I am so in love with this Southwestern Fiesta Chicken! It’s so good, quick and easy. It’s perfect for throwing together on a weeknight, and it’s a million times better than anything you’ll get at a restaurant!
And seriously who not want to eat this gorgeous meal? It’s like a fiesta on a plate! There are so many fabulous fresh flavors going on here. A party on your plate and a party in your mouth!!
And it’s seriously SO easy to make. Here’s all you need!
How to Make Southwestern Fiesta Chicken
Let’s start by making the zesty cilantro lime rice. The rice is the base of this dish and gives the whole meal a fabulously fresh kick!
Just add rice, water, chopped cilantro, and the juice of one lime to a large pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 14 minutes. Easy peasy! Keep covered and set aside for later.
Meanwhile, cut the boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and season with 1/2 packet (1.5 tablespoons) taco seasoning. I am using our favorite homemade taco seasoning.
Next, heat some olive oil in a very large skillet. A dutch oven, wok, or something with high sides might actually be better here. We’re going to be adding a lot to this fabulous dish!! :) When the oil is very hot, add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 5 minutes, until golden brown, flipping once halfway though.
Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. You might want to make extra because everyone will be snacking on these taco chicken nuggets!! ;)
Turn the heat to high, and in the same skillet add the diced onions and bell peppers. I love using a frozen mix for this — it’s already diced for you! But you could also use 1 onion and 3 bell peppers (about 2 cups each after diced).
Then add the corn — I am using frozen but you could use fresh. If it’s from a can just remember to drain it.
And finally add the remaining taco seasoning.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are slightly blackened around the edges.
Turn heat to low, add the garlic, and stir until combined and fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Now add the beans and diced tomatoes (both drained)…
And finally the cooked rice and chicken. If you don’t have enough room in your skillet for the rice and chicken, just serve the chicken and veggies over the rice on individual plates. I just like to mix it all up before serving. :)
Garnish plates with a little more chopped cilantro….
And top with diced avocado if desired! We LOVE the avocado addition. This dish is bursting with so many fresh, fabulous flavors. I cannot tell you how much we love it! Hope you enjoy!! :)
Print
Southwestern Fiesta Chicken
-
Prep Time: 15 minutes -
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
-
Total Time: 20 minutes
-
Yield: 4 servings 1x
-
Category: Dinner
-
Method: Dutch Oven
-
Cuisine: American
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:Description
I am so in love with this Southwestern Fiesta Chicken! It’s so good, quick and easy. It’s perfect for throwing together on a weeknight, and it’s a million times better than anything you’ll get at a restaurant!
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Rice
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- juice of 1 lime
- 2–3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
For The Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 envelope (3 tablespoons) taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups diced onion (about 1 onion)
- 2 cups diced bell peppers (about 3 bell peppers)
- 2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, drained
- 1 (10 ounce) cans Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles, drained
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
- Add the rice, water, salt, lime juice, and cilantro to a medium pot. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 14 minutes. Set aside and keep covered.
- Meanwhile, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with half of taco seasoning. In a very large skillet or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 5 minutes, until golden brown, flipping once halfway through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, increase the heat to high, and add the onions, bell peppers, corn, and remaining taco seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are slightly blackened. Decrease heat to low, add garlic, and stir until combined and fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the drained black beans and tomatoes, rice, and chicken. Stir all to combine. Garnish with extra chopped cilantro and top with diced avocado. Serve and enjoy!! :)
It will probably fall on deaf ears here at a meat-eating site but this recipe is easily veganized. I made half the recipe and it almost didn’t fit in my 12″ skillet. It was really tasty! My husband really liked it and that’s great because we’re having it tomorrow night too! Thank you for a very easy and delicious recipe that is going into my favorites list.
Hello I made this for our Sunday Dinner and it was a Hit item Yummy I’m going to pass this recipe on Family and Friends high ????
If I could rate this recipe 10 stars I would!
Best recipe EVER! Thank you soooooo much! Delicious and full of nutrients!
I made this tonight for my meal prep. Your pictures make it seem like it doesn’t make as much as I ended up with. When I weighed for portions it was over 4 pounds. ? a pound a serving, I could barely finish it!! Does this seem about normal when you make it as well? I did have to add about 1/2 pound of chicken to get my protein but other than that followed the recipe! It was so so delicious and simple.
Awesome recipe. Both of us really enjoyed it.
Yay!! So happy to hear that!! :)
Where does the Rotel can come in to the recipe? I already saw the “cut tomatoes and peppers”, but buying a can of Rotel wasn’t included.
I make this recipe often. It’s not only delicious, it’s very good for you! I always save the leftovers and it’s just as yummy the next day!
Loved this recipe. I put it in a casserole dish , added cheese on top and popped into the oven for five minutes. Delicious!
So good!One of a family ‘s favs! we even substituted the rice for penne and it was delicious!!
Love this recipe. I just had to adjust the salt. Why to much for someone with blood pressure problems. Thanks for sharing.
I used Pico de galo instead of Rotel, cilantro and the onion. Made it taste like Chipotle
Sounds delicious!
Would you happen to have the nutritional information for this recipe?
Rolled this up in a tortilla. Good!
Just made this and we love it!
I tried this recipe for my husband and we loved it. Will definitely make again! Thank you.
This meal is amazing! I’m eating it right now. The flavor is on point!!
I added more taco seasoning and actually some chili sauce. My husband likes spicy. Loved the recipe
Any way to turn this into a crock pot recipe?
