This cheesy jalapeño chicken is made in one pan, is bursting with flavor, smothered in melty cheese, and made in just 20 minutes! Try it tonight!
If you’re looking for your next favorite weeknight meal… look no further than this easy one pan cheese jalapeño chicken! 20 minutes, plenty of gooey cheese, spiced and savory chicken with little bursts of heat from the jalapeños… it’s the perfect easy one pan meal!
This post was brought to you by the makers of Sutter Home. I received compensation to write this post through the #SweetonSpice program. All opinions expressed are my own.
No matter the time of year, I’m always in need of quick and easy dinners that taste delicious… and I’m willing to bet that you are too.
You know what a lot of us want? Some delicious wine! 🙂 When Sutter Home approached me about collaborating for this post, I was literally doing a little dance in my seat. I’ve been a fan of their wines for a long time, especially the White Zinfandel. It’s so crispy and refreshing, with a medium sweetness. I love the way the strawberry and melon flavors really come through!
The sweet wine works absolutely beautifully with Mexican or Asian dishes that are packing some heat. Take this meal for example. The chicken breasts are rubbed in a tantalizing blend of tex-mex spices, lightly dusted with flour and seared until crispy and mouthwatering.
Then you add in corn and the wonderfully spicy strips of fresh jalapeño (or you could go for a combo of strips and rounds for even more heat like I did) and smother it all with gloriously melty cheese.
This cheesy jalapeño chicken is perfect as is, maybe with some Baked Mexican Rice or Arroz Verde (green rice – you have to try it!) on the side. But I have to say, it’s just as delicious wrapped up in a tortilla for the ultimate jalapeno chicken tacos!
My secret little extra kick of flavor comes from seasoning your pan before you even cook the chicken. You may have noticed the charred limes in some of the photos above… those are my secret weapons!
Once you heat up your pan, add the lime slices and cook for a few minutes per side. They might spatter a bit, so stand back, but once they’re charred, go ahead and remove them to a plate. Now add your oil and continue cooking the recipe. It’s an optional step, but one that I really love, as it gives a little extra kick of lime to the overall dish, plus, it just looks awesome.
You could absolutely make this jalapeño chicken dish with other cuts of chicken, like boneless thighs, or even bone-in thighs, you just might have to adjust the cook times and use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked to a safe temperature (165°F for poultry).
So the next time you’re craving some heat, and want an easy meal you can get on the table quickly, give this One Pan Cheesy Jalapeño Chicken a try… and don’t forget to pour yourself a cold glass of Sutter Home White Zinfandel!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 lime sliced
- 3 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half and pounded to be 1/2 inch thick
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried minced onion
- 1/4 tsp ancho chile powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed (fresh corn works as well)
- 2 jalapeños seeds removed and sliced lengthwise into strips
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tbsp lime juice (juice of 2-3 limes)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (or any cheese you prefer)
- minced fresh cilantro, for garnish
- extra lime wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl, add chicken, chili powder, oregano, kosher salt, ground cumin, black pepper, dried minced onion, and ancho chile powder. Toss and massage spice mixture into all sides of chicken.
- Add flour to a shallow bowl or plate and lightly dredge chicken in flour. Let chicken sit while you heat up your pan.
- Heat large oven-safe skillet over MED-HIGH heat. Add lime slices to pan and char for 1-2 minutes per side, until charred and brown, as desired. Remove to a plate.
- Add 2 ½ Tbsp of the vegetable oil to the hot pan and let heat through until shimmering.
- Add chicken pieces to the hot pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan (you may need to do 2 batches, depending on the size of your pan). Cook about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown, then remove to plate.
- Move oven rack to the upper third part of the oven and preheat broiler to HIGH.
- Add remaining 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and then add corn kernels, jalapeno slices and garlic. Cook, stirring often, about 2-3 minutes, until corn begins to lightly brown.
- Add chicken back to the pan, and pour in lime juice and water. Cook several minutes (this time can vary depending on your stove – mine took 2 minutes), until liquid is mostly absorbed.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese and broil for about 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted.
