One-Pan Fiesta Chicken
This fiesta chicken with veggies, black beans, and cheese is easy to make – plus, you only need one pan! Serve it with your favorite toppings for an easy dinner.
Fiesta Chicken Recipe
I’m coming to you today with this recipe for fiesta chicken, which is sort of like nachos without the chips or a burrito without the tortilla. You serve it in bowls topped with any or all of your favorite toppings. Plus, it all cooks in one pan, making it so easy. It’s really just a dump-and-stir operation.
How to Make It
This is an easy chicken recipe. It takes about an hour to prepare, but most of that time is spent simmering it. I like to serve it with the same toppings you’d use for tacos. I think you’re going to love it!
mORE oNE pOT mEALS
Creamy Chicken and Rice | Tortellini Primavera | Beef Penne | Meatball Stroganoff
PrintOne Pan Fiesta Chicken
Fiesta chicken is a one-pan dinner with veggies, black beans, rice, and chicken and topped with cheese. Serve it with your favorite toppings for an easy dinner!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, drained
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt (see note)
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 cup shredded cheese (I like a mix of cheddar and pepper jack cheese)
- Garnishes: Lime juice, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, or other toppings you like!
Instructions
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook it until it’s no longer pink on the outside. Add the onions and cook them for a few minutes, just until they start to soften. Add the garlic and bell pepper and let it all cook for another 3 minutes or so. Add the corn and black beans and stir it all together.
- Add the chicken broth, tomato puree, and diced tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the chili powder, cilantro, and salt. Stir and simmer for a few minutes, then increase the heat to bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add the rice and stir. Cook the rice, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a strong simmer.
- Once the rice is tender, add the cheese in a layer on top. Lower the heat and cover the pan with a lid until the cheese is melted.
Notes
Salt: Different chicken broth brands have different amounts of sodium, so I like to start with less salt and add more at the end if needed.
Shortcuts: Use frozen diced onion to save time on chopping. You can also use precooked chicken (like rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken). If you do, stir it in at the end to warm it up before you add the cheese on top.
Nutrition
- Calories: 456
- Sugar: 7.2g
- Sodium: 1212.4mg
- Fat: 14.4g
- Saturated Fat: 4.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.6g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 52.5g
- Fiber: 8.6g
- Protein: 30.7g
- Cholesterol: 74.6mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Variations
Meat: You can substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts for the same amount of ground beef or ground turkey. Brown it first (and drain off the excess fat) before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Beans: I love black beans, but I’ve also made it with pinto beans, kidney beans, and white beans.
Cheese: Cheddar cheese, Monterey jack, pepper jack cheese or any good melting Mexican-style cheese is great!
Toppings: Red salsa, salsa verde, or spoon some pico de gallo over the top.
Storage Tips
Leftover chicken fiesta will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for three to four days. I love to warm it up in the microwave for easy lunches.
You can store leftovers in the freezer, too, but the rice does tend to get a little mushy when you warm it up, so keep that in mind.
I hope you give this one-pot chicken recipe a try soon!
Happy cooking,
Easy recipe to make and I had most of the ingredients on hand. The others were inexpensive at the grocery store. As mentioned by the author, its versatile. We doubled the recipe ingredients to try a couple different ways. We put some under the broiler in cast iron to heat up with our fav Mexican cheeses and some served in bowls toppings and tortilla chips. It was a big hit with everyone! Thanks April!