Cheesy Baja Chicken Skillet (Print Version)
One-pan Baja-style chicken with bell peppers, smoky spices and melted Monterey Jack for a quick, hearty dinner.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
03 - 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
04 - 1 green bell pepper, sliced
05 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Spices
07 - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
08 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
09 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
10 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Dairy
13 - 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
14 - 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
→ Pantry
15 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
16 - 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
17 - Juice of 1 lime
→ Fresh
18 - 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
# How-To Steps:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips and cook until just cooked through and lightly golden, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
02 - In the same skillet, add additional oil if necessary. Sauté red, yellow, and green bell peppers along with red onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
03 - Stir minced garlic into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Sprinkle chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly to coat vegetables.
04 - Return cooked chicken to the skillet. Pour in chicken broth and freshly squeezed lime juice, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Stir to combine well.
05 - Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses evenly over the chicken and vegetables. Cover and allow to melt until cheese is bubbly, about 3 to 5 minutes.
06 - Uncover and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve immediately while hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Everything cooks in one pan so cleanup is almost suspiciously easy.
- The smoky spice blend with melted cheese turns simple chicken into something you will genuinely crave.
- It is naturally gluten free and low carb without tasting like you gave anything up.
02 -
- Do not crowd the chicken or it will steam instead of sear and you will miss that golden crust.
- Adding the lime juice at the end rather than during cooking keeps its brightness from cooking away.
03 -
- Mix your spices together in a small bowl before cooking so you can add them all at once without scrambling for jars.
- A cast iron skillet holds heat better than nonstick and gives the cheese those irresistible browned edges along the rim.