Mexican spiced chicken breasts with melted cheese, seared and roasted in a cast iron skillet. Easy for a weeknight and delicious enough for a weekend!
This is one of those recipes that isn’t much of a recipe, but more a method. It mimics blackened chicken, but with a Mexican twist. We love Mexican food, and this is an easy way to make a start to a meal that spins into many variations – pleasing different needs with one main course. Add it to a burrito bowl with rice and beans, top a salad, or just eat the chicken on its own – it all works.
The simplicity of this recipe is why it shines – it’s easy, fast, and uses only a few ingredients. The chicken is seasoned with taco spices, pan seared, then roasted with cheese on top to finish in the oven. This process leads to juicy chicken, without the hassle of trying to perfectly cook chicken through on the stove top. I love Trader Joe’s taco seasoning, or you can use this recipe for homemade if you have time –
https://walestable.com/oven-baked-tacos-with-cilantro-ranch/
This method for cooking chicken works in a million recipes – blackened, just salt and pepper, with or without cheese. The ease comes from the circulatory heat of the oven evenly cooking the chicken breasts all the way through instead of relying on heat from the pan to do all the work.
Skillet Roasted Mexican Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 split chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp Mexican or Taco Seasoning (my recipe link in notes below, or store-bought)
- 3 Tbsp Canola or Avocado Oil
- 12 oz Grated Cheese Cheddar, Pepper-Jack, Montery Jack - anything you like!
- sliced avocado, cilantro, sour cream for toppings
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and position a rack in the center of the oven
- Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium heat - I prefer cast iron for recipes like this.
- Rinse and pat the chicken breasts dry, then season liberally with the taco or Mexican seasoning on both sides.
- Heat the oil in the skillet, and sear the chicken breasts (three at a time, so in two batches) for about 7 minutes , then flip for a minute or two. Remove to a plate, and then repeat with the remaining three chicken breasts. When done, load all of the chicken back into the skillet, leaving the more cooked sides facing UP. Top evenly with the grated cheese, and throw the skillet into the oven to roast for approximately 8-12 more minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. NOTE: if you are only making 3 or 4, you can do this whole process in one step, but if you do more than that the chicken won't sear properly. Alternatively, you can use two skillets at the same time, and roast simultaneously as well. Chicken is cooked when it reaches 160 degrees - it will continue to cook as it sits in the pan out of the oven.
- When the chicken has rested, serve sliced over Spanish rice, a salad or chopped into taco's. This is a great leftover item for lunch the next day. Toppings like sliced avocado cilantro, salsa and sour cream are great additions. Enjoy!
Notes
