Give your weeknight dinner a colorful spin with this fast and easy one pan fiesta skillet – a whole meal in one pan!

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

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We could all use a little fiesta!

By this time of winter, we are all feeling it. Its cozy and lovely to hibernate around the holidays, and even into January, as the lake effect snow machine piles snow knee-high. And while my crew absolutely loves the snow, I can tell they are just ready for some more consistent sun! I live for our amazing Lake Michigan summers, so this momma is definitely ready for warmth!

A warm and comforting skillet filled with color!

It’s everything we need in February around here. A comforting meal to warm us up on a cold day. An easy *one pot* meal for busy school nights, so we can still get to those after school activities. And happy colors to make us smile even when that grey ceiling of clouds is persistent in the sky!

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

Let’s talk about the flavorful veggies

This one pan fiesta skillet has a Mexican-inspired spin with multiple peppers that give it a mouthwatering flavor profile. I know the idea of using a jalapeรฑo sounds scary when serving to kids, but if you prepare the pepper without the seeds and ribs, and then cook it down, a jalapeรฑo becomes a super sweet, incredibly flavorful addition to a skillet like this. I also love the flavor from a cubanelle pepper (that’s the light green pepper at the bottom of this image with the funky shape). Cubanelle peppers are mild as well, and once de-seeded, and cooked they are so flavorful and fragrant. In addition to the yummy peppers, onions, and garlic, I’ve also added shredded sweet potato to this one pan wonder. Not only does sweet potato add more fiber and veggie minerals, it lends a sweet flavor and color that kids will love.

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

The Method :: Getting the fiesta skillet started by cooking the flavorful veggies

You’ll start building your one pan skillet by cooking down the veggies until fragrant and soft. Give this a good 10 minutes to develop the flavor. That will make your entire house smell like a Mexican restaurant, and also make give the rest of the skillet ingredients so much flavor without much effort!

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

Let’s talk about the protein

I like to use chicken with this skillet, but I do think that beef or turkey would be fine too. At the minimum, you’ll want to use a pack of 3 chicken breasts. I tend to use more like 4 or 5 chicken breasts because I have 2 teenagers and a tween, and the protein needs are so high! Using skillets like this for a larger family, or teens can be tricky if you don’t build the protein in enough. As the girls get older, I have found bumping the protein up makes for much less moody teens, good muscle growth….and less asking for more food an hour later! Season your cubed chicken with taco seasoning of your choice and some sea salt, and that’s it!

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

The Method :: Adding the chicken to the skillet

Once the veggies cook for a good 10 minutes, you can add the chicken in with the shredded sweet potato and garlic. Just cook the chicken for about 5 minutes. It will finish cooking once you add the rice to cook in.

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

Let’s talk about the rice for the fiesta skillet

Once the chicken is added, the rest of the skillet comes together by cooking the rice right in the same pan! I like to use meat stock or bone broth to cook the rice in. I typically make a whole chicken in the Instant Pot every Sunday, so I always have meat stock strained off that cooking process each week. You can use water or a good boxed bone broth too. Add the rice and broth, stir it all up, add a lid, and let it simmer until the rice soaks up all the liquid.

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

My secret flavor star of the show!

After the rice cooks in, stir in a jar of salsa verde! Salsa verde is hard to find without extra gums and thickening ingredients, but this one is clean. And, while I know it isn’t that hard to make from scratch, sometimes it is just nice to have a jar in the pantry to dump in! You really can find decent salsa verde at regular grocery stores too – you just have to look at ingredient lists. If you don’t have access and don’t want to scratch make, you can leave it out. That is how I had been making this skillet originally! The salsa verde just takes it to the next level! I do think a regular red salsa would mix in just find as well for extra flavor.

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

The Method :: Finishing the fiesta skillet

After stirring the salsa verde in, its time for cheese! Of course, if you don’t tolerate cheese, you can leave it off. Or, you can use a Viola Life coconut based “cheese.” We use a sheep’s milk manchego all over the top. Set the skillet under the broiler until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

Serving the fiesta skillet!

I like to serve this skillet as a bowl meal! I set up a toppings bar with avocado slices, lime wedges, yogurt, chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeรฑos, etc.

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

Don’t forget the leftovers!

If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they pack up for a thermos lunch the next day so well. When I use extra chicken, I tend to have enough leftover for 1 more meal. If you have smaller kids at home, you will have leftovers for the next day.

One Pan Fiesta Skillet
One Pan Fiesta Skillet

One Pan Fiesta Skillet

Renee Kohley – Raising Generation Nourished
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 5

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp butter to cook in or ghee, olive oil, tallow, or avocado oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 small bell peppers diced (I used red and yellow for color)
  • 1 large jalepeno halved length-wise, de-ribbed, and sliced into width-wise strips
  • 1 large cubanelle or poblano pepper core scooped out, quartered length-wise, then sliced
  • 1 cup corn canned or frozen
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 medium sweet potato shredded (optional for added veggies and sweetness)
  • 4 oz can green chiles Optional for added heat
  • 4 chicken breasts 1 inch cube
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2-3 tsp taco season of choice I use my homemade taco seasoning blend
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 2 cups bone broth meat stock, or water
  • 1 jar salsa verde mine is 12 ounces but anything around that size will work
  • 1-2 cups shredded cheese of choice for the top
  • Optional garnishes of chopped cilantro, avocado wedges, lime wedges, sour cream or yogurt, and/or more salsa verde

Instructions
 

  • Melt the butter over medium high heat in a large, oven proof skillet or braiser. Add the onion, all of the peppers, and the corn. Do not add salt yet. Stir the veggies around to soften and get some color and fragrance for about 10 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, shredded sweet potato, and optional can of green chiles and stir to combine.
  • Season the cubed chicken with sea salt and taco seasoning and add it to the pan. Stir the chicken in with the veggies and let the chicken cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the rice and the broth, stir to combine, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add a lid to the pan and let everything low simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice soaks up the majority of the liquid.
  • Stir the salsa verde into the cooked chicken/rice mixture.
  • Add the cheese to the top, and place the pan under the broiler until the cheese is melted and starting to get golden, about 5 minutes depending on how hot your broiler runs.
  • Scoop serving spoonfuls into bowls and let the kids garnish with a toppings bar of avocado slices, sour cream or yogurt, chopped cilantro, and squeezes of lime juice.

Notes

  • You can use different veggies that shred well in place of the sweet potato. I’ve used carrot, cabbage, zucchini, and butternut squash successfully.ย 
Keyword chicken dinner ideas, dairy free dinner recipes, dinners with chicken breast, easy weeknight dinner, gluten free dinner recipes, healthy dinner ideas, mexican dinner recipes, one pot dinner, one pot mexican dinner, recipes with salsa verde, salsa verde, skillet recipes
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