🍅🌽 This Mexican Chicken Skillet is one of my favorite EASY weeknight dinners! Ready in 20 minutes, it’s packed with 35 grams of lean protein to keep you full and satisfied! A great Mexican-inspired meal, it’s naturally gluten-free and is a flavor FIESTA in your mouth!
Easy Mexican Chicken Skillet
I love a Mexican-inspired skillet, like my salsa and black bean chicken skillet and cheesy chicken enchilada quinoa skillet. But this Mexican chicken skillet is a particular fave!
- This easy skillet chicken dish is ready in 20 minutes, full of Mexican-inspired flavors and healthy ingredients. It’s perfect for celebrations like Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day!
- Recipes like this one are great because even though it’s a healthy Mexican recipe, you’ll be full, satisfied, and won’t miss a thing.
- The Mexican chicken is tender and juicy, and between the onions, peppers, chiles, black beans, and corn, there is so much texture in every bite. There are so many layers of Mexican-inspired flavors from the cumin, garlic, green chiles, green onions, and cilantro. It’s like a flavor town fiesta going on.
- This recipe also freezes well, so you can use it as a freezer-friendly/meal prep idea. Quick and easy, it’s guaranteed to become an immediate family favorite!
Quick and easy to make, nice and spicy but not too hot! Definitely a keeper!
Noel
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Olive oil: Avocado oil will also work
- Chicken breasts: You can also substitute chicken thighs or ground chicken if preferred. Or, use shredded rotisserie chicken. Ground turkey or ground beef make great substitutes for cooked chicken if preferred
- Red bell pepper: Feel free to substitute yellow, orange, or red bell pepper if preferred
- Yellow onion: I prefer the sweeter flavor of yellow onion, but white onion also works well
- Diced green chiles: These aren’t usually very spicy unless you select fire-roasted, and then they may be
- Garlic
- Spices: Cumin, salt, pepper, and optional cayenne if you want a kick. Feel free to include any additional spices you enjoy, such as chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, or even taco seasoning. Or, add a splash of hot sauce for a touch of heat
- Black beans
- Frozen corn
- Green onions and fresh cilantro for garnishing
Add rice
Feel free to add cooked rice, such as jasmine rice or brown rice. You can’t go wrong with any combo of rice and beans in my book. Or, keep the dish on the skinnier side by using cauliflower rice.
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 This Mexican Chicken Skillet Recipe
With simple, easy-to-follow steps, this one-pan recipe is ready to eat in less than 30 minutes! Here’s an overview of the process:
- Sauté the chicken, red pepper, and onion in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables have softened. Stir and flip frequently!
- Add the green chiles, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and optional cayenne.
- Stir to combine, and cook until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the black beans and corn, and simmer until warmed through.
- Sprinkle the top with green onions and cilantro, and enjoy warm!
Topping Ideas
If you’re not as concerned about the skinny factor, add some cheddar cheese at the end, and let it melt over the top. Or, you can add your favorite salsa, pico de Gallo, sour cream, diced tomatoes, avocado chunks, guacamole, or crushed tortilla chips.
What to Serve with this Mexican Chicken Skillet
Skinny Mexican Chicken Skillet
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 to 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large/extra-large red bell pepper, diced small
- 1 medium sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles, (I used fire-roasted)
- 3 to 5 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 2 to 3 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
- 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used no-salt added)
- 1 to 1.5 cups corn, (I used frozen; you can add it directly to the skillet from the freezer)
- 2 tablespoons green onions
- fresh cilantro, for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the oil, chicken, red pepper, onion, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 7 to 8 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables have softened. Stir and flip frequently to ensure even cooking.
- Add the green chiles, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, optional cayenne, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the black beans, corn, stir, and cook for about 1 minute, or until warmed through.
- Evenly sprinkle the green onions, cilantro, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Quick and easy to make, nice and spicy but not too hot! Definitely a keeper!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Noel, and I’m glad to hear this is a keeper for you!
This was good. We cut the chicken, onion and red bell pepper small so the mixture would fit well into medium size tortillas, then served with salsa, cilantro and the suggested sliced green onions. We had 5 “tacos” and froze the remainder. Would make again!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Jackie, and I’m glad this worked as a great taco filling! Great to hear you’ll make it again!
Like this recipe very much. I had to omit the cumin because my husband doesn’t like it but I don’t recommend omitting it at all. I will make this again, for sure.
Thanks for trying the recipe, Pat, and I’m glad you’ll make it again!
serve COLD over a bed of crisp greens and a thinned down version of crema used as a dressing maybe add a few currants, not raisins This is reminiscent of cowboy caviar, makes a person happy just looking at it,
Definitely a keeper
That’s a great idea for presentation and I’m glad you enjoyed this, Gloria!
Is there anything I could substitute for cumin? No matter how hard I try, I just do not care for cilantro or cumin. Cilantro tastes as if I have soap in my mouth, and cumin has a muddy flavor.
For the cumin, ground coriander is similar, or chili powder. Although some chili seasonings have cumin in it so you’d have to read the label.
If you don’t like cilantro, you can just omit it. You may want to try another fresh herb – like parsley or something you feel goes with a Mexican flavored dish that you approve of.
Update!!! That’s supposed to be Lent a couple of YEARS ago, not WEEKS 🤣
Thanks for the great review, CeCe, and I’m glad this turned out well with shrimp or a lighter fish. This is a great Lent idea. And I was just wondering what I was going to make for dinner tomorrow night…
I have been making this since I first saw this deliciousness, then during Lent a couple of weeks ago, I had a wonderful idea! Use shrimp, cod or another light fish, So I do! During lent, on some Fridays, when I want something quick and easy, but delicious, I make this with my substitutions!
Love your creativity!
What a tasty recipes! So easy and pretty quick! Thanks! Nice job!
Thanks so much!
Made this with some leftover smoked chicken that I had. It was really good–a one pot meal. I put the onions and tomatoes on each individual serving. I did serve it with a fresh tossed salad.
I am glad that it turned out really good for you!
This tasted so good. Quick question, would you recommend having it on its own or as a side? (I served it with rice)
I would consider this a main dish and if you want to serve rice on the side, that sounds great.
This looks fresh , delicious and healthy! I always love a good skillet meal!
It’s all of that, and fast too!