So, you remember how much you love those Taco Chicken Bowls? And how they’re so easy because you just pour everything into the slow cooker and press go? Well guess what… You can do it in a skillet, too! Except this Southwest Chicken Skillet only takes about 30 minutes! #nolies
As long as you have some precooked chicken, whether from a store bought rotisserie or some shredded chicken that you made yourself, those yummy taco chicken bowls are about a half hour away from being in your belly. This Southwest Chicken Skillet version may even be a bit easier because there’s no need to cook the rice separately—it cooks right along with the beans, salsa, and other goods in the skillet. It’s ridiculously simple and it’s so tasty that today after I ate some for lunch I said, “I wish I had ten more bowls of that.”
Other Topping Ideas
I don’t know why beans, rice, and salsa are so good together, but I hope I never stop discovering new ways to eat them together. This is my favorite way so far. If you want to make it even more fancy, you can experiment with more toppings, like sour cream, diced avocado, or cilantro. Maybe even some crispy tortilla strips for crunch? Yum!!
Southwest Chicken Skillet
Servings 4 to 6Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice* ($0.33)
- 1 cup salsa ($0.65)
- 1.5-2 cups precooked shredded chicken** ($3.50)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.49)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder*** ($0.30)
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth**** ($0.23)
- 1 cup shredded cheese ($1.00)
- 2-3 green onions, sliced ($0.26)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, combine the rice, salsa, chicken, black beans (drained), chili powder, and chicken broth. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Place a tight fitting lid on the skillet, turn the heat on to high, and let the skillet come to a full boil. As soon as the skillet comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Make sure it is simmering the entire time, turning the heat up slightly if needed (you should be able to hear it simmer quietly).
- After 15 minutes, turn off the heat, and let it rest with the lid in place for 5 more minutes. Finally, remove the lid, and fluff the mixture with a fork. All of the liquid should be absorbed and the rice should be tender. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese over top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Meanwhile, slice the green onions. Sprinkle the green onions over the melted cheese and serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Southwest Chicken Skillet – Step by Step Photos
First step – so easy. In a large skillet combine 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice, 1 cup salsa, 1.5-2 cups of shredded chicken, 15oz. can black beans (drained), and 1 Tbsp chili powder. Try to use a heavy skillet with a thick bottom because that will help the rice cook evenly and help prevent it from scorching on the bottom.
Add 1.75 cups of chicken broth.
Stir everything together well. You really want to make sure the rice is evenly distributed throughout the skillet. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and let it come to a full boil. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer undisturbed for 15 minutes. Make sure it’s simmering the whole time. Turn the heat up just slightly if it stops simmering, but keep it as low as possible to prevent the rice from scorching or sticking to the bottom.
After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit for 5 minutes without removing the lid. Finally remove the lid and it should look like this – all of the liquid is absorbed and if you dig down with a fork to where the rice is, it should be tender. Most of the meat and beans will be on top and the rice will be underneath.
Fluff it up with a fork to mix everything back together. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over top, then place the lid back on top and allow the steam to melt the cheese. Once melted, sprinkle the green onions over top.
And that’s it! you’re ready to dig in.
Now that I have some pre-cooked shredded chicken in my freezer, I can have this Southwest Chicken Skillet ANYTIME I WANT! Woot!
Made this for dinner, it was pretty good. I did boil and shredded the chicken , used the chicken broth. I did add corn, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and garnished with a little sour cream. This was pretty much an enchilada dinner minus the tortilla and so simple. Will definitely make again.
Thank you
Syl
I was worried there wouldn’t be enough rice after seeing what it looked like after 10 minutes so I doubled the rice. It was a bad idea; I had to add another cup of salsa and more chili powder for all the bulking that caused.
Definitely follow the recipe; it’s good!
I love this recipe and have been making it for years. My preferred method is to throw everything into a crock pot. I use raw chicken and throw in some frozen corn as well. I also wait to add the beans right before serving otherwise they get a little mushy. 8 hours on low and the chicken should easily shred. Really simple and always delicious. You can spice it up with some lime juice or throw in a chopped Chipotle pepper if you’re looking for an added twist. But those are just my suggestions, recipe is also perfect the way Beth wrote it.
You add the rice in the beginning as well?
Looks and sounds delicious! Can I make this in a cast iron skillet?
Cool, super, j’aime ça !!
I love this recipe and would like cook it for a large group of around 30 people. Any issue with doubling everything up and using a deeper pot instead of a skillet? Thanks!
I’m really not sure how well it will work in a larger quantity. There might be issues with even transfer of heat in a differently shaped vessel.
We love love love this dish! Since making it for the first time we have made it almost every week. So easy and so tasty!
All of my pans are too thin at the bottom for this recipe :( does anyone know if it will work in a slow cooker?
Also black beans are difficult to find where I come from, would kidney beans be an okay substitute?
I think the Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Bowls on this site are quite similar! :)
Monterey does not have two Rs. Just FYI.
This was so good and quick to make! Definitely a keeper. I used brown rice instead of white rice, simply doubled the amount of liquid and cooked longer, about 45 minutes. I didn’t have any precooked shredded chicken on hand so I boiled a chicken breast until cooked through, then shredded it to be used with this recipe. Thank you!!
Same with substituting 1 cup of brown rice for 1 cup of white rice. I upped the broth to 2 cups and simmered for 45 minutes, let stand for 10 minutes. I have a vegetarian in the house so I used veggie better than bouillon and cooked the chicken on the side. (Tip for easy peasy shredded chicken on the side: Instant Pot chicken breast for 5 minutes in 1.5 cups cold water w chili powder, cumin, oregano; 10 minutes natural release. Then throw cooked breasts in your KitchenAid w paddle attachment. Turn to “stir;” chicken meat will shred right up in a minute.)
Wow, what awewsome and easy meal. This will be added to our recipe rotation!
So easy to make in a short period of time! Love it.
The first time I made this, I wound up with a few burnt tough bits on the bottom – I think I’ll add a little more broth and cook on a slightly lower temp next time to keep it nice and moist. Delicious other than my cooking fail :)
Excellent! I didn’t have any salsa, so I tweaked with Rotel added about 1/2 -1 tsp adobo sauce, 2 T cilantro and 2 tsp homemade taco seasoning. I also dumped in roughly 1 cup cooked corn (from leftovers i wanted to use up….I cold also have used those to make corn fritters to go wit this. They wold be more work, but…yum.)
The skillet recipes on this site have truly created a great learning space for me to jump off from. Thank you for sharing them!
Omgoodness, I added about 1/2 tsp “mango habenero” sauce from buffalo wild wings to my serving, (my dh doesn’t like that I heat up everything so I have learned to add heat to my own dishes vs the whole meal) added just enough zing and a tad of tang….even more delish! This is going into the rotation!!!!
Love this recipe! I’ve made it so many times.