Santa Fe Chicken Recipe

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Get this Santa Fe Chicken Recipe on the table in no time! Taco seasoned chicken breasts with black beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles and topped with gooey melty cheese. Full of flavor and everyone will love it!

Santa Fe Chicken in a skillet topped with cilantro

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Life is busy for just about everyone, all of the time, so having dinner that you can get on the table in under 30 minutes, any night of the week is a must. Especially when you can have a chicken dinner loaded with flavor, packed with veggies and even topped with melty gooey cheese. Santa Fe Chicken is full of Tex-Mex flavors and can be ready in no time.

Why You’ll Love This Santa Fe Chicken

Easy – This is one of those recipes that may look like a lot of ingredients, but it really involves opening a few cans and just mixing everything together. There is onion and garlic that needing chopping, but that is the most work you have to do!
Versatile – You can really mix up the veggies, the spice level and even the cheese for this recipe. It calls for chicken breasts, but you can use thighs or even tenders if you want it to cook faster. Use different beans, add jalapeno, make it your own!
Cheesy – You add melted cheese to the top of just about anything and people are going to go crazy for it. Definitely helps cover up some of the veggies, to help the kids eat without any complaints.
Flavor – taco seasoning is used to season the chicken and the veggies just blend together to make a delicious dish that is loaded with flavor.

What You’ll Need

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.

Chicken Breasts – If the chicken is thick, you will want to butterfly them, or cut them in half lengthwise to make them thin enough to cook quickly.
Taco Seasoning – make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning to control the sodium levels in any recipe
Oil
Onion
Garlic
Black Beans
Corn Kernels – I always have a bag of frozen corn in the freezer to make recipes easy
Diced Tomatoes
Green Chiles
Mexican Cheese Blend

If you want a shortcut you can use Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles) in this recipe, you will just want to use 2 cans in place of what is called for.

adding cheese top the top of the chicken

How To Make Santa Fe Chicken

Sear Chicken. Season both sides of the chicken with taco seasoning. Heat half of the oil in a large skillet over a high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, until it is browned and mostly cooked through. Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm while you cook the veggies.
Cook Veggies. After you remove the chicken, reduce the heat to medium, add the rest of the oil to the skillet. Add the onions to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for just about 1 minute, you want to just start to smell it. Pour in the black beans, corn, tomatoes, and green chiles. Stir everything together and cook for about 5 minutes.
Finish Chicken. Add the chicken back to the pan, nestling in with the black bean mixture. Depending on how thick your chicken is you can place the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes to finish it cooking, or you can let it simmer on the stover for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Top With Cheese. Once the chicken is cooked through (165º F) top with the cheese, and melt. If you are cooking the chicken in the oven, it will take 2-3 minutes to melt completely. If you are cooking on the stovetop, put a lid on the skillet and cook for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.
Serve. I like to top with cilantro or green onions to serve.

looking down on a skillet of santa fe chicken

Recipe Tips & Variations

Depending on how thick your chicken is, you can finish this cooking in the oven. This will ensure things don’t burn, and it cooks evenly without you having to stand over and monitor it constantly. If you use chicken tenders or thinner pieces of chicken it will cook on the stovetop quickly, so it won’t be a problem.
Mix up the veggies with anything that your family likes. Chopped zucchini and bell peppers are both great options. You can use pinto beans, skip the corn, add spinach at the end to wilt down. Make it your own!
The recipe calls for a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes and a 4 oz can of diced green chiles. If you want to use Rotel tomatoes, use 2-10 oz cans.
Use a meat thermometer to know when your chicken is fully cooked. Most people are so worried about under cooking chicken they go really far the other way. Using a thermometer will ensure your chicken is properly cooked to 165º F, perfectly safe to eat, and not dried out or overdone.

What To Serve With Sante Fe Chicken

This is a basic chicken dinner loaded with veggies, so it really can be a complete meal on its own! But here are a few great sides that will round out your meal.

Is Santa Fe Chicken Spicy

No, this is not a spicy dish. There are 4 oz of diced green chiles, but they are not a hot pepper. If you want it spicy, I would add a jalapeno when you add the garlic to the dish.

How Long Does It Take To Cook Chicken

The key to cooking chicken is to use a meat thermometer to know when it reaches 165º F. That will vary based on the cut of chicken (thighs or breasts) and how thick they are. If you use a thin piece of chicken it can cook in 10 minutes. If your chicken is very thick it can take 25 minutes. So testing the temperature is the only way to really know.

Storing Leftovers

If you have leftover chicken, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat in the oven until warm, or heat in the microwave for a quick lunch.

I like to chop up any leftover chicken and turn into Air Fryer Chicken Nachos the next day.

More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes

Yield: 4

Santa Fe Chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 - 1 1/2 pound chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
2 Tablespoons oil, divided
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup corn kernels
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
1 1 /2 cups shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
Fresh cilantro, optional garnish

Instructions

Season both sides of the chicken with taco seasoning.
Heat 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over a high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, until it is browned and mostly cooked through. Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm.
After you remove the chicken, reduce the heat to medium, add the rest of the oil to the skillet. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for just about 1 minute, you want to just start to smell it.
Pour in the black beans, corn, tomatoes, and green chiles. Stir everything together and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken back to the pan, nestling in with the black bean mixture. Simmer the chicken for 6-7 minutes, until it is cooked through (internal temperature 165º F.
Once the chicken is cooked through top with the cheese, put a lid on the skillet and cook for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.
To serve top with fresh cilantro if desired.

Notes

If your chicken is thick, you can place the skillet in the oven when you add it back to the pan, until it is cooked through. Top with cheese and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes to melt.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 576Total Fat 28gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 150mgSodium 638mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 6gSugar 5gProtein 55g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

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Erin S

Welcome to Dinners, Dishes, & Desserts where my love of food meets my busy life. My name is Erin and I’m a casual home cook who loves to feed people. On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of quick and easy recipes made mostly from scratch. My days are spent in the kitchen, creating new recipes to share with family and friends.