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Southwest Chicken Skillet Recipe

  • Author: Shawn Williams
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Description

This southwest chicken skillet is a mix of ground chicken, rice, chopped peppers and onions, and taco seasoning, topped with a blend of Mexican cheeses, chopped tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of sour cream.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 cup jasmine or brown rice (uncooked)
  • 1/23/4 cups Mexican blend cheese
  • 2 poblano, cubanelle, or bell peppers, cored and chopped
  • 2 roma tomatoes, diced
  • handful fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 lime
  • 1-ounce packet Old El Paso taco seasoning
  • 23 tablespoons sour cream
  • 12 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook rice according to instructions on the package.  I usually do 1 cup of jasmine rice to 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Set aside.
  2. Place tomatoes in a small bowl with coarsely chopped cilantro (stems are edible as FYI). Top with juice from half a lime and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix with a spoon and set aside.
  3. Combine sour cream, juice from the other half of lime, and 1-2 tablespoons of cool water. Stir until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. If too thick, add a little more water. Set aside.
  4. Heal oil over medium heat in a cast-iron skillet or oven-safe pan. Add peppers and onions and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground chicken and season all over with salt and pepper. Use the tip of a spatula to break up the chicken into small chunks. Cook, tossing occasionally until chicken is fully cooked through and no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes.
  5. Add cooked rice and stir to incorporate. Add 1/2 cup of water and taco seasoning. Mix until everything is thoroughly mixed and evenly seasoned. If you need to add more water to help spread the seasoning, add 1/4 cup at a time.
  6. Top skillet with cheese and broil on high for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, top with tomato/cilantro mix, and drizzle with creamy lime sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes

You can substitute ground chicken with ground turkey or ground beef.

If you want to make your own blend of spices, I like to mix equal parts cumin, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder. A teaspoon of each is usually good. Don’t under season or it will be bland. The rice will soak up a lot of the spices.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4
  • Calories: 561
  • Sugar: 4.1g
  • Sodium: 543mg
  • Fat: 28g
  • Saturated Fat: 13.2
  • Carbohydrates: 46.2g
  • Fiber: 1.7g
  • Protein: 32.9
  • Cholesterol: 146mg

Keywords: mexican chicken and rice skillet, tex-mex, southwest skillet

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