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15-Minute Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet

Averie Sunshine

4.91 from 11 votes

Updated: Feb 21, 2026

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🧀🌮 15-Minute Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet has all the flavor of chicken tacos minus the carbs! Fast, EASY, protein-packed, and loaded with Mexican-inspired flavors! It’s super cheesy, making for a family favorite you’ll love!

Cheesy Taco Skillet

love tacos of all kinds, from pulled pork tacos to carned asada tacos, and have savored them at taco stands from Tijuana to Puerto Vallarta. But it’s not always practical to run to Mexico when I need a taco fix.

Nor is it always practical to eat hundreds of calories of tortillas with said tacos. I’d rather save those calories and carbs for something more fun, like a homemade margarita. So I created this easy chicken taco skillet, sans tortillas, that’s supremely easy, ready in 15 minutes, and bursting with awesome Mexican-inspired flavors and ingredients.

There’s juicy chicken, tender red peppers, black beans, corn, green onions, and cilantro. I love the contrast of the sweeter corn with the other ingredients. Everything is seasoned to perfection by means of a handy packet of taco seasoning before being topped with cheese. What’s not to love?

Ingredients and Notes

To make this cheesy Mexican skillet recipe, you’ll need: 

• Olive oil
• Chicken breasts – Ground chicken would also work, lending a slightly different texture
• Taco seasoning – I used reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• Veggies – I use red bell pepper, corn, and green onions. However, this is a very flexible recipe and can easily be tweaked to incorporate whatever veggies you have on hand
• Black beans – Again, I use reduced-sodium black beans 
• Tomato sauce
• Shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Fresh cilantro

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

How to Make a Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet

1. Add the diced chicken to an oiled skillet and cook until done.
2. Sprinkle with taco seasoning.
3. Add the peppers, beans, corn, and tomato sauce. 
4. Cook until warmed through, then sprinkle with cheese and let sit until melted. Season with extra salt, if needed.
5. Garnish with cilantro and green onions just before serving. Feel free to serve this taco skillet with rice, over tortilla chips for a nacho-inspired dish, or use the filling in taco shells if that floats your boat. You can even stir some rice right into it, but we didn’t miss the carbs at all.

What to Serve with this Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet

Baked Tortilla Chips

Mexican Wedge Salad with Creamy Avocado-Cilantro Dressing

Avocado Black Bean Mexican Salad

Do-It-Yourself Guacamole Bar

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4.91 from 11 votes

15-Minute Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet

By Averie Sunshine

🧀🌮 Craving tacos minus all the empty carbs? This EASY taco skillet without tortillas is PERFECT! Fast, EASY, loaded with Mexican flavors and super CHEESY!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• 1 large skillet

Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 to 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ one 1.25-ounce packet taco seasoning, I used medium heat, reduced sodium
• ▢ 1 medium/large red bell pepper, seeded, trimmed, and diced small
• ▢ one 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I use low sodium)
• ▢ ¾ cup corn, I used frozen that I added straight from the freezer; canned may be substituted
• ▢ one 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 ½ to 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, I used lite
• ▢ 2 to 3 green onions, diced into thin rounds for garnishing
• ▢ 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, for garnishing
• ▢ Spanish rice, tortilla chips, tortillas, etc. optional for serving

Instructions 

• To a large skillet, add the oil, chicken, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through; stir and flip intermittently to ensure even cooking.
• Evenly sprinkle with the taco seasoning, add the peppers, beans, corn, tomato sauce, and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until warmed through.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the cheese, and cover the skillet with a lid to help the cheese to melt for about 1 minute, or until melted. Stir to combine.
• Garnish with green onions, cilantro, and optionally serve with rice or over your favorite tortilla chips.

Notes

• Recipe is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Adapted from Betty Crocker.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 583cal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 51g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 134mg, Sodium: 1492mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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