Southwest Chicken Skillet! Chicken breasts are cooked in a creamy, southwest-inspired sauce in this quick and easy dinner.
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Time-saving items are essential around here these days, especially when it comes to cooking dinner. If you have a kid or two {and even if you don't!} you probably know what I mean. That last few hours of the day can get pretty hectic as everyone gets home, gets settled and gets hungry.
We seem to have our routine down {for now}, but even so, I find myself standing in front of the refrigerator looking for solutions to completing our meals. The "main" part of dinner isn't usually a problem as we tend to rotate between chicken, fish, ground turkey, lean pork chops, etc., etc. But filling the space on the plate next to the entree is usually where it gets tricky.
Almost on cue every night, you can hear me ask, "What do you want as a side?", to which my ever-so-helpful husband replies, "A vegetable."
Yeah... thanks, dear.
Meanwhile, the growling stomachs and hunger meltdowns begin and soon we find ourselves venturing into very crabby territory, which doesn't help my kitchen creativity. The result? Plain, sauteed veggies. Drab, unappealing side dishes. Lackluster, uninspired add-ons.
Unless, of course, you find something that can swoop in to the rescue and be ready in minutes...
Enter Birds Eye® Protein Blends. I found these at Walmart and thought they'd be worth a try, and boy was I right.
Last week I found myself in a pinch as the day was winding down, dinnertime was approaching and my toddler was trying to eat crayons. {Non-toxic, sure, but definitely not nutritious.} And then I remembered this was in the freezer. Score!
Since the veggies were seasoned with a Southwest Style sauce, I went with the theme and made a quick, simple chicken and creamy sauce to go along with the side. Everything was so zesty and flavorful that I'm sure this meal will become a regular on rotation.
Now the only thing my husband will hear me yell from the kitchen is, "Dinner's ready!" Music to our ears!
Southwest Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle powder divided
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season each chicken breast with ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder (or your favorite southwestern seasoning) and sea salt.
- Place chicken breasts in the pan and cook on the first side for about 4-6 minutes or until browned, then flip and brown the other side another 3-5 minutes. (It's ok if they're not fully cooked through as you will be returning them to the pan.)
- Remove chicken from pan and set aside on a plate.
- To the pan, add diced tomatoes, lime juice, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and chili powder; whisk to combine, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken breasts to the pan, nestling them into the sauce.
- Cover pan and simmer for another 8-10 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Remove chicken once again and whisk cream into the sauce. Pour sauce into a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend for a smooth sauce, or leave as is for a chunky sauce.
- Serve chicken with your favorite side with sauce ladled over top.
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