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!
I made this for dinner tonight! I added some frozen sweet corn after reading some earlier suggestions, and considering both my husband and I are vegetarians, I subbed your normal chicken for some Quorn brand “chick’n cutlets” and it was amazing! I love all of your recipes that I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot of them) and have used Quorn in several with fantastic results every single time.
This says to use chili powder but not the red chili powder only the kind used to spice chili. Can you please be more specific? I have red chili powder but I have no clue what spices make up the powder used to spice chili??? Can you please help?! Thanks
Here’s a link to the product. It’s a common spice sold in the U.S., but I have a lot of readers from over seas, so I always put that note in there. :) I’ll add the link to the recipe, too.
Hi Beth! First comment on your website after trying a few of your great recipes. Keep up the awesome work!
Question: If I’m buying raw chicken breasts, how many should I get to fill the 2 cups after cooking and shredding?
Well, it really depends on the size of the chicken breast. For me it’s usually about 1 to 1.5 breasts.
Such a tasty and FAST recipe! Only changes were to add extra broth (because my stove is touchy and tried scorching my rice before it was done), and I added sliced black olives when I added the green onions. It was done fast and so good, I actually ate TWO plates. lol Will be experimenting with other flavors as this has actually jambalaya style feel to me… :)
awesome recipe!
I used diced tomatoes with chilies instead of salsa and avocados instead of green onions. Wow, this is an EASY tasty dish. I have your book, thanks for everything you do Beth!
I made my own pulled chicken (I had some boneless skinless breasts in the freezer) with half a packet of taco seasoning, then added the rest of the packet to the skillet. I also swapped the black beans for pinto beans, and as a result the dish was not as pretty as the original. But it was delicious!! And the recipe made a TON of food. I will definitely make this again.
Hmm, my dad can’t eat beans do to them not agreeing with his health, so I wonder if I can take those out and sub in, say, celery and carrots?
I’m not sure if celery and carrots would fit the southwest theme, but if you like them, it’s worth a shot! :)
I used a can of corn, a green pepper and a red pepper instead of beans. Worked well.
I’m a pretty bad cook but I made this super easily and I think I died and went to food heaven while I was eating it. 10/10 cooking this all the time
This recipe is AMAZING! It’s soo yummy, my boyfriend and I love it. I went with the suggestion from the other comments and used medium/hot salsa for more flavour and I also added in some corn. I didn’t have any precooked shredded chicken so I quickly cooked some, but I also added some spice to the chicken for extra flavour and it was great! So easy to make and so tasty, best recipe ever. :)
YUMMY!!! I knew by the smell of things while I was cooking that it would be good, but I had no idea it would that delicious. The only changes I made was a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (no salsa), and added a package of taco seasoning. We will eat the leftovers in soft tortilla shells tomorrow. Super tasty! Thanks Beth!
This is so good I ate myself into a super food coma. this will be a new staple! I added Serrano pepper and leeks.
I made this last night and it turned out well! I actually ended up doing it the crock pot. I had dried black beans on hand, so I tossed those in before I went to work. I drained them when I got home, and it occurred to me that I didn’t really have to dirty a skillet, so I just tossed the chicken and salsa in the pot with them. About two hours before we planned to eat, I added the rice and stock, then tossed to cheese in right before dinner. Worked great! Solid week night meal.
OMG! The family devoured it. Another hit!
I picked up a rotisserie chicken yesterday with the impending snow storm and made this for dinner. It was delicious! This will definitely be making its way into our rotation and it would be great wrapped in a tortilla and eaten as a burrito. Thanks for another great one Beth!