15-Minute Southwestern Chicken and Black Bean Skillet

15-Minute Southwest Chicken Skillet — An EASY chicken skillet with red onions, black beans, corn, green chiles, lime juice, and cilantro!! So much flavor and texture in every bite of this HEALTHY naturally gluten-free recipe that’s great for planned leftovers and meal prepping!!

Southwest Chicken and Black Bean Skillet

If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to spruce up your usual weeknight chicken dinner, this Southwest chicken and black beans skillet recipe has you covered. 

There is a great Southwestern-inspired flavor profile in this chicken skillet recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes.

Juicy cumin and chili powder-scented chicken is sautéed with red onion and red bell peppers before being tossed with black beans, corn, green chiles, and finished with lime juice and cilantro. So much texture and flavor in every bite!

It’s also naturally gluten-free and healthy. It reminds me of this 15-Minute Salsa and Black Bean Chicken Skillet, and this Skinny Mexican Chicken Skillet. Check those out if you like this kind of recipe.

Ingredients in Southwest Chicken Skillet

To make this chicken with black beans, you’ll need: 

• Olive oil
• Red onion
• Chicken breasts
• Red bell pepper
• Black beans
• Corn
• Canned diced green chiles 
• Ground cumin
• Chili powder
• Coriander 
• Salt and pepper
• Lime juice
• Fresh cilantro

How to Make Southwest Chicken with Black Beans 

Drizzle a large skillet with olive oil and briefly sauté diced red onion before adding diced chicken and the red pepper.

Sauté until the chicken is cooked through before adding the black beans, corn, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper, lime juice, and continue cooking until warmed through, just a few minutes is all it will take.

Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately. 

Is the Southwestern Chicken Skillet Spicy?

In my opinion, I wouldn’t call it spicy but it does have fairly bold flavors.

However, we enjoy spicy food and if you don’t, either omit or scale back on the diced green chiles (and don’t use fire-roasted like I did) and/or scale back on the chili powder.

For us, two teaspoons of both cumin and chili powder really makes this dish taste like I wanted it to, but always season to your personal tastes and preferences. 

Can This Recipe Be Meal Prepped?

Yes! The dish keeps great in the fridge or freezer so you can feel confident making it as a meal prep recipe so you have planned leftovers waiting for you.

Tips for the Best Southwest Chicken Skillet

• Dice the chicken into even-sized pieces so they cook at the same in the skillet. 
• For a spicier dish, add red pepper flakes or garnish with your favorite hot sauce. 
• You can enjoy the chicken and black beans as is, or you can spoon it over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. 

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4.42 from 34 votes

15-Minute Southwestern Chicken and Black Bean Skillet

By Averie Sunshine

15-Minute Southwestern Chicken and Black Bean Skillet - An EASY chicken skillet with red onions, black beans, corn, green chiles, lime juice, and cilantro!! So much flavor and texture in every bite of this HEALTHY naturally gluten-free recipe that's great for planned leftovers and meal prepping!!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium red onion, diced small
• ▢ 1.50 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced into small pieces
• ▢ one 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used no salt added)
• ▢ one 8-ounce can corn, drained and rinsed (or about 3/4 cup frozen corn that you thaw first and discard the liquid)
• ▢ one 4-ounce can diced green chiles, do not drain (I used fire-roasted)
• ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ 2 to 4 tablespoons lime juice
• ▢ 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, for garnishing, or to taste

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Instructions 

• To a large skillet, add the oil, red onion, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until onion is beginning to soften and become translucent.
• Add the chicken, red pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through; stir and flip intermittently so the chicken cooks evenly.
• Add the black beans, corn, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, coriander, and stir to combine. Allow mixture to simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until warmed through.
• Add the lime juice and stir to combine. Taste and check for flavor balance. If it needs more cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, etc. add it. If you want it spicier, add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
• Evenly sprinkle the cilantro and serve immediately. Recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 393kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 781mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 5g

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

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