Southwest Chicken Recipe, a tasty delicious one pan meal that will have everyone happy, full, and asking for seconds! Full of tasty spices, salsa, rice, and chicken, you can’t go wrong with this delicious dinner!
This post has been sponsored by The Fresh Chile Co. All opinions are mine alone.
I have been loving one pan meals these days. From my sweet potato breakfast skillet to my tasty shakshuka with feta (coming soon!) and now to this amazing southwest chicken and rice dish.
They are all so easy and so good! Plus, minimal dishes and I am all about that!
Living in the southwest we eat a lot of tasty food filled with green chiles, salsa, and fresh herbs like cilantro and that is what I wanted to bring to you guys in this dish.
This recipe features Fresh Chile Co.’s Papa’s Salsa. It is so flavorful and so delicious.
It’s the perfect chunky salsa that is great for chips, adding it to burritos, or tacos! With green chile, red chile, tomatoes and lots of tasty spices- you need to get yourself some ASAP.
To find where you can pick Fresh Chile Co.’s products check out their store locator or just order online today!
Also check out my other recipes using Fresh Chile Co products- like these green chile chicken enchiladas, and these amazing tacos al carbon!
Ingredients for Southwest Chicken
- Spices: You can use a premade spice mixture, or mix together cumin, salt , pepper, and paprika.
- Chicken: Use a rotisserie chicken from the store or some baked chicken breasts!
- Bell Pepper: I love using a red, green, and yellow. All the colors make this dish extra pretty.
- Onion: I recommend a yellow but a white works too
- 1 jar of salsa: Highly recommend Papa’s Salsa!
- Chicken Broth
- White Rice
- Canned Corn
- Lime Juice
- Garnish: Cheese- either a tasty fiesta mix or cotija, chopped cilantro (learn how to chop it here), and lime wedges!
I am so excited for you guys to try this recipe! I love that the rice cooks right in the pan and absorbs all the tasty flavor from the salsa and broth!
Everything is so flavorful!
How to make southwest chicken recipe:
- Mix up your spices
- Cube or shred your chicken
- Brown chicken in pan with half of the spices, then set aside
- Sauté bell pepper, onion, and garlic
- Stir in salsa, remaining spices, broth, rice, bring to a boil, lower to simmer, cover and cook until rice is fully cooked.
- Once rice is done, stir in chicken, corn, and lime juice. Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro and enjoy!
Tips not to miss!
Seasoning: If you want to use a premade spice blend you will need use 2 ½ tsps for the chicken and 2 ½ tsps for the rice.
Need chicken fast? Just use a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Otherwise, just bake breasts in the oven at 375°F for ~40 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165°F. I like to brush the chicken breasts with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper then bake.
Rinse: Rinse the uncooked rice before adding it to the dish. This removes starch and adds extra moisture which helps with cooking!
Perfectly Cooked Rice: After 10 minutes check to see if the rice is cooked. If it’s still hard cook for another 5 minutes, check and repeat until done. I live at high altitude and so it took about 20 minutes for the rice to cook fully. The liquid should be completely absorbed too.
Black Beans: I know so many southwest dishes include black beans. You can add them if you want, I don’t because I honestly can’t stand beans in any dish… ever. BUT most people aren’t like that 😊
To add black beans, you will need to drain and rinse a 15 oz can. Then add them into the skillet with the salsa, and rice. That easy!
Burrito: This dish makes a lot of food and one way we like to eat it up is to put it in a tortilla with some fresh onion, cilantro, sour cream, hot sauce. YUM!
Let me know how you like this dish!
Watch how to make this recipe!
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Southwest Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 lbs chicken cubed or shredded
- 3 tbs olive oil divided
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 jar of Papa’s Salsa 16 oz from the Fresh Chile Co.
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup white rice uncooked and rinsed
- 8 oz canned corn drained
- 2 tbs lime juice
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Cook chicken and cube or shred it.*
- Mix all spices together in a bowl, or use a premade spice like the Hatch Spice Blend* from Fresh Chile Co, set aside.2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon paprika
- Heat 2tbs oil in large pan that has a lid or medium high. Add chicken, cubed or shredded, and ½ of the seasoning mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until chicken is starting to brown and warmed through.3 tbs olive oil divided, 2 lbs chicken
- Once browned remove chicken from pan- set aside. Add remaining 1 tbs oil to pan, along with diced bell peppers and onion. Cook for 3 minutes, until slightly softened, then add in the garlic and cook for another 20-40 seconds. Garlic should get fragrant.3 tbs olive oil divided, 1 Red bell pepper, 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, 1 Green Bell Pepper, 1 small yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves minced
- Once garlic is sauteed, add in salsa, chicken broth, rice, and remaining spice mixture. Bring mixture to a boil then cover with lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Once all the liquid is gone* and rice is cooked through, remove from heat.1 jar of Papa’s Salsa, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 cup white rice
- Once rice is cooked, stir in chicken, corn and lime juice. Top with cheese and cilantro.2 lbs chicken, 8 oz canned corn, 2 tbs lime juice, 1 cup shredded cheese, ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- Enjoy as is or serve with tortilla chips and sour cream, or rolled in a tortilla to make a burrito!
Notes
- *Chicken: Use a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store if you re in a hurry. Otherwise, just bake breasts in the oven at 375°F for ~40 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165°F. I like to brush the chicken breasts with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper then bake.
- *If you want to use a premade spice blend you will need use 2 ½ tsps for the chicken and 2 ½ tsps for the rice.
- *After 10 minutes check to see if the rice is cooked. If it’s still hard cook for another 5 minutes, check and repeat until done. I live at high altitude and so it took about 20 minutes for the rice to cook fully. The liquid should be completely absorbed too.
Lisa
Love this! So tasty!