Creamy Salsa Chicken, & Corn, Beans Skillet

This one pot meal is both delicious and efficient! Also, if Mexican food is one of your faves, this will feel like winter comfort food. My husband and I could eat Mexican food 6 or 7 days a week, so it is definitely a new staple in our house.

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 large chicken breasts
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 bag of frozen corn (12 oz)
  • 2 jars of salsa (I like to do one jar medium, one jar fire roasted)
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro (you won’t use all of it, but that’s the cheapest way to buy)
  • 1/2 Cup Chicken broth
  • 2/3 Cup Sour cream or substitute (I have made this with cashew milk before, when we are avoiding dairy)
  • Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese
  • Cumin (2 tsp)
  • Chili Powder (1 tsp)
  • Paprika (1 tsp)
  • Salt (1/2 tsp)

The Chicken

Take 3 to 4 large raw chicken breasts with rib meat, butterfly or filet them in half so the slices are thin. If you like your chicken really thin, you can use a mallet and a piece of plastic wrap to flatten it out. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, mix seasonings together, then sprinkle on both sides of the chicken breast. In a large cast iron (any skillet will do, but this will work best) heat 2 tbs high heat oil (I swear by grape-seed) on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, place chicken pieces face down for about 5 minutes then flip and cook on the other side fo 5 minutes. While the chicken is cooking chop a handful of cilantro stems and crumbled 1/4 cup or more of the cheese. Depending on the size of your chicken breast you may need to adjust time, make sure it is cooked through, then remove from heat and place on a cutting board to rest.

The Skillet

Into the same cast iron skillet pour both jars of salsa. Scrap any chicken bits off the bottom of the pan into the salsa. Continue to stir until warmed. Add 1 can of rinsed black beans and bag of frozen corn to skillet and stir. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Once corn and black beans are heated through, put 2/3 cup sour cream in a bowl, to avoid the cream curdling take one spoonful of the salsa mixture at a time and add it to the sour cream then stir. This will help bring the cream up to temperature, I normally do 3 – 5 spoonfuls before adding the sour cream mixture into the skillet. Turn the skillet off and add the sour cream mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined. Slice chicken and top over skillet. Sprinkle crumbled cheese and chopped cilantro over the skillet.

Serving

This is delicious in a bowl by itself. For my husband who needs more substance than me, I set my rice cooker up right before I start cooking and then serve his over about 2/3 cup rice.

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