Cheesy Black Bean and Chicken Taco Skillet

This Chicken Taco Skillet recipe was updated on October 1, 2020 with new directions and images!

I really love recipes that can serve multiple purposes. This Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet recipe can be what you need. It takes about 30 minutes to toss together and can either be a weeknight dinner (served with flour tortillas) or you can make it a hearty appetizer served with tortilla chips.

We did sort of a combination when I made this where we had it for dinner, but served it with tortillas (for the kids) and Betsy and I made sort of impromptu nachos out of the skillet by scooping some of it onto plates with chips.

PRETTY good either way. I’d highly recommend customizing it to your liking, but since corn and tomatoes are both primetime right now, I’d suggest using fresh for both of those. In the winter if you made this use frozen corn and a small can of diced tomatoes and you’ll be in good shape.

Chicken Taco Skillet Video

Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet

As described, this skillet starts with chopped chicken! You could use chicken thighs if you wanted or skip the cooking and use some chopped leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken. I used a mild taco seasoning and a fair amount of it. Adjust to your liking!

• Want another fast skillet recipe? Try my Chicken Gnocchi Skillet!

Cook the chicken on its own for a bit until it’s cooked through, then toss in the onions and peppers. I went for a pretty fine dice on these and seeded the jalapeno. This didn’t end up being too spicy for my kids so you could definitely spice it up more if you wanted.

Once those veggies cook, add the black beans, corn, and tomato. This chicken taco skillet is coming together already!

To bulk up the skillet a bit, I recommend adding some cooked white rice. Honestly, you could use instant rice if you want. I had some leftover chinese rice in my fridge that folded in easily. Add a little water also to get everything combined. If you leave the rice out, leave the water out.

Finally, top with a nice cheese lid and other tex-mex fixings!

For a casual party, I’d literally just set this cheesy chicken taco skillet out with chips, but for dinner I scoop it onto plates. It can be what you want though, which is the best kind of recipe!

Want to keep this cheesy chicken taco skillet up even another notch? Try serving it in my homemade taco bowls!

Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet

Print Pin

4 from 3 votes

Author: Nick Evans

Servings: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

This quick skillet has all my favorite tex-mex flavors in it: black beans, jalapeños, corn, chicken, and cheese! Lots of cheese! Serve it with tortillas or chips!

Equipment

• 1 cast iron skillet

Ingredients 

• 1 – 1 ½ pounds chicken, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• ½ red onion, diced
• 1 ear sweet corn, or 1/2 cup frozen
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• ½ cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6-8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
• Avocado, for serving
• Tortilla chips, for serving
• Cilantro, garnish

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Instructions

• Chop chicken and add to a skillet over medium heat with olive oil and taco seasoning. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 7-8 minutes.
• Add diced onion and jalapeno and cook for another 1-2 minutes until veggies soften.
• Stir in black beans, tomatoes, and corn.
• Add white rice and water and stir to combine. Taste skillet and season with salt and pepper.
• Top skillet with grated cheese and cover. Turn heat down to low and cook for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Top skillet with avocado and cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips or flour tortillas.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1Bowl | Calories: 930kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 65g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 255mg | Sodium: 585mg | Potassium: 746mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1276IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 347mg | Iron: 3mg

Course: Appetizers, Main Dishes

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Here are a few other great Tex-Mex recipes!

• Chicken Fajita Nachos
• Quesadilla Taco Shells
• Street Corn Guacamole
• Tex-Mex Taco Soup from Savour the Flavor