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
Video
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!
Needs more seasoning for my liking but otherwise quick easy and good!
Loved this!! Will hold on to this recipe forevs.
Can you use instant white rice, and if so, would you reduce the amount of chicken broth in the recipe?
Using instant rice would probably require a different cook time and a different amount of liquid, but I would need to test it with that type of rice before offering specific suggestions.
Just made it, absolutely delicious! I can’t believe how easy it is.
Hey! Have you tried this with quinoa instead of white rice? Would liquid/cook time be the same?? Thanks!!
I haven’t tried that, unfortunately. You probably would want to adjust the liquid and cook time to match the cooking requirements of the quinoa. :)
Made this tonight with sausage and green pepper added. It is great to throw some in a tortilla, with chips, or by itself. Great meal for a college student who only tries to cook two or three times a week.
This looks great, and I can’t wait to try it. How good would this be for meal prep? Would it re-heat well?
Yes, this one is awesome as leftovers/meal prep! :)
Hi, I’d like to make this but I can’t get mexican salsa in supermarkets here, could I sub it with some tomato passata/tomato sauce and add some soffritto? Or is the passata too dense..? Eventually a mix of passata and broth..? Help pls
Hmm, honestly I can’t estimate how well passata would work without actually testing it. It’s a little too different from the original ingredients to guess. If you have canned diced tomatoes something like that might work better than passata.
Thanks, I’ll give them a try
Pretty awesome! I was skeptical to try because my latin side taste buds, we are used to using alot more seasoning (adobo, achiote) but my husband and I were satisfied and i had to substitute the chili powder for taco seasoning powder since I didn’t have any, but it worked just as great the flavor all combined. I also threw in cilantro and corn and a splash of lemon juice. Even my son enjoyed it!
Delicious and easy to follow recipe. Loved It.
Great recipe! I forgot to grab chicken but I used some leftover spicy Italian sausage and it came out amazing. I browned the sausage before adding the other ingredients, and used about half as much chili powder since it was already spicy. This has become my favorite meal!
We only eat brown rice in my house and I just throw it in precooked! It’s works well and I love this dish!
This is a mainstay in our house and usually makes it on the meal plan once or twice a month. I add in chopped bell pepper and frozen corn just to get more veggies in. Super quick and easy and good for lunch the next day.
I’ve made this many times using whatever I have. Usually I like spicy chicken sausage ( the kind you sqeeze out of the casing,) but tonight I cut up raw chcken thighs in 1 tbl of olive oil. Then, I followed the directions. I haven’t eaten, yet, but I peeked and it looks good!
We like this so much it’s on our regular dinner rotation. I sub in an equal amount of cajun seasoning (usually spice house or penzey’s) to save time. Thank you so much for this recipe!
You don’t even need the pre-cooked chicken for this! I tend to chop up a chicken breast for this, and it cooks at the same time as the rice. Comes out properly cooked each time.
This is a great recipe and very versatile. Thanks for posting this comment. We made this tonight with raw chicken breast cut up in about 1 inch chunks and it came out great.
Great tip! I’m gonna try this – thank you!
This was a fantastic way to use up leftover turkey after 3 days of standard Thanksgiving leftovers! I wanted more veg so sauted some diced onions and bell peppers for a few minutes before adding the chili powder and then everything else. I also used short-grained rice since were almost out of long-grain and have a lot of short-grain from an accidental overstock. It turned out great and the chewiness of the short-grain rice was really nice!