- Garnish with minced fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges or charred lime slices.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Helki says
Do you put the cheese on and broil before the chicken? It looks like there is no cheese on the chicken
The Chunky Chef says
You can absolutely put cheese on the chicken when broiling, I just wanted to keep the gorgeous color of the chicken visible for the photos.
Rochelle says
Mine wasn’t as lovely as yours which my son pointed out and he was skeptical about the corn. I knew it was good though when he hurriedly got seconds and proclaimed with a smile that the corn was the best part.
Morgan says
Hi! When I took the chicken in step 5 do I make sure it’s fully cooked? Or will it cook more throughout the recipe? Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Morgan 🙂 You want them to be mostly cooked, as they’ll cook a little more, but not a whole lot.
Debi says
What a keeper!! Delicious! My family LOVED this!! Thanks!
PattyInColorado says
I just made this tonight. It was SO good!!! I had to use an anaheim pepper instead of jalapenos because my husband doesnt like that much heat. I think the charring of the lime in the skillet was the key. That gave it all this lime essence throughout the dish but was not overpowering. Super quick – super easy – super yummy! My husband said “I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow”.
Aaron Robinson says
This came out perfect! Thank you for sharing!
Elle says
I have the world’s pickiest eater for my husband. This is the 2nd recipe of yours I have tried and, again, you hit it out of the park! He loved this. I love that your recipes are clear, easy to follow and taste fabulous. Next time, I might cut the chicken up and then we could eat it in tortillas. Delicious! Thanks Amanda.
Elle says
Thank you for your quick reply! I will try this recipe this weekend. I made your One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta and it was a huge hit withmy picky husband. Can’t wait to try a lot of your recipes – thank you for your great blog!
Elle says
I am not clear of when this dish goes into the oven under the broiler vs being on the stove? Are steps 7, 8 & 9 all done under the broiler vs the stove top? Thanks.
The Chunky Chef says
Steps 7 and 8 are done on the stovetop. I mentioned turning on the broiler in step 6 so it’ll be nice and hot when you use it in step 9.
Sue wack says
Tasty. I topped it with a little salsa and sour cream
EC EC says
This looks awesome.
I wonder how much low-fat cheese would reduce the calories.
Brian Jones says
Just made this. Totally awesome. Thank you. Charred lime is a great touch.
Keith Scott says
I cant believe how much flavor this dish has. Simply amazing!! Thank you!!
Kylie says
So yummy and so easy!!!!
Debra says
This was so delicious! My family loved it ❤️ I didn’t have any jalapeños so I mixed in jalapeño cream cheese at the end and it made the corn nice and creamy.
Leona says
Adding Jalapeño cream cheese is a genius idea! Thanks for sharing that!
Lynn says
We were so excited to eat that I forgot to garnish the meal! . Love this easy dish! Thanks for sharing! We will try to add this to our meals once a month! 💕
Althea Lyn says
My boyfriend LOVED this! I did too but damn did he hype it up! I made it with some baked macaroni and a side salad. The whole dish was amazing!
I absolutely loved the jalapeno and lime.
I added two more jalapeno and some serano peppers to spice it up even more. The corn was so good with this , it added a crunch that was a pleasant surprise!
Definitely making this again!
Bre C says
soooo good! followed recipe exactly and it came out perfect.
Chrystal Rose says
This was delicious and a definite make again! My husband is on the Keto diet so I changed a few things. Instead of corn, I used chopped onion and 4 bacon pieces also cut into 1/2” pieces. I also coated with almond flour instead of all purpose. It was amazing! Thank you for sharing such a good recipe!
Jennifer Greisen says
Can you use creamed corn?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested the recipe using creamed corn, so I can’t guarantee the results, but if you try it, just watch out for the corn burning.
John W Keegan says
Amazing. My first post after soo many great recipes poached from Pinterest. Great flavor! Can’t wait to make it again. I did read a comment that said to add black beans and that was awesome! Seasoned the chicken for a bit before dredging in flour and cooking also. Well done, thank you. Great recipe! Cheers.