This Mexican Chicken Skillet is a scrumptious, fulfilling, and easy-to-make one-pan meal ready in under 30 minutes.
Juicy chicken thighs, crispy bacon, and tender sweet potato cubes are cooked in spices, salsa, and green chilies and all this goodness is topped with melty cheddar cheese.
Mexican Chicken Skillet
Use what you have on hand but don’t skip the salsa or green chilies. They make this Mexican dish come together most deliciously with a ton of flavor.
One-pan meals are our go-to dinners. Lately; these are easy to make, kids love them, and topped with melty cheese make a beautiful, appealing presentation.
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Mexican Chicken Video
Ingredients
- Chicken breast or thighs - Boneless skinless chicken thighs or even a quick-fix-dinner-solution rotisserie chicken can be an alternative. Also, try a beef variation.
- Cheese - I love to use Oaxaca cheese or Mozzarella as they melt beautifully and quickly in the potato skillet without an oven. Other options: sharp orange cheddar or any other good old melty cheese like Gouda, Pepper Jack, Monterey jack. Salty melty cheese is something you can’t skip in this dish. The more the merrier, but ½ cup is a good place to start.
- Salsa - I used mild salsa as we already have spicy elements like green chilies and chipotle powder.
- Red Chili flakes - Or chipotle powder (for some ultra smoky aroma), cayenne, or chili powder.
- Sweet potatoes - I like the sweet flavor here but feel free to use butternut squash, sweet pumpkin, or even regular starchy potatoes here. These go in parboiled or lightly steamed. Be careful not to overcook the sweet potatoes before adding them to the skillet.
- Jalapenos - Over time, I've made this with fresh and jarred jalapenos or green chilies, and I prefer jarred ones the most. Chop them very finely.
Want an even more fulfilling dinner? Add a small can of sweet corn or more beans and lentils. However, the more ingredients you add here, the more servings you’ll have. This dish is for 2 - 3 main course servings.
JULIA'S TIP: Use cooked quinoa for serving or to mix in the skillet. I love using regular white quinoa - you'll need about 1 cup raw for two servings. Quinoa cooks up very fast and you can meal prep it 1-2 days in advance.
How To Make Mexican Chicken Skillet
STEP 1: In a small bowl mix together spices, salt, black pepper, and diced chicken.
STEP 2: Brown the Mexican chicken in skillet over medium-high heat until almost fully cooked. About 3-4 minutes per side. Set aside.
STEP 3: Add parboiled sweet potatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, garlic, salt and black pepper.
Stir to combine and cook for another 5-10 minutes until veggies are softened.
STEP 4: Stir, salsa, black beans and return the chicken.
Top with cheese and close the lid. Once cheese is melted, remove the skillet from the heat.
SERVE! Serve with a drizzle of squeezed lime juice and freshly chopped cilantro (or parsley). Serve over a bed of cooked quinoa.
JULIA'S TIP: You can use ground turkey (similar to this turkey skillet recipe) or turkey breast for a leaner and healthier meal.
Tips
- If you don’t have the spices listed in this recipe, a premixed store-bought burrito, fajita or taco seasoning can help you achieve a great flavor.
- You might not need salt and black pepper at all, as you have salty salsa in the mix. Start with a bit of chicken seasoning in the beginning, and taste test in the middle of cooking. Add more if needed.
- More veggies. Add other veggies like portobello mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini (chopped large, to avoid these becoming mushy), green beans, or broccoli.
- You can also use an oven-proof or Dutch oven skillet to make your meal prep easier. Brown the chicken on the stovetop first and then add all the ingredients. Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, top with plenty of cheese and return to oven. Bake until the cheese is melted.
- Add more flavor by using seasoned salt; we like homemade Celery Salt.
- Fresh lime juice drizzled over the final dish helps to offset the spiciness and balances all the flavors. It also helps digest all those different ingredients mixed in this one pot skillet dinner.
Make Next: Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta
Serving Suggestions
This dish is a wholesome meal on its own. Serve this Mexican Chicken with a small side salad or fresh salsa such as Pico De Gallo.
I'd also serve this with easy Cabbage Dill Salad, Mexican Coleslaw or Mediterranean Cucumber Salad.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze for 2-3 months.
- To reheat, thaw first if frozen and reheat in a pot over the stovetop. You may need to add extra water or chicken broth to thin it out. I don’t recommend reheating this in the microwave as the potatoes and veggies will or may become too soggy.
More Easy Dinners
Craving more chicken recipes? Try our Chicken With Vegetables, Tuscan Chicken and this Creamy Chickpea Cauliflower Curry next time!
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Mexican Chicken Skillet Recipe
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INGREDIENTS
- ½ pound boneless skinless chicken , thighs or breast
- 1 ½ cups sweet potato, diced and parboiled
- 1 cup canned black beans
- 1 tablespoon green jalapeno or green chili peppers, pickled (canned) or fresh
- 6 tablespoons mild salsa
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking
- ⅓ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ½1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- Lime wedges for serving
- Cilantro for serving
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- If serving with quinoa, start cooking it now.
- In a small bowl mix together spices, salt, black pepper, and diced chicken thighs.
- Brown the chicken in a skillet over medium-high heat until almost fully cooked. Set aside.
- Clean the skillet with paper towels and add sweet potatoes, jalapenos, garlic, bell peppers. Stir to combine and cook for another 5-8 minutes until warmed through and veggies softened. Stir in salsa, black beans and return the chicken.
- Top with cheese and close the lid. Once cheese is melted, remove the skillet from heat. Serve with a drizzle of squeezed lime juice and freshly chopped cilantro and quinoa.
VIDEO
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Kristin
Curious if you've tried this with ground chicken or turkey? Thank you!
Julia
Yes! If using ground meat, I'd recommend chopping the sweet potatoes smaller.
Janet
Quick question. If I want to do this in a 9 X 13 casserole dish, could I? What would I have to change? Thanks.
Julia
Hi Janet, I am not sure what you mean. This recipe is for stovetop method.
Oriana
I’m confused here…it just says browning the chicken…where in the recipe does it talk about cooking the rest of the chicken?
Thanks
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
sorry about that, I rewrote the instructions to be more clear 🙂
Jeni Ward
What is the serving size?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
It is about 1-2 cups, estimate
Andrea Cervantes
I add Menudo mix has all the spices and Rotel.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you for sharing!
Kathy
I'm a bit confused. It states at the the end to sprinkle with quinoa, however that isn't in the ingredients list. What did I miss?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
quinoa is for serving or to mix in the potato skillet, whatever you choose. check the ingredients chapter
Jill
Mexican flavors are my favorite to combine with sweet potatoes. Love how quickly this came together. Healthy and tasty!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Mexican flavors are our favorite too! Thank you!
Tara
Such a wonderful combination of flavors all packed into one pot! I love all those spices and the color from the sweet potato.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you, glad you like it!
Lima Ekram
Love the use of quinoa in this recipe! It was delicious!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you!
Ned
Dang that was soooo yummy! My family loved it. Can't wait to put this on the family rotation!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
glad you liked it Ned!
Kushigalu
Love the combination of ingredients here. SO flavorful
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
it is our favorite! glad you liked it, thanks!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
This Mexican Chicken Quinoa Sweet Potato Skillet is a scrumptious, fulfilling, and easy-to-make