Tex-Mex Salsa Chicken Skillet
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Tex-Mex Salsa Chicken is a fast and easy skillet dinner that gives you lean protein, fresh veggies, and vibrant flavors. The whole family will love the colorful dish, and you’ll love how easy it is to whip up this tasty dinner on a busy weeknight.
Where has this easy one-pan Tex-Mex Salsa Chicken Skillet been all my life? This is definitely a dish that will be on my weeknight menu rotation, I’m only wishing I would have made it sooner! It has all the flavors I absolutely love, it is full of healthy ingredients, it doesn’t require much prep, and it’s ready in no time!
Tex-Mex Chicken Skillet Variations
You can serve this with white rice or you can dice up the chicken and serve it in tortillas for some deliciously flavorful, protein and veggie-packed tacos. In the recipe below I listed the brands I used for the salsa and the black bean veggie blend but feel free to use what you like and what you can find.
If you are having a hard time finding the blend then you could add in a can of black beans (drained and rinsed) and 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn – I did however love that the blend had some bell peppers and roasted onions in it too though so hopefully you are able to find it (just don’t substitute fresh peppers and onions unless you want to saute them first so they aren’t crunchy).
Try remixing your vegetables and seasonings for a more customized meal. Add diced tomatoes, zucchini, or squash from your garden. Swap your boneless skinless chicken breasts for chicken thighs, ground beef, skinless chicken thighs, or even shrimp.
One thing I think I’ll do to make this even faster is make a larger batch of the spice blend then I’ll just have it ready whenever I go to make it. I might even use my top rated Fresh Homemade Salsa recipe next time.
I love the flavor the ancho chili powder gives the chicken, especially when it’s paired with some spicy salsa and creamy avocados. Basic taco seasoning is perfect here—buy one of the packets for a shortcut. This time around I went the taco route (after it cooked I diced up the chicken and tossed it back in with everything else, then I served it in tortillas with cheese and sour cream) but next time I’m definitely going to try it out with rice. I’ll also try adding a big handful of Mexican blend cheese on top right before serving—YUM!
They were surprisingly some of my favorite tacos, I say surprisingly because they were incredibly easy to make and they didn’t require any marinating.
In the ingredients list, you’ll notice I listed many of the ingredients as optional because you can do the bare minimum here and still have a delicious entree, but if you want to go the extra mile you’ll love it just that much more!
Also, if you don’t have a large carton of chicken broth in the refrigerator and don’t want to open a can of broth just for the 1/3 of a cup you can substitute water here since it’s a small amount and it won’t make a big difference. Just be sure to try this soon because there are so many crave-worthy flavors in this that will have you coming back for more!
Follow Easy Cooking Zone
Tex-Mex Salsa Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup bottled salsa
- 1 (14 oz) pkg. frozen Southwest blend (one with black beans, corn, bell peppers and onions)
Optional ingredients
- 1 diced avocado , 1 diced roma tomato, 3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges
Instructions
- Pound thicker parts of chicken to an even thickness with the flat side of a meat mallet. In a small bowl whisk together chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle evenly over both sides of chicken. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken (cover with a splatter screen if you have one, I highly recommend them) and cook until until browned on bottom (about 5 minutes) then rotate and cook (reducing heat slightly if needed) until center of chicken registers 155 - 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 5 minutes longer.
- Pour broth and salsa over chicken then add in Southwest blend, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until veggies and black beans have warmed through and chicken registers 165 in center, about 3 - 4 minutes. Toss in avocados, tomatoes and cilantro if desired.
- Serve with rice, or chop chicken and return to black bean mixture and toss then serve in tortillas with lime wedges for spritzing.