This Southwest Chicken Skillet with Corn and Zucchini is filled with spicy bites of chicken, fresh sautéed vegetables, plenty of Mexican spices, and a squeeze of lime to keep the flavors fresh and bright.
This recipe is one of the make-ahead lunches waiting for you in The Weekday Lunches & Breakfasts Cookbook. This meal is a great one to serve for dinner or to make-ahead for lunches through the week.
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Serve the Southwest Chicken Skillet as written below or with rice for a heartier meal. If you plan to serve this with rice, start the rice cooking before you prep the ingredients for this recipe.
I frequently cook this at night, or on the weekend, and reheat through the week for easy lunches.
The key to stress-free stir-fry recipes is prepping every single thing in advance. Make sure that all of the ingredients are lined up next to the stove before you turn on the heat.
The bulk of the prep time for this recipe is spent slicing and dicing the meat and vegetables, give yourself about 20 minutes of prep time. Once everything is assembled and ready to cook, the actual cooking time is just a few minutes.
For more recipes with great Southwestern flavors, try these Southwest Chicken Bits with Chipotle Garlic Sauce or this Southwest Chicken Salad or maybe this Southwest Chicken Soup.
I have my eye on this Southwestern Steak Stir Fry and this One Pot Southwestern Chicken Alfredo to try soon.
Kitchen Tip: I use this skillet and this cookbook to make this recipe.
Southwest Chicken Skillet with Corn and Zucchini
Ingredients
- CHICKEN INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into 2-inch strips
- 2 tsp light flavored olive oil
- 2 tbsp Mexican Seasoning Mix
- VEGETABLE INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ½ lb summer squash: Italian zucchini,Mexican gray, or yellow crookneck sliced very thin, approximately 1/8-inch
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced into thin matchsticks, about 1 cup
- 1 11-oz can corn niblets, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tsp Mexican Seasoning Mix
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice, about 2 limes
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2-3 tbsp Cotija cheese, crumbled (optional)
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a medium-size bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp of oil. Sprinkle with Mexican Seasoning.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp oil to the skillet. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cook for 3- 4 minutes, constantly stirring, until the chicken has browned and is cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Add the squash, pepper, corn, and garlic to the empty skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the zucchini and the peppers wilt just slightly and everything is warm, about 4 minutes.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet. Add the lime juice and scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet, stirring and mixing the juices over the chicken and vegetables. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle cilantro and Cotija over the skillet, if desired.
djannag says
Thank you for your feedback, Vicki!
Rita Hardin says
Going to try this tonight!! Looks so good !
Rita Hardin
Sandy says
I made this for my husband and I for our Super Bowl dinner. I got home late and had to work quick to get it ready so we could watch the game. It was so fast to put together! I made some modifications based on what I had on hand. Instead of the Mexican seasoning, I sprinkled everything with Hatch red chile powder, cumin, garlic, and Mexican oregano. I used sliced multicolor bell pepper strips from the freezer and had to sub mozzarella instead of the Cotija (mine had been in the fridge a bit too long). I topped each bowl with cilantro and sliced avocado sprinkled with lime juice. It was SO delicious! My husband said he would have liked rice with it, but I loved it just the way it was. Thank you Mary!
Mary Younkin says
Your version sounds delicious, Sandy!