Next Post
25 Minute Chili Oil Egg Ramen.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This simple One Skillet White Chicken Chili Bake makes for the best weeknight dinner. It’s an awesome twist on classic chili. Made with poblano peppers, jalapeños (for just the right amount of heat), and seasoned chicken. It’s spicy, creamy, and so delicious, with a bit of rice baked right into the sauce. Top each quick skillet mixture with cheese, bake, and then add fresh cilantro and avocado too.
Really feeling like January is all about these sheet pan, one skillet dinners. Easy and simple, but still so flavorful – can’t go wrong there. I got a question this week about sharing more 5 ingredient recipes. The funny thing is, I actually have one coming soon. But in general, I find 5 ingredients just isn’t enough to make a recipe good. And around here, if anything is lacking in flavor, people start requesting the chili flakes and hot sauce.
All that said, I love a simple, easy recipe. It just needs to have some spices, you know? This chicken is exactly that, simple but flavorful, and we just love a dinner all made in one skillet.
Here are the details
As the title announces, this dish all comes together in a skillet. I use my Staub skillet, but any oven safe skillet is great!
Cook up some onions and peppers along with the chicken and seasonings. I love to use a mix of chili powder, paprika, and lots of cumin.
Add in the rice, then pour the water right into the skillet to cook the rice. Once the rice is cooked, I stir in lots of salsa verde, which is key. It adds the best, mellow spiciness.
To finish, I top with cheese and then throw the entire skillet into the oven to finish cooking. Super simple.
And then, because I love a good chili with all the toppings – lots of avocados, cilantro, and green onions. In my book, these are key, I highly recommend you do the same. I also throw on jalapeños, which I’m sure comes as no surprise. Yogurt or sour cream would be a great addition as well!
What’s great about this chili bake is that it incorporates a variety of flavors and textures. Yet it’s all made simply in ONE skillet. It’s even packed with vegetables too.
This is in my rotation of recipes to make when family comes into town in just over a week. I’ve already made it twice since photographing it. It’s just so good, and it’s different, which is nice for your average weeknight.
Looking for other weeknight chicken recipes? Here are some favorites:
Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce
Cheesy Cuban Chicken Rice Bake
Lemon Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Avocado Goddess Sauce
Lastly, if you make this One Skillet White Chicken Chili Bake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Skillet White Chicken Chili Bake.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 779 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded if desired, and chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 2 1/2 cups salsa verde
- 1 can white beans, drained
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- avocado and green onions, for serving
- lime zest and juice, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In a large oven safe skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and chicken and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, poblano peppers, bell pepper, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes, until very fragrant. Stir in the rice, cook 1-2 minutes, until lightly toasted. Add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Place the lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked into the rice, but not all of it. Stir in the salsa verde, beans, and cilantro. 3. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the cheeses over the chicken/rice. Bake 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.4. Serve topped as desired with avocado, cilantro, and lime. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on January 26, 2022
Let the rise boil for a while. It takes forever to cook if you put the lid on right away. I should have known better. Flavors are great.
Hi Josh,
Sorry to hear this. What kind of rice did you use? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
When cooking the chicken and onion, what do you consider High heat? Things were going well up until I added the vegetables and spices. I probably should have lowered the heat right away because I had a burnt black charred mess halfway through the cook time. I tried to save the meal by using another pan but the chicken had a burnt taste to it in the end.
Hey Dina,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear about the heat. I really don’t have an exact temp for high heat, but I like to get the char on the onion and chicken. You definitely can turn it down for the spices, you should really go off of your stove top and familiarity with cooking with it. I hope this helps for next time. xTieghan
Thanks Tieghan, will try again.
Just made the sheet pan lemon chicken with sweet potatoes with all the yummy sauces. Was absolutely delicious.
Awesome!!
I made this last night and it is going into our family recipe binder! It’s very delicious, versatile, and fun to make. This dish is pretty much what would happen if enchiladas and chili had a baby. We really enjoyed it!
Hey Aimee,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am glad to hear that it was enjoyed. Have the best weekend!! xTieghan
Plan on making this weekend! Can this be made with quinoa instead of rice?
Hey there,
I’ve never tried this with quinoa, I am assuming it will work well for you, but you may have to adjust your cooking time. Please let me know if you give it a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Can the rice and chicken part be done in the instant pot and then finished off in the oven in a skillet? Any idea how to do that?
Hey Stephanie,
Sure, I would do 12-15 minutes on high pressure without the cheese and then add the cheese when you are ready to bake in the skillet. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
Hello! This looks absolutely divine and I can’t wait to make it. Question: Is there any way to make ahead? Looking to bring as a meal to someone but I would need to make this over the weekend and then freeze before bringing to them later in the week. Wondering if I could cook in a skillet and then transfer to a foil pan and just finish off in the oven day of…
Thank you! Love all your recipes!
Hey Francesca,
Sure, I would make up until the point of baking and then cover and freeze. I would bake from frozen or thaw and then bake, either way will work. I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
My husband and I really liked it! I personally would cut the amount of rice in half since everything else tasted so good but the full amount of rice seemed to take away from the rest of the yumminess.
Hey Alex,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am glad to hear that it was enjoyed. Have the best weekend!! xTieghan
Delicious! Made this without the rice, just skipped the water and added Verde salsa till I liked the consistency. I love that so many of your recipes can be converted to grain free without sacrificing the yummiest!
Hey Theresa,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
Looks so yummy!! Another idea for simple meals instead of the five-ingredient thing (because I agree, that’s just not enough flavor!!) could be doing a base recipe and then giving suggestions for spice and sauce combinations to change it up but still keep it simple!
Love this idea!! Thanks so much Dana! xTieghan
EXCELLENT!!! Delicious flavors and definitely had some heat! I followed the recipe exactly as stated, except that I used a can of chicken broth instead of water and boneless skinless chicken thighs. Not gonna lie, I thought the extra salsa verde would give it a soupy texture, but alas, Tieghan to the rescue with her fantastic measurement guidance and instructions. The one thing I’ve learned when there is rice involved, is that when it starts to fully boil, I generally let it boil for 3 minutes. That gives it plenty of time for the water to cook into the rice. Normally, I break out the hot sauce with everything, but with this dish, everything was perfectly seasoned and it was absolutely scrumptious.
***This dish did take me close to 2 hours from start to finish. Lots of chopping involved, but totally worth the end result!
Hey Asha,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
Good morning Tieghan,
Check out New York Post online. There is an article on Team USA departing for Olympics along with pictures of the team and there’s one of Red and Hailey!!! So exciting!!!!
And speaking of exciting, I’m making this chicken chili tonight and it looks delicious. Do you use mild salsa verde? Thank you! It’s a little cold here finally in South Georgia so I can only imagine the temp where you are. Stay warm and best wishes for Red and Hailey!
Hey Mary,
Awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing, will definitely have to check that out! I hope you love this recipe, yes I use the mild salsa verde!! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Why did you choose salsa verde over red salsa?
Hey Carol,
I just think that the flavors of the salsa verde were better with this recipe than a red salsa. I hope you love the recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Such a great recipe and easy to follow along as well. Perfect for a cold night in!
Hey Lindsey,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
Has anyone tried brown rice?
Hi Amy,
Brown rice will work for you, it will just take longer to cook so you will need to factor that in. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This has to be delicious . Thank you
Thanks so much Delynn, let me know if you give the recipe a try!! xTieghan