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!
For reasons I won’t go into, I needed a dinner recipe that I could make without having to pay much attention to it, and with ingredients I already had. It needed to meet those criteria, but also be satisfying for my hardworking and active husband, and my picky little homeschooler. I used canned chicken (like you’d use for chicken salad sandwiches or something), but everything else was as listed in the recipe. At the end, I warmed up some flour tortillas we had left over from our last Taco Tuesday to serve on the side.
This recipe was easy to follow, big on taste, and small on cost–ALL things that I LOVE. We were all very happy with the flavor of this meal. Cleanup was a snap, since everything is just done in the one skillet. I would make this again (and probably will).
This is my second of your recipes to try, and you are now 2 for 2….in YUM! I had some leftover green chile pork I made in the crock pot when I came across this recipe. I had just a little over a cup left, so I figured I would sub it out for the cooked chicken in this recipe. I kept all of the seasonings, used one can of chicken broth (it’s almost 1 3/4 cup of broth), and made up the last little bit of liquid with water.
I cooked this exactly as written and it was perfect. Having a good heavy bottom pan will make a difference between burning this or cooking it evenly. After it was cooked, I fluffed it with a fork and the put all the toppings on the side: shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, black olives, and pickled jalapenos. Hubby had 2 big bowls and said he bet this would make some good nachos! However, I don’t think I will get the chance out of this batch, since we both took some leftovers today for our lunch.
This is a definite keeper! I might try it next time with ground turkey for kind of a Mexican version of dirty rice!!!
Just tried this tonight, it was absolutely amazing! Finished it off with some Cholula sauce too, amazing!
I haven’t even finished this and had to write a review! This is beyond delicious and easy. The only issue was I had to add another cup of chicken stock cause all my liquid was gone after 10 mins. This is definitely on my rotation now.
Followed recipe to a ‘T’ and still ended up with a layer of burnt black rice at the bottom and dry chicken. Not a fan. Will stick to the recipe for Taco Chicken Bowls.
Would this recipe work with short grain rice and just using plain water instead of chicken broth?
Short grain rice may require a different rice/liquid ratio and it will definitely have a different end texture, since short grain rice is much more sticky.
I NEVER comment on things like this, but I had to after making this for dinner tonight. It’s incredible, like the inside of the best burrito you’ve ever tasted! I could easily have eaten half the amount it made.. but on the upside, I know what I’m having for the next 3 nights now!
Cheers for a great recipe :)
Is there a reason (other than the fact that the meat needs to be shredded) that I can’t use fresh chicken? It seems that the recipe’s cook time is long enough to cook chicken, but probably won’t be shreddable…
Thoughts?
You definitely can. I’d sauté it in the skillet before adding the rest of the ingredients, just to make sure it’s cooked through. And I think I’d cut it into small pieces. :)
Hi Beth,
Love this recipe and have made it multiple times. I was just wondering if it can be doubled? Would the timing remain the same?
Hmm, it’s hard to say. It should stay relatively the same, but it may depend on the size and shape of the skillet that you use and how well it distributes the heat.
Wow, this was great! I cut up 12 oz of chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and sauteed it with cumin and chili powder before introducing the rest of the ingredients. As a commenter mentioned, I served it in flour tortillas. O.M.G. Delicious.
Yes, this was very good. I did saute some onions and garlic.
The recipe came out great and was a hit with the family.
Thanks! Great, easy dinner. I added corn I had on hand which was good, too.
We added Spanish sweet corn as well, magnificent!
This was so good and easy after a long day at work. I used my own chicken broth but did forget to add salt to compensate for better-than-bouillon. I usually add 1/2 t. salt per cup. One I added the salt, the flavors really shined. The dish surprises with flavor from such simple ingredients. I’d like it a little soupier, so I thought I might try half a cup of rice next time.
Oh my word. So simple and easy. I had to chang mine around a little to the ingredients I had on hand,but i will definitely be making this again. Great recipe.