the mixture.
  2. Stir thoroughly so the seasoning is evenly dispersed and no dry clump remains on the bottom.
  3. Run the normal White Rice cycle. Skip the stovetop browning step.
  4. When the cooker switches to Warm, leave the lid closed for 10 minutes so the rice finishes absorbing moisture.
  5. Open and fluff thoroughly. Taste beside the main dish; add the optional lime juice only if the rice needs brightness.

Notes

Start this first when making the Green-Chile Chicken Enchilada Skillet because the rice needs a full cooking cycle plus a 10-minute closed rest. Two cups of water is reduced from the box's 2 1/4-cup stovetop amount because a rice cooker loses less water to evaporation. If the first batch is slightly firm, stir in 2 tablespoons hot water and rest covered on Warm for 5 minutes. If it is too wet, fluff and leave uncovered on Warm for several minutes. Adjust future batches by only 2 tablespoons of water at a time.
Where shown, times and yields are saved source estimates, not measured kitchen-test results.