One-pan meals are a mom’s best friend. This mom’s, anyways. My whole family loves this southwestern chicken and quinoa skillet, and so will yours!
Especially on busy weeknights when the thought of cooking a meal for five seems daunting, and there are activities to get to.
What’s even better is when the one pan meal contains simple and nutritious ingredients that I already have on hand! And the biggest bonus of one-pan meals, in my mind, is that it cuts down on the clean-up, something that I feel like I’m constantly doing as a Mom.
My new year’s resolution is to simplify my life as much as possible, and part of that is planning our family meals out a bit better, and choosing recipes that are as simple as possible to throw together (but still healthy and delicious).
So, for the next few months, I’m on a mission to create a collection of easy, family-friendly recipes that I can add to our supper rotation, and share with other like-minded parents.
When I’m making a one-pan meal, I don’t really want to mess around with with sides. I want everything to be included in the one dish. So I try my best to make sure there are three components:
- Vegetables (at least 3 colours)
- Protein (chicken, turkey pork, beef, fish, seafood, tofu, beans and or lentils)
- Whole grain (quinoa, brown rice, whole grain pasta, barley, etc.)
After I’ve made sure to include those core components, I add the fat (such as oil), spices and extras that best compliment the ingredients, such as olive oil, garlic, ginger, child powder etc. This usually renders a well-balanced and delicious meal.
Here’s my first addition to my new collection: Easy and Healthy Mexican Skillet.
You will want to make this recipe over and over again because it’s so easy and so delicious. And there’s usually enough left for another meal or two! Speaking of skillets, if you’re on the hunt for some heavy-duty cookware, check out my shop page.
Because there weren’t many vegetables in this dish, I did serve it with a salad, which was relatively easy! Enoy!
One-Pot Southwestern Chicken and Quinoa Skillet
One-pan meals are a mom's best friend. This Southwestern skillet will soon become yours.
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken cooked and shredded
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- 1 can corn, rinsed
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 cup rinsed quinoa
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsp favourite Mexican/ Southwestern spiced
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 1/3 cup diced green onion
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and heat for about 10 seconds before adding the chicken, back beans, corn, quinoa, salsa, spices, and chicken broth.
- Stir well, cover and bring to a full boil. Once it has reached a boil, remove lid and stir.
- Place the lid back on and reduce heat to a simmer (medium-low) for approximately 30 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove lid, give it a gentle stir and sprinkled shredded cheese and green onion on top. Allow cheese to melt before serving. Add guacamole, extra salsa and/or sour cream and serve with a salad or raw veggies and dip!
For more easy recipes, and lots of nutrition tips for moms and kids, check out my Facebook page and Instagram feed, where I post daily!
![[AD] Who else loves a quick, one-pot meal for the busy back-to-school season? 🙋♀️
As a dietitian and mom, I’m all about recipes that are quick, affordable, nourishing, and of course, delicious. That’s why I’ve teamed up with my friends at L’Ancêtre Cheese to bring you my Homemade One-Pot Hamburger Helper—perfect for weeknight dinners and makes awesome leftovers for lunchboxes too!
What I love most? You can toss everything—beef, pasta, veggies—into one pot, saving time and dishes! Plus, @ancetrecheese , made locally here in Canada from pasture-fed cows, adds that perfect cheesy touch. It’s organic, sustainably produced, and absolutely delicious. 🧀
What you need:
* 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
* 4 cups uncooked whole grain, regular or gluten-free pasta noodles (like rotini or macaroni)
* ½ yellow onion, diced
* 2 cups veggies of choice, diced (eg. mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower etc.)
* 1 cup frozen peas
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tsp pepper
* 1.5 cups milk of choice
* 1.5 cups chicken broth
* 1-680 mL jar tomato pasta sauce
* 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
* Tsp red pepper flakes
* 3 cups L’Ancêtre’s Marbled Mild Cheddar
Put it all together:
1. Cook beef in a large pot over medium-high heat until browned, then drain. Add onion, garlic, red pepper, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; cook until veggies are tender-crisp.
2. Mix in milk, broth, tomato sauce, and uncooked macaroni. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 15-18 minutes, stirring often. Adjust liquid as needed.
3. Remove from heat, stir in frozen peas and 1 cup of cheese until melted. Transfer to a casserole dish, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake at 375°F for 5-10 minutes until golden. Cool before serving.
Make sure to pick up L’Ancêtre cheese (either a family-sized block or pre-shredded) at a local retailer near you! Visit https://www.fromagerieancetre.com/en/cheeses/ to find out more!
#Ad #Partner #BackToSchool #LunchboxIdeas #OrganicCheese #FamilyMeals #LAncetreCheese](https://www.sarahremmer.com/wp-content/uploads/sb-instagram-feed-images/459558167_1543212989903442_998663133378052381_nfull.webp)
![👇[AD] Dietitian-approved “snack lunches” that my kids love, in partnership with my friends at @naturesbakery 💜
Make sure to comment “snack lunch” and I’ll send you a free school-lunch cheat sheet 🙌🏻
Let’s be honest, the items kids get most excited about in their school lunches are the... snacks! So, why not build a meal-worthy “snack lunch” that your kids can be excited about opening and enjoying?
We do this often, and for good reason. It’s quick and easy for me (yay!), and my kids love helping pack them. Plus, these lunches can be just as nourishing as a “traditional” lunch. Bonus: the most often get eaten!
