A quick and easy one pot meal that can be in the oven in under 30 minutes. Colourful vegetables and fresh flavours will turn this Tex Mex Chicken Bake into a family favourite in no time!
Ingredients
This dish is super flexible so feel free to exclude, switch up, or add in any vegetables, herbs, or seasonings you wish.
- Chicken thighs - bone-in, skin on. You can use any pieces of chicken you like. I do recommend at least leaving the skin on for extra flavour.
- White onion - you can also use yellow, sweet, or Spanish onions
- Red pepper - or any colour of bell pepper
- Zucchini - or summer squash
- Corn - frozen or fresh kernals
- Salsa - My favourite is Organic Jack's Cantina Salsa but any fresh, store bought, salsa will work. One jarred option that is good is Herdez brand but most others tend to be more like a sauce then a salsa.
- Cilantro - You can omit this if you're not a fan or substitute with fresh parsley.
- Old cheddar cheese - You can substitute with any type of cheddar, Monterey Jack or a combination.
- Green onions/scallions - These are an optional garnish added at the end for freshness.
- Sour cream - An optional garnish. You could also add guacamole or fresh avocado slices.
Substitutions
- Chicken thighs - can be replaced with chicken breasts. Cooking time will vary.
- Cilantro - omit or use fresh parsley
- Cheddar Cheese - use any kind of melting cheese or replace with a dairy free alternative.
- Vegetables - you can make this dish with any vegetables you like. This combo is classicly Tex-Mex.
- Corn - a great substitute for corn in this recipe is green peas, mushrooms, or simply omit the corn altogether.
Make it Vegetarian
To make this dish vegetarian simply omit the chicken and add 1 - 2 cans of black beans. Add the beans at the time you would add back in the chicken, before baking in the oven.
To make it Vegan, do the same but use vegan cheddar or omit the cheese.
Storage
Keep covered in the fridge for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Tex-Mex Chicken Bake
A quick and easy one pot meal that can be in the oven in under 30 minutes.
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Equipment
- Large, deep frying pan
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
- 1 large white onion, peeled and diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, or any colour, diced
- 1 large zucchini, diced
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped, 1 tbsp.
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 2 cups salsa
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small bunch cilantro, washed and rough chopped. Divide in two portions. One half is for garnish
- 150 g or about 2 cups Old cheddar cheese, grated
- 2-3 green onions, sliced, for garnish
Optional toppings
- Sour cream
- guacamole or avocado
- pickled jalapenos
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken thighs, skin side down and set sear, without moving them, for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip over and sear the other side for 3-4 minutes more or until golden brown.
- Remove chicken to a large plate or dish and set aside.
- Add diced onion to the pan with the oil and fat from the chicken. Saute, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until soft and glossy.
- Add diced zucchini, red pepper, garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes.
- Add corn and cook for 2 more minutes. Add salsa and half the chopped cilantro. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Nestle chicken pieces into the vegetable mixture.
- Top with grated cheddar leaving the chicken skin exposed.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
- Top with remaining cilantro and sliced green onions.
- Serve on it's own or with rice or quinoa. Top with sour cream and/or guacamole.
Notes
- STORAGE - Keep covered in the fridge for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- SUBSTITUTIONS – Black beans, tofu, or shrimp work well in place of chicken. Use any combination of vegetables you like.
- MAKE IT VEGETARIAN - Omit the chicken and add 1 - 2 cans of black beans. Add the beans in step # 9. Or slice a block of firm tofu and follow recipe as is, browning the tofu first.
- HAVE IT FOR LUNCH – Have a larger portion of vegetables than chicken/protein and serve on a bed of leafy greens.
- ADD LEAFY GREENS - Serve with a side salad or add 3-4 cups chopped spinach, kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard in step #7.
Suzanne says
Thank you Andrea, this dish is so flavourful. The dish was watery just a bit and the cheese kind of disappeared in the liquid, no worries as I read a previous comment to rectify this. Loved the addition of sour cream. Next time and there is going to be a next time I will add leafy greens to step 7.
Love your comments re: The Livy Method.
Thank you again.
Sharon Van Dyke says
This is still my family’s favorite recipe! I make at least 2 of your recipes every week. I love being able to incorporate everything into the Livy method. Thank you and looking forward to anything new you put out there!😊
Andrea says
That makes me happy to hear Sharon! Thanks so much for your continued support. So happy you are enjoying the recipes!
Sally says
Can I make this a day ahead , could I I sear-the chicken & assemble all ingredients in pan & then put in fridge & finish cooking next day?
Andrea says
Hi Sally! Yes you could definitely do that. It may take a little longer to finish with everything being cold going into the oven but it will work 👌
Beverly says
A DEFINITE KEEPER! So many great flavors, true Tex-mex., Soo good & savory. Thank you for Another great, flavorful, healthy recipe!
