One Pot Southwest Chicken
Make dinner simple and tasty with this one pot southwest chicken and quinoa. It's brimming with tender chicken, nutritious quinoa, beans, and vibrant vegetables, all covered in melted cheese.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 365kcal
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cumin divided
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander divided
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 teaspoons olive oil divided
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper cored, seeded and diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup canned black beans rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
- 1 cup dry quinoa rinsed well
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons chicken broth
- 2 ounces canned diced green chiles or more to taste
- ⅔ cup grated pepper Jack cheese
- Juice of ½ small lime
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir together ¾ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, oregano, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.
- Heat 2 teaspoons in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Use a skillet that has a lid. (I like to use an enameled cast iron braiser.) Add the chicken and sear, 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a large plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the onion and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, remaining ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon ground coriander and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the corn and black beans. Add the quinoa, chicken broth and green chiles. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low (or whatever heat is required on your stovetop to maintain a gentle simmer.) Cook for 10 minutes.
- Nestle the seared chicken into the quinoa, cover and simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Top the chicken with grated cheese, re-cover and let the cheese melt, about 2 minutes. Squeeze lime juice over top and garnish with cilantro. Taste the quinoa and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve.
Video
Notes
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using the built-in recipe card calculator. While I attempt to provide information that is as accurate as possible, you should calculate the nutritional information independently before relying on it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1chicken thigh + 1 cup quinoa mixture | Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 894mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g
