Southwest Chicken

Here’s an easy chicken breast recipe that has a little Tex-Mex theme going on. This Southwest Chicken is my quick chicken recipe for busy weeknights.

I love baking chicken breast with yummy Mexican flavors like taco seasoning, corn, black beans, and salsa or Pico de Gallo. But wait, it gets even better… I top it all off with melted cheese for an incredibly delicious meal.

Southwestern flavors from the US-Mexico border are pretty bold and zesty. I truly enjoyed creating Cowboy Caviar, Chile Verde, and Surf and Turf Nachos, which had strong Southwest flavor influences.

Today’s Southwestern Chicken is loaded with spicy, sweet and tangy flavors in each bite.

Ingredients Needed

• Chicken Breasts – I am using chicken breasts tonight, but this recipe will work equally great with boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken tenders.
• Taco Seasoning – You can use store bought taco seasoning, but I can’t get enough of our quick homemade Taco Seasoning, which you can mix in a few minutes with your regular pantry staples.
• Salsa or Pico de Gallo – Both will work for this recipe. You can make fresh Pico de Gallo in just a few minutes with your chopping board. For a short cut, some days I use store-bought salsa. Try to pick a fresher pre-made salsa from your grocery store.
• Mexican staples – Corn (fresh, frozen or canned), black beans, avocado and tomato.
• Shredded cheddar cheese – Or you can use your favorite shredded cheese blend like Tex-Mex, Monterey Jack, or even Mozzarella.
• Olive oil – Or any other neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
• Cilantro and lime – For garnishing.

Southwest Chicken Recipe

1. Bake the chicken: First, I preheat my oven to 400°F. Then, I coat the chicken breasts with olive oil, taco seasoning, and salt. Into the oven they go, baking for about 15 minutes.

2. Top it with toppings: Next, I take the chicken out of the oven and add salsa or pico de gallo, black beans, corn, and cheddar cheese on top.

Then, I pop it back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is all melted and gooey, and the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165°F.

3. Serve with extra garnishing: Finally, I transfer the chicken to a serving platter. I sprinkle diced tomatoes and avocado on top and garnish with cilantro for that fresh burst of flavor. It’s ready to serve! I like to pair it with cilantro lime rice and some lime wedges for an extra zing.

Serving Suggestions

• It goes perfectly with our Cilantro Lime Rice.
• You can make a quick salad and keep it carb free.
• I also serve it with sautéed veggies like zucchini or green beans for a veggie boost.
• Potato wedges or corn salsa are great extra accompaniments.

There you go. Try my Tex-Mex flavors tonight with this easy chicken recipe. It has zesty, bold flavors all topped with the melty, cheesy deliciousness everyone loves.

This is a great Southwestern recipe enjoyed by the whole family, kids and all. Let us know, what did you pair up your Southwestern Chicken with?

Southwest Chicken, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other easy chicken recipes!
Chicken Shawarma
Tomato Basil Chicken
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Pollo Asado
Chicken Souvlaki
Creamy Chicken Skillet
Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken
Qdoba Chicken

Southwest Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This Southwest Chicken is an easy, crowd pleasing weeknight dinner brimming with great Tex-Mex flavors.

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Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, pounded a little to make flat
• ½ Tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 Tbsp taco seasoning (see note 1)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup salsa or pico de gallo (see note 2)
• ½ cup corn
• ½ cup black beans, drained
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• cilantro, chopped for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat the chicken breasts with olive oil, taco seasoning and salt. Bake it in the oven for 15 minutes.
2. Remove chicken from the oven and top it with salsa or pico de gallo, black beans, corn and cheddar cheese. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, till the cheese is melted and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
3. Remove the chicken breasts to a serving platter. Top with diced tomato and avocado. Garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately with cilantro lime rice and lime wedges.

Notes

1. We have great homemade taco seasoning recipe. Simply click on Taco Seasoning.
2. Our homemade Pico de Gallo is quick, fresh and easy.
3. Leftovers: You can store leftover chicken in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I suggest that you store the fresh toppings (tomatoes, cilantro and avocado) separately so that you can just reheat the chicken with the cheese, corn and black beans on top. Simply reheat it in the microwave until heated through out.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 492Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 130mgSodium 1311mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 8gSugar 6gProtein 49g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.