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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
Made this tonight! It’s fabulous and so delicious. Flavors are on point. Thanks Tieghan….but gosh you do make it all look so simple on Instagram stories. I even prepped everything in advance – still took me long to make! LOL Thanks so much for sharing this one!
Hey Adriana,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
I’ve been dying to make this since you posted and I finally made it tonight! WOW! So delicious. Most time consuming part was the chopping, the rest was easy! I used white basmati rice and it was perfect. Will definitely be making this one again.
Hey Danielle,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
Soooo good and easy to make! I love white chicken chili and this was even better. Turned our perfect.
Hey Lisie,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xxTieghan
This was delicious! I left out the poblano peppers because didn’t have them, but I’m so happy with how this turned out. My husband ate three servings!
Hey Megan,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
Made this tonight, huge hit with my family. I will definitely make it again!!
Hey Kathy,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
The good: this tasted delicious!
The bad: I used a standard size cast iron skillet and it wasn’t big enough. When I poured in the salsa verde, the pan almost overflowed. So be sure to use a BIG skillet!
My cast iron skillet also doesn’t have a lid. (Most of them don’t!) So I used the largest lid I had but since it wasn’t a tight seal, the rice didn’t cook all the way. The rice was still a bit crunchy at the end. 🙁
My swaps: used an orange pepper instead of red (what I had on-hand) and used a can of chopped green chiles instead of fresh poblano.
Hey Melanie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Sorry to hear the skillet wasn’t big enough. Have a great day:) xxT
Wow from Cleveland! The best Mexican Chili. Finally I had time to make one of your recipes. I have many to go, but if their anything like this, I’ll enjoy each and every one them. Wish I could send a picture. Thanks for the great recipes.
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
I’m planning on making this tonight. What can I use in place of the poblano peppers?
Thanks
You can use canned green chiles.
Hey Caroline,
You can use additional bell peppers in place of the poblanos. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Its in step 3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted
Love this! But why do we need to preheat oven to 425 if never goes in oven haha
Never mind! To toast the cheese – just forgot that part. It was very delicious though! I’ll be making again.
Thanks for trying the recipe!!
Hi Nicole,
You are going to transfer to the oven in step 3. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made this last night. It was a big hit. Not as pretty as yours in presentation, but everyone enjoyed it. Will definitely make it again!
Hey there,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious! My husband couldn’t stop eating it.
Hey Michelle,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Very good recipe as always! I made my own roasted salsa verde to be able to control the heat and it’s just plain cheaper and super easy. My rice was slightly undercooked but I think it’s a personal issue with my old stovetop.
Hey Heather,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
So delicious but next time I will cut the recipe in half as this could feed four adults with hearty appetites and you’d still have leftovers.
Hey Krista,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Great recipe. Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Susan,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Made this for my picky guys. Used 2 poblanos and 2 red bell peppers, plus rotisserie chicken. First time using my Christmas gift Dutch oven. Skipped the jalapeño, cilantro, green onion and avocado for the picky guys.
The boys loved this! The lime squeeze brought out the fresh and bright flavors, and the melted cheese was a delight. DS 18 asked me to put this on the “make again” list.
Hey there,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan