Southwest chicken usually means a baked casserole or a fajita spread. This skillet keeps it tighter: bite-size chicken sears with chili spices, then corn, black beans, and tomatoes simmer in a quick chipotle-cream sauce.
The sauce is sour cream and a spoon of adobo — pantry heat without a blender. Dinner is scoopable over rice or into tortillas in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 lb (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- ¾ tsp kosher salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup / 140 g)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup / 150 g)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) adobo sauce from a can of chipotles (plus ½ minced chipotle if you want heat)
- 1 can (10 oz / 283 g) diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Rotel), undrained
- 1 cup (165 g) frozen corn
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) black beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup (120 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Cooked rice or warm tortillas, for serving
Method
- Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high. Season chicken with ½ tsp salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook 5–6 minutes until browned and mostly cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- Add onion and bell pepper; cook 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and adobo sauce 30 seconds.
- Pour in tomatoes, corn, black beans, broth, and remaining ¼ tsp salt. Scrape the pan. Bring to a simmer.
- Return chicken and juices. Simmer uncovered 5–6 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens slightly.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in sour cream until smooth. Sprinkle cheese over the top; cover 1–2 minutes to melt.
- Finish with cilantro and lime. Serve over rice or with tortillas.
Cook’s note
Stir sour cream in off a hard boil so it does not curdle — low heat is enough. Adobo sauce alone gives smoky depth; mince a chipotle only if your table likes real spice.
What to serve with it
Cilantro-lime rice, tortilla chips for scooping, or a simple shredded lettuce salad. Sliced avocado cools the chipotle heat.
Make-ahead and leftovers
Cook through step 4, cool, and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently, then add sour cream and cheese. Leftovers keep 3–4 days; freeze before the dairy step up to 2 months.
Troubleshooting
Sauce split? Heat was too high when sour cream went in — whisk in a splash of warm broth off heat. Too spicy? More sour cream and a squeeze of lime. Too mild? Another teaspoon of adobo at the end.