Santa Fe Chicken Skillet

This Santa Fe Chicken recipe is loaded with black beans, corn, Ro-tel tomatoes, southwest spices, and melty Tex-Mex cheese. It's ready in 30 minutes and great for hungry families! 

This skillet recipe comes together quickly, and the beans and cheese make it hearty and filling. 

I wanted this recipe to be fuss-free and use simple everyday ingredients. You start by pan-frying the chicken, take it out of the pan briefly to make the sauce, and then add it back in, top with cheese, and finish it up in the oven. So easy!

Recipe notes & tips:

• Original Rotel is fairly spicy, so use the mild version if that's an issue for you.
• If you don't have Rotel diced tomatoes, you can use regular ones, but I suggest adding a can of green chilies as well (the 4 ounce size would work great. You can get mild or hot ones). If you can't access those, try adding a chopped jalapeno pepper if you want some heat, or a poblano pepper or two for more mild spice.
• I love oven-proof skillets because they're so versatile and I use them in many of my recipes. This is the skillet I used for this recipe. Any fairly deep oven-proof skillet will work just fine.
• If the chicken is sticking during the pan-frying step (this can happen sometimes, especially if you use a stainless steel pan and don't get it hot enough), let it cook a little longer so it naturally releases.
• If you're ever unsure if chicken is cooked, you can get an inexpensive instant read digital meat thermometer - they're super easy to use and you won't have to worry about over or under-cooked chicken again.

What to serve with Santa Fe Chicken?

The dish is quite filling on its own, but rice goes very well with it. Or serve it with a side salad to keep things lighter. You could even cut the chicken up and serve it in tacos with some sour cream and other taco fixings.

Other delicious chicken recipes to try:

• Skillet Salsa Chicken
• Mozzarella Mushroom White Wine Chicken
• Creamy White Chicken Chili
• Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I hope you will like this Santa Fe chicken!

Questions? Let me know in the comments below.

5 from 5 votes

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Santa Fe Chicken Skillet

This Santa Fe Chicken recipe is loaded with black beans, corn, Ro-tel tomatoes, southwest spices, and melty Tex-Mex cheese. It's ready in 30 minutes and great for hungry families! 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Santa Fe Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 448 kcal

Author Natasha Bull

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 1 (10 fluid ounce) can Ro-tel diced tomatoes & green chilies drained
• 1 (14 fluid ounce) can black beans drained & rinsed
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can corn drained
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup Tex-Mex cheese blend
• Fresh cilantro chopped (optional, to taste)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position.

2. Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner cutlets. Season both sides with the garlic powder, chili powder, and salt & pepper.

3. Add the oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the chicken and cook for about 3-4 minutes/side until lightly golden. Take the chicken out of the pan.

4. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté for 5 minutes or until it's softened and lightly browned.

5. Stir in the Rotel tomatoes, beans, corn, and smoked paprika. Let it heat through for a couple of minutes, and be sure to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

6. Add the chicken back in and spoon some of the tomatoes/beans/corn onto the chicken. Sprinkle the cheese over top of everything (I concentrate it on the chicken).

7. Place the skillet in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (165F) and the cheese is nice and melty. You can broil the cheese for a few minutes at the end if you want it to be browned.

8. Top with fresh chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

• This is the Le Creuset skillet pictured.
• If your skillet isn't oven-proof, for step 6 you can either transfer the skillet contents to a baking dish or simply keep cooking the chicken in the skillet (cover it with a lid so the cheese melts).
• Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition Facts

Santa Fe Chicken Skillet

Amount Per Serving

Calories 448 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Cholesterol 94mg31%

Sodium 839mg36%

Potassium 997mg28%

Carbohydrates 33g11%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 39g78%

Vitamin A 503IU10%

Vitamin C 13mg16%

Calcium 207mg21%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.