This chicken santa fe recipe is Mexican seasoned chicken breasts smothered in melted cheese, black beans, corn and peppers. An easy dinner option that’s great for a busy weeknight!
Bored of the same old chicken dinners? Spice things up with this fresh and zesty Santa Fe chicken. Serve it with rice and beans for a quick meal that’s sure to keep the family happy and satisfied.
We have chicken for dinner A LOT around here. It’s definitely our preferred protein. Sometimes I just get tired of our standard chicken recipes and want something new and different, which is how this chicken Santa Fe came to be. This dish is loaded with flavor, yet still simple to put together for dinner time.
How to make chicken santa fe
This dish starts with boneless skinless chicken breasts. I typically buy the thin cut chicken breasts because they cook so much quicker than standard sized breasts. The chicken is covered in taco seasoning then seared to perfection.
While Mexican flavored chicken is great on its own, this Santa Fe chicken recipe takes things over the top with a sprinkling of shredded cheese, along with black beans, corn and peppers.
The final step is a quick trip through the oven to melt the cheese. Add a sprinkle of cilantro and dinner is served!
I typically use frozen corn for this dish, which I thaw in the microwave before adding it to the chicken. I also add the diced red bell pepper raw as it will cook in the oven as the cheese melts. Sometimes I swap out the black beans for pinto beans, or use poblano pepper instead of bell pepper for a little different flavor. You can also try different types of cheese, pepper jack would be great in this chicken!
I love to serve this chicken Santa Fe with a side of my favorite pinto beans and rice. I also sometimes put out additional toppings like diced avocado, sour cream and tortilla strips for everyone to customize their chicken the way they like it.
The next time you’re searching for an easy chicken dish, give this Santa Fe chicken a try. Your family will thank you!
More easy chicken recipes
- Baked Fried Chicken
- Baked Lemon Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
Chicken Santa Fe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts I prefer to use thin cut breasts
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup canned black beans rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/3 cup corn kernels thawed if frozen
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large oven safe pan over medium high heat. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season the chicken on both sides with the taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. The time may vary depending on the thickness of your chicken.
- Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the chicken breasts. Add the beans, red bell pepper and corn on top of the cheese.
- Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
I made this for dinner tonight. Delicious! I added a chopped small tomato to the vegetable mixture and served it with cilantro rice. Thank you for sharing.
what a delicious dish! Surely going to make it this weekend!
My family did thank me. I didn’t have a bell pepper so I used canned diced tomatoes. Now that we are in the house all the time we like to make new meals and bake. I have a picture,but didn’t see how to post it . It is also a very pretty dish
This recipe looks absolutely delicious! Yum!
Love these type of recipes for quick weeknight meals!
So much flavour! Love this! Is there something I can use instead of the beans, or is it safe to just leave them out and add more corn?
Looks so easy and delish! I am a HUGE fan of chicken— love.love.love. However, I drive my family nuts eating it so much lol. Glad to have a new recipe to add.
I’ve made this numerous times now! We love it and I top it with guacamole!
I love all the ingredients in this yummy dish!
I love all the beautiful colors! This chicken recipe looks so delicious! I can’t wait to make it!! My family loves chicken!!
This looks amazing!! Adding it to the dinner menu this week.
WE love everything about this Tex mex style food and will enjoy it . Perfect for Cinco De Mayo coming up too!
yum! this looks so light and fresh! loving it 🙂 perfect weekday dinner thanks!
Such a healthy and vibrant dinner idea! I usually buy thin cut chicken too, it’s so convenient 🙂
Just pinned this beauty…and I think I need to make it ASAP! You’ve pretty used all my favorite ingredients here…And I love how weeknight friendly it is! Thanks for the recipe inspiration!