Here’s my “rule of 4” for building these lunches, ensuring they’re packed with the nutrients my kids need for the day:
1️⃣ Whole grains/starches
2️⃣ Protein-rich foods
3️⃣ Fruit
4️⃣ Veggies
As a dietitian Mom, I’m a huge fan of including @naturesbakery Fig Bars in my kids’ lunches. Not only do they always get eaten (aka my kids love them), but I love that they contain a simple ingredients list with whole grains and real fruit. They’re also plant-based, dairy-free and nut-free (making them perfect for school lunches!).
A typical “snack lunch” might look like this:
Charcuterie-Style
* Meats, cheese and crackers; for plant-based families, you could swap the meat and cheese with smoked tofu slices, tempeh strips or plant-based deli slices, plant-based cheeses, and hummus, roasted chickpeas or edamame.
* Cut up fruit
* Chia pudding
* A Nature’s Bakery Raspberry Fig Bar (plant-based, dairy-free, and nut-free!)
Mediterranean-focused:
* mini naan bread/pita
* Hummus
* mini caprese salad skewers
* Nature’s Bakery Blueberry Fig Bar
* Fruit
* Dried chickpeas
Fun Finger Foods:
* energy bites
* edamame beans
* Seed and banana roll-ups
* string cheese (or dairy-free alternative)
* Nature’s Bakery Raspberry Fig Bar
* Mini carrots
If you think your kids will love snack lunches, comment “snack lunch” below for a free school lunch cheat sheet ❤️
#Ad #Partner #NaturesBakery #SnackLunch #SchoolLunchIdeas #DietitianApproved #PlantBasedSnacks](https://www.sarahremmer.com/wp-content/uploads/sb-instagram-feed-images/458372728_522285503507501_4269903014098073865_nfull.webp)
Comments
Jen says
Is there a trick to cooking quinoa? I like it but never when I cook it 😀
Sarah Remmer, RD says
Definitely rinse your quinoa first! That’s my best tip :).
Jen says
This looks great. 2 Questions
1. – can this be done in the instant pot to reduce cooking time?
2. – what veg would you recommend to increase the veggie content?
Thanks
Sarah Remmer, RD says
Hi Jen! Yes, you can try this in an IP. I use any veg that is about to go bad in the fridge. Any frozen veg will do as well. Really, anything goes!
Bette says
Can’t wait to make this recipe. Can you use cut up rotisserie chicken? Also, can you make this ahead and reheat the next day?
Sarah Remmer, RD says
You sure can! I love the idea of using a rotisserie chicken!
Bette says
Wow! Thank you SO much for your quick reply!!
Sarah Remmer, RD says
My pleasure! Enjoy, Bette!
Sandra says
My family and I really liked this recipe! I used a heaping tablespoon of organic taco seasoning from Amazon to season this dish and it was just the right amount. I just wanted to mention that the second set of instructions in the recipe are a bit unclear. These instructions say to “Stir well, cover and bring to a full boil. Once it has reached a boil, remove lid, stir and reduce heat to a simmer right away (medium-low) for approximately 30 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid”. You may want to revise the recipe for clarity to state after stirring, to put the lid back on and then simmer for 30 minutes, as I’m pretty sure that is required to cook the quinoa. I also believe that your last sentence needs to be ended as it trails off “and most of the liquid”. Otherwise, thank you for the great recipe!! (-:
Sarah Remmer says
Thank you, Sandra! I really appreciate you taking the time to make this recipe and for your feedback! I have updated the recipe :).
Amy Lank says
Hi Sarah,
Can you substitute rice for the quinoa? Do you think this would change the ratio of chicken broth?
Thanks!
Sarah Remmer says
I think you could. It might change cooking time, but minimally. Yum!
Katrina says
Hi Sarah,
What are Mexican/Southwest spices? Can you give an example?
Thanks!
Sarah Remmer says
Garlic, cumin, paprika, chipotle… yum!
Nellie M. says
Hi, what is the serving size, and how many people does it serve?
Thank you
Sarah Remmer says
This recipe should serve about 8!
Stacey Stevens says
This was fast and easy to prepare with ingredients I had on hand — and the teens in my household loved it!
Anna Braun says
This was great! Because we just made your Mexican Taco in a Pan last week we substituted black beans and used white kidney beans. We also used ground chicken vs diced.. Adding a chopped pepper, and cilantro and avacado for garnish was also yummy. Thank you for the ideas! 🙂
sarahrem says
Love it Anna! So glad you enjoyed!
Team Gillis Realtor says
Salad and chicken in one is delish! Recipe looks yummy and cannot wait to taste this.
Michelle Schurman says
Sarah, this was a fabulous recipe – a BIG hit with all three of my kids. I added 1 tbsp of chili powder and cumin each and tossed in some fresh spinach right at the end. It was really delish and so easy – thank you!
sarahrem says
Yay!! That’s awesome to hear!
sarahrem says
Love it! Glad to hear that it was a success!
Audra Donison says
I just made this recipe tonight. It was delicious! The chicken I had was two thawed breasts so I diced that and browned it in the oil before adding the other ingredients. I also added 1/4 onion and 1 /2 can green chilies. For the seasoning I used a mix of garlic powder chili powder and cumin, so it was lower in sodium. This will be a keeper!