Southwest Chicken Skillet with Corn and Zucchini is the perfect veggie-loaded dinner made all in one pot!
Southwest Chicken Skillet
This veggie-loaded chicken dish is perfect for weeknight cooking! The chicken and vegetables are so flavorful, seasoned with Mexican spices and a squeeze of lime juice at the end which brightens it all up. And bonus, it’s made all in one pot for easy cleanup! I used boneless chicken thighs which for more flavor, but breasts would also work.
This recipe is from Mary Younkin’s new book The Weekday Lunches and Breakfasts Cookbook (affil link) which is filled with so many easy home-cooked recipes that I know I’ll be making soon because they are recipes my family would actually eat! In fact, I had a hard time deciding which recipe to share because there are so many winners! Although this recipe could be cooked ahead and packed ahead for lunch for the week, it also makes a great dinner. I ate this as is, but you can also serve it over rice. Totally optional, but you can also add some queso fresco or Cotija cheese on top if you wish, although it honestly doesn’t need it!
Southwest Chicken Skillet Make Ahead Tips:
- Store this in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat on the stove, in the microwave, or covered in the oven.
If you make it, I would love to hear what you think! Please come back and leave a comment, or share and tag me! For more Chicken Recipes click here!
Southwest Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch thin strips (for breasts see notes)*
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Mexican Seasoning Mix, see below
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Vegetables:
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced into thin matchsticks, about 1 cup
- 1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican Seasoning Mix
- 14 ounces zucchini or summer squash, sliced 1/8-inch-thick (2 medium)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, about 2 small limes
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- Cotija cheese, crumbled (optional)
Mexican Spice Mix:
- 2 tablespoons of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium-size bowl, drizzle chicken with 1 teaspoon of the oil and season with 1 tablespoon of the Mexican Seasoning and salt.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add remaining teaspoon oil to the skillet.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cook 4 minutes, constantly stirring, until the chicken has browned and is cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Add bell pepper, corn, and garlic to the empty skillet. Sprinkle with the Mexican seasoning. Continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the peppers soften slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, season with remaining salt and cook, stirring often until the zucchini softens slightly, about 4 minutes.
- Return the chicken back to the skillet, add the lime juice and scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet, stirring and mixing the juices over the chicken and vegetables.
- Remove from the heat. Sprinkle cilantro and Cotija if desired.
I love this recipe! I substitute shrimp for the chicken.
Very Tasty!! Chicken thighs make this dish!! So tender and moist. I think chicken breasts would have dried it out.
Very quick and easy recipe. Tip – prep ALL ingredients before starting to cook. Once you start, it cooks very fast. Also, if adding black beans, add with the chicken at the end.Â
We’ll definitely be making this again!
I have been using this recipe for years now. My Son requested it for his B-day today. It’s cold out.. going to do it on the BlackStone anyways. A great combo of flavors, I usually switch out veggies depending what we have on hand. Cojetta, lime, and cilantro are a must. I don’t follow the recipe except for the spice mixture and season taste, plus the family loves lots of lime and cilantro. Anyways thanks for sharing this recipe!
Nick
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! Â Super flavorful and quick to make.Â
SO easy and SO delicious!! The mexican spice mix is so flavorful and makes this meal amazing!
I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and substituted an onion for zucchini but otherwise followed the recipe- definitely would recommend adding onion. This was so easy to make and was a hit with my husband too! Will definitely throw this into our regular rotation. Thank you!!
Made this tonight it was excellent I added a can of drained and rinsed black beans to itÂ
Made this for the first time and oh my…. yummy!! Fast easy and delicious! Will make this regularly. Thank you for another super tasty dish!Â
This recipe is fantastic and oh so tasty. Â I loved making up the Mexican spice mix, I put the leftover mix into a shaker bottle for later use. Â Your recipes are so good and easy.
We subbed squash for zucchini, forgot the corn so used frozen mixed veggies instead, and made some basmati rice. Smelled awesome while cooking, tasted amazing after it was done!
This recipe is amazing! Skinnytaste is my go-to for recipes and this recipe surpassed my expectations (which are pretty high given how great all the recipes are). It was a hit with my kids and one of their friends too! It went so quick I am doubling the recipe the next time I make it.
Delicious, smells divine while it is cooking. Very tasty and lite. Don’t pass on the Cojita cheese or cilantro adds a great finishing touch on the flavors. Can’t wait to make it again!
This is the best, best, BEST! Made it several times and we use the Mexican spice on everything! Didn’t have a red pepper once to used yellow onion. Loved it even more. Now I only make it with onion. Thank you Gina!!!
I am new to ww can I ask why this is a 5 point meal to me it would be zero unless you are counting the oil and cheese?
Chicken thighs have points.
Absolutely delicious.  Has a little kick, which we loved but some may not.  I just used lime juice in a bottle as I didn’t have fresh limes and forgoes the cilantro (not a fan).  I will definitely make this again!
This was a very tasty, flavorful dish. My family loved it.
This was absolutely delicious! It came together so quickly and was over the top amazing. I added onions and mushrooms to bump up the veggies. Thank you for a flavorful healthy quick meal!!