Andrea says
My pleasure! So happy you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your comment!
Jackie Tridico says
So good ! I started off with the chicken thighs and then made again with a cooked chicken that I shredded and put into the base ! It was AMAZING !
Leah V says
Hi Andrea! This is definitely a 5 star recipe! The skin stayed crispy, the sauce was flavorful. I added a big handful of spinach at the bottom of my shallow bowl and my husband used rice on the bottom of his and both were terrific. Thank you!
Andrea says
Hi Leah!
I'm so happy you both enjoyed it! Thank so much for commenting!
Anne Brodie says
I didn’t expect much, I just thought I would try it as I was looking for a quick dinner and I had most of the ingredients on hand. Well I am glad I did! It was so good !! We really enjoy Mexican food and my family said it was just as good,if not better than some of our favourite dishes at our local Mexican restaurants.
This is a keeper and I recommend for people to try it. Yum!
Andrea says
Hi Anne!
I'm so happy you tried it and that everyone enjoyed it! Thanks so much for commenting!
Robin says
Tried this for the first time tonight. Was very flavourful but it was way too liquidy. Not sure what I did wrong, I followed the recipe exactly.
Andrea says
Hi Robin!
I'm so sorry to hear your dish turned out on the watery side. Could be that the salsa you used was watery or the veggies released more water than usual. You can try draining the salsa and/or letting it boil a bit longer before adding the chicken back in to evaporate the extra liquid. Hope that helps and you try it again!
Jen C says
A weekly staple in our house. Everyone (including a picky teen) eats it. I even went out and bought a fancy Le Creuset pan! Love this recipe. So easy - the prep takes a bit of time, but I feel quite zen during it!
Andrea says
I love that you get into a zen vibe while chopping. Cooking can be a great way to relax!
So happy you are enjoying the recipes. That Le Creuset pan is one I can't love without now! 🙌
Ainsley says
Hi Andrea!
I love all your recipes I've tried - they're so good! I made this dish this afternoon using the same dish as in your picture. I have a question: When I cooked the chicken thighs the skin stuck to the bottom of the pan. Any tips on how I can prevent this next time? I used EVOO and had it on med-high heat. Thanks!
Andrea says
Hi Ainsley!
It usually has to do with 2 things; temperature and time. You want to leave them be until
The skin releases itself and turn the heat down a bit if they are getting too brown and still sticking but usually you can let them cook for quite some time. It's something you have to play around with with your stove and pan. It can take a bit of practice to get the hang of it. I also suggest using a regular olive oil or a high heat oil such as avocado. It wouldn't affect the sticking but EVOO has a low smoke point so best to avoid for temps over 400 degrees F. Hope that helps!
Ainsley says
Great! Thanks for the feedback Andrea. I'll keep playing around with it when I make it in future. We had it for dinner last night and it was a huge hit and so yummy! This one is definitely going in our dinner recipe rotation.
Susan Henderson says
First time I made this recipe hubby wasn’t a fan. I think it’s because I didn’t cook the chicken long enough. Skin was a bit rubbery. Second time I made it I cooked it longer and he liked it. Third and fourth time I made it I used a cast iron pan, seared the chicken well and added black beans and green chillies. He loved it!
Thanks for a great recipe!
Andrea says
Hi Susan! Yes a cast iron pan does a great job searing the skin! Nice additions with the black beans and chilies! Happy you both enjoyed it!
Rose Marie says
DELISH … made this twice already but didn’t have time to comment. Yes … even more DELISH the next day …. Loving’ being a gourmet cook … Thank you Andrea !
Andrea says
It's my absolute pleasure! So happy you are enjoying it!!
Cathy Minnis says
Hi Andrea....really loved this recipe however any tips on the searing part of the chicken? Not sure if my heat was too high but I seared the skin down first and all but one stuck to the bottom and skin came off when I flipped. I had a lot of splatter too which freaked me out (crazy about grease)..
Was able to get some skin off to place back on chicken when baking. So yummy and my new Dutch Oven was a dream to clean up. Thank you. Cathy
Andrea says
Hi Cathy!
Sorry to hear you had trouble with the skin. If you are using a good quality pan it's usually due to not leaving it long enough before flipping. In this case, if the heat is too high, it can start to burn before it releases. Okay around with the heat to find the right balance to brown nicely and also give it time. Another tip is to use a non-stick pan to ensure it doesn't stick. Hope that helps!
Kim Belfry says
Now a family fav! Sooo delicious, I doubled the recipe to take to a family gathering, shared the recipe and your site with all! Loving all your recipes! Looking forward to your next one.
Andrea says
Hi Kim!
I'm so happy you are enjoying the recipes! This dish is a great one for a pot luck or gathering! 👌😀