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!
This recipe is amazing! I sauteed 2 cloves of garlic and some diced onion in oil before adding all the ingredients with some thinly sliced red bell pepper and minced cilantro that was starting to go limp in the fridge. It came together really quickly and easily and was amazing. I started making it at 9pm on a Saturday night because–well, grad school. Can’t wait to have it for lunch today!
Hi Beth! Unfortunately the rice was too hard after I tried this recipe :( I think it might be because I didn’t turn the heat up enough when simmering? I thought it was simmering enough but maybe I should overcompensate since my skillet is pretty big for my burner. What do you think?
Yes, I would try turning the heat up just a smidge, and make sure you’re using a thick and heavy skillet. If the walls are too thin they won’t transmit the heat evenly and you’ll have cold spots around the edges where the rice won’t be simmering as well, and might not cook through.
One of my go to meals. Quick, easy, and full of flavor.
One question though. Could I sub out the rice for quinoa?
Yes, I’m sure that would work, but you may need to adjust the liquid amount since quinoa probably doesn’t require the same amount of liquid to cook as rice. :)
Hi! This looks delicious! I’m going to try this, but use cauliflower rice instead of rice. I suppose the cooking time is for the rice to absorb the liquid? So, should I reduce cooking time and amount of liquid?
Yes, the cooking time is to cook the rice. Unfortunately using cauli rice will change this recipe a lot and I wouldn’t be able to guess the best method without testing it. In addition to the different cooking time, cauliflower releases water as it cooks rather than absorbing liquid like regular rice, so that would drastically change the outcome. If you reduce the broth, you’ll also be reducing the flavor.
Hi Beth! This looks soooo good! Could you sub “caulirice” in this easily?
No, unfortunately riced cauliflower releases moisture when its cooked whereas regular rice absorbs moisture when it is cooked, so it would definitely not turn out the same. :(
This was AMAZING! My hubs doesn’t like the texture of beans or the chunks in salsa, so I puréed them both with an immersion blender before adding to the skillet. The finished product didn’t look as pretty as yours, but the flavors were on point. Even my kiddos enjoyed it!
We made this with leftover thanksgiving turkey and it was great as a way to use turkey when we were sick of usual thanksgiving flavors. I left out the chili powder due to my spice-averse 3 yo and it was still tasty!
My family loved this dish and it was super easy to make. Almost like fast food! My only challenge is that I live in southeast Asia and it is impossible to find the kind of chili powder here that you use for this recipe. I have to ask my American friends to bring it with them when they visit me. I wish I knew how to use local seasonings to get the same flavor! There are many wonderful spices here, but none have the southwestern/Mexican flavor.
I cooked this in the instant pot with brown rice (reduced chicken broth down to 1.25 cups) for 22 minutes. It was sooooo good. Simple, flavorful, and filling…and about 1/6 the cost of chipotle.
Hi, Beth! I have a question about shredded chicken. It seems like a very versatile ingredient, but I’m apprehensive about buying rotisserie chickens (just unfamiliar with how to pick one and how to prepare it). Do you have any advice about making my own shredded chicken from frozen breasts or thighs? It seems like a great thing to keep in the freezer. I just don’t know where to start! Thanks!!!
I have an old tutorial, but I want to redo it, so in the mean time, check out this tutorial by my fellow blogger, Erin. It’s a great step by step guide!
I just made this and it turned out great! Thank you! Does it freeze well? I’d like to take the leftovers to work on monday..
This one does freeze pretty good. :)
how do you suggest reheating this one best?
Hi Catherine! You could just reheat slowly in the microwave in 1-2 minute increments.
This recipe is FIRE! Awesome, thanks for sharing. I added a can of refried beans and it made the texture so creamy and delicious!
Why does the “Salsa Chicken Casserole” recipe take me here when I click it?
The other recipe has been removed from the site, but we can email the pdf of the recipe for you to keep if you wish. Just email us at support@budgetbytes.com.
I had pinned your recipe for Salsa Chicken Casserole, but now that pin is bringing me here. The picture of Salsa Chicken Casserole shows up at the bottom of the post as a related recipe, but when I click on it, it brings me back here. Did you remove that recipe? If not, where can I find it? Thanks!
You should be able to access it now. :) Sorry about the trouble.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yep, you can leave out the chicken and use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth, or do what I usually do and just serve a bowl of rice with the black beans, salsa, and cheese on top. It’s a lot faster and easier, and just as good! :)