Cheesy Baja Chicken Skillet (Printable Version)

Juicy chicken and bell peppers tossed in Mexican spices and melted cheese, ready in 40 minutes; gluten-free, low-carb.

# 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 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 Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips and cook until just cooked through and lightly golden, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
02 - In the same skillet, add more olive oil if needed. Sauté sliced bell peppers and red onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
03 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper, coating vegetables evenly.
04 - Return cooked chicken to the skillet. Pour in chicken broth and lime juice, scraping any browned bits on the skillet bottom. Stir to combine.
05 - Reduce heat to low. Evenly sprinkle Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses over the chicken and vegetables.
06 - Cover skillet and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can pile on all your favorite toppings and turn it into tacos, a rice bowl, or a stand-alone skillet meal.
  • There’s just one pan to wash, which means more time eating and less time scrubbing.
02 -
  • If you crowd the skillet when cooking chicken, you’ll steam it instead of browning it—learned that after a very pale batch.
  • Let the cheese melt off the heat for a few extra minutes—it prevents the edges from getting tough and gives you that stretchy middle.
03 -
  • Let the skillet sit covered for a minute after turning off the heat—carryover heat melts the cheese without burning it.
  • Spritz the leftovers with a new squeeze of lime to perk everything up before reheating.

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