Cheesy Baja Chicken Skillet (Printable Version)
Juicy chicken and colorful bell peppers spiced Baja-style, topped with melted Monterey Jack and cheddar.
# What You 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 and 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, for garnish
# How To Make It:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips and sauté 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 extra oil if necessary. Add red, yellow, and green bell peppers along with the red onion. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
03 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Sprinkle in chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper, stirring to evenly coat vegetables.
04 - Return the cooked chicken to the skillet. Pour in chicken broth and lime juice, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir to blend all components.
05 - Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses evenly over the chicken and vegetables. Cover skillet and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
06 - Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro before serving. Serve hot.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- The cheese melts into everything for that perfect stretchy goodness your fork will never escape.
- This recipe rescued more last-minute weeknights than I care to admit, and cleanup barely exists.
02 -
- If you crowd the chicken, it steams instead of searing; two batches are sometimes better than one.
- Add the cheese only after lowering the heat—otherwise it strings out and hardens instead of melting creamy.
03 -
- Don’t rush the searing or you’ll miss out on delicious browned bits—the magic is in the fond.
- A quick squeeze of extra lime juice at the end lifts the whole dish.