Delicious meal! Didn’t have all the ingredients, and had to substitute or exclude some items, but overall it turned out great! I loved the taco seasoning on the chicken, great idea! I’ll definitely be making this one again :)
Made this tonight for my 7 year old son and I. He loved it and so did i! Ended up using a different homemade taco seasoning recipe so it was a bit spicy for both of us, but he says i definitely should make again, and he is my biggest critic lol.
I ended up throwing the beans and canned corn in at the same time and only used one green pepper and 1/4 Of a onion. I’m hoping it makes great leftovers for work lunches.
Finally, a successful Pinterest recipe that we both love, thank you!
How many servings does this recipe make? Thanks!
Loved this recipe! I finished it off with a few squeezes of lime juice — my picky eater gobbled it up and my husband had a second helping. So flavorful! Thank you!
A Pinterest find – and it was yummy! I will omit cilantro from cooking water because the color isn’t appetizing once cooked and will instead stir it into cooked rice. I used chicken thighs and it turned out moist (a consideration for those who tend to overcook chicken!) and flavorful thanks to sprinkling of seasoning. *I had to modify the taco seasoning due to what I had on hand – used a combo of salt, cumin, and chili powder. Loved the addition of fresh veggies at the end. A little bit of Chipotle action in my kitchen <3
Southwestern fiesta chicken looks colourful and delicious! Great recipe.
Have you ever made this in a crock pot? Ive made it and it’s delicious! But how awesome would it be to come home to this amazing aroma?!
Have you made this brown basmati rice before? Going to grocery store:)
No words. This was DELICIOUS! My boyfriend devoured his plate in 5 minutes and went back for more. This was so easy and beyond yummy! New favorite recipe! Thank you!
Hi! I loved this recipe! It was quick and easy but made sooo much! Do you have any suggestions on what I can make with the leftovers or does this freeze well?
Hallo Amanda & Kevin,
der Blog von Euch ist “very nice”, nur auch sehr schade weil ich keinen translate Button finde.
Ich habe kaaum gelegenheit “Englisch” zu sprechen und so verlernt man doch was man mal in der Schule gelernt hat. Es ist sehr anstrengend aber vielleicht sollte ich Euch zum Anlass nehmen und regelmäßig hier reinschauen damit es wieder besser und vor allem schneller und einfacher geht.
Thanks, this recipe are great. Or is great? This looks delicious, beautiful colors. I will make it. Now im hungry….
Liebst,
Almut
Mae this tonight it was a hit. Thanks for sharing. I will make again for sure.
Love this recipe, and healthy, too! Anything with cilantro and lime is a hit in our house. Thanks for sharing!
This dinner idea looks perfect! My fiance and I make a lot of chicken and rice and we have been looking for a a recipe to change things up. Needless to say, we will be making this!
First, I want to say….My husband and I have started low calorie diets. I awakened in the middle of the night one day about 3 weeks ago and I believe God guided me to your website. I had been asking Him to give me motivation to do something about my eating habits. So when I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep I grabbed my iPad and googled something (no clue) but came across the link to your post about your 1200 cal/day diet and success with it. This was all the motivation I needed! Been going strong since!
Tried this recipe tonight and it was fantastic! I didn’t use Rotel because I didn’t have it, but had some roma tomatoes I diced and added. Which I think was awesome! That nice fresh tomato and less spice is just the ticket for me. I did recalculate the calories however because this made a TON of food! I would say 8 servings for us (about 1.5 cups per serving). So I got around 235 cals/serving.
Thanks for the yummy healthy dinner!
Trying this tonight–We love the Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice! If anyone has a tweak that makes this one dish so the rice cooks in with everything else I would love to hear it.
Wow this was so delicious. A little spicy for me but I loved it. I wouldn’t change a thing. This is the first time I made rice and it actually turned out. I like all the different flavors and textures. It made a lot for my husband and myself but we decided to freeze some. I didn’t have a few things like the Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chilies. But I had a can of diced tomatoes and a can of green chilies. I also didn’t add the avocado at the end because we wanted to make guacamole dip later on. Thank You for the delicious recipe.
This looks delicious, can’t wait to try it!
I made this twice, with chicken and with hamburger (had on hand) and both times it was delicious. We ate it in tortillas, with corn chips as a dip as well as in lettuce wraps. This second time I made it I am taking it to my parents. I am sure they will love it too!
Yum!! Made it tonight everyone loved it (even picky toddlers)!
Love such an easy meal!
Beautiful colors going on in there!
There is so much flavor packed in here! Love!!!
This is a lovely summery recipe, and very budget-friendly. Great combo of flavors!
My favorite kind of meal! Thanks for the taco seasoning recipe, excited to make my own!
A perfect weeknight meal.
This looks delicious! Any tips for keeping your chicken from overcooking? I don’t have much luck cooking chicken uncovered on the stovetop…
Just brown on both sides, don’t cook all the way through to start with, once added to the rest of the ingredients and cooked together it will be just done. But not dry… and over cooked.
Yes, exactly! :)
Love simple meals like this!! Yum!
Can you use the 5Minute rice instead of the stove version? I’m a working mommy and need to make it as quick/easy as possible. Looks Delish!
Hi Amy! I have never made 5 minute rice, but it would probably be fine? However, with this recipe, if you start the rice first, it is done before the chicken & veggies, so it’s not like you’re saving any time with the 5 minute version. :) Hope this helps!
Amanda, I love your recipes! Thanks for sharing. Quick note…your homemade taco seasoning recipe didn’t come up and I REALLY want it! Help! :)
Oops, sorry about that! I fixed the link, it should work now! :)
Hi there, I can’t wait to try this recipe. I made the Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta last night and my husband loved it! Thanks for sharing these recipes with us.
Kevin and Amanda – a beautiful recipe. Thanks