Inch pieces of chicken breast seasoned with chilli powder, cumin and smoked paprika and browned in a hot skillet.
Red and yellow peppers and red onion cooked five minutes, garlic for thirty seconds, salsa verde simmered in, and Monterey Jack melted under a lid.
Why This Recipe Works
- Salsa verde rather than a red salsa. Tomatillos are tart and bright where a tomato salsa is sweet, and that is the difference between a Baja-style skillet and a generic one.
- The chicken finishes in the salsa rather than in dry heat. Five or six minutes of browning gets the colour, and the two to three minutes of simmering take it to 165°F without drying it.
- Only a third of a cup of salsa verde. It is a pan sauce clinging to the chicken and peppers, not a braising liquid — more would leave the peppers sitting in it.
- Monterey Jack under a lid on low heat. It is a mild, exceptionally good melting cheese, and the trapped steam melts it evenly in two minutes without it splitting.
- Lime and coriander after the heat is off. Both are fresh, sharp finishes and both are lost if they go in while the pan is still working.
Twenty-Five Minutes, Four Additions
Everything happens in one skillet and the only variable is when each thing arrives. Two of the four windows are measured in seconds, which is why the prep is done first.
Minute 0
Chicken seasoned with chilli powder, cumin, smoked paprika and salt
The spices go onto the chicken rather than into the pan, so they toast against the meat as it browns. Five to six minutes, and the chicken is not yet cooked through — it finishes later in the salsa.
5 minutes
Red and yellow bell peppers and a sliced red onion
Five minutes only. Crisp-tender is the target; peppers cooked to soft here would collapse entirely by the time the cheese has melted.
Thirty seconds
2 cloves garlic
Last of the aromatics and the shortest window. Added with the peppers it would have five minutes in a hot dry pan and would be bitter.
2 to 3 minutes
1/3 cup salsa verde
This is both the sauce and the finish for the chicken: it brings the pan to a simmer, and the chicken reaches 165°F in it rather than in dry heat.
The last 2 minutes, lid on
1 cup Monterey Jack, then lime and coriander off the heat
Heat down to low and covered — the cheese melts in the trapped steam rather than frying. Lime and coriander after the lid comes off.
Ingredient Notes
- Salsa verde
- A third of a cup. Tomatillo-based and tart — it is the defining sauce, and a red salsa would make this a different dish.
- Monterey Jack cheese
- A cup, shredded. Mild and one of the best melting cheeses there is, which is why it is named rather than left as 'cheese'.
- Red and yellow bell peppers
- One of each, sliced. Two colours for the look and both sweet — they are cooked to crisp-tender, never soft.
- Chicken breasts, 1-inch pieces
- A pound and a half, cut evenly. Inch pieces brown in five to six minutes and finish in the salsa.
- Lime, juiced
- A whole lime, off the heat. It is the acid that lifts a rich, cheesy skillet.
How to Make It
Heat the pan
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Season and brown the chicken
Season the chicken with chili powder, cumin, paprika and salt and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until browned.
Peppers and onion, then garlic
Add the bell peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
Salsa verde
Add the salsa verde and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F.
Cheese under a lid
Sprinkle the Monterey Jack over the skillet, cover and reduce heat to low for 2 minutes, until melted.
Lime and coriander
Finish with lime juice and cilantro and serve.
Success Tips
- Slice both peppers and the onion before the pan goes on the heat.
- Season the chicken directly rather than adding spices to the pan.
- Stop the peppers at crisp-tender; they soften further under the lid.
- Turn the heat down to low before the cheese goes on.
- Add the lime after the lid comes off, not before.
Serving Ideas
Warm tortillas, rice, or straight from the pan with soured cream and avocado. It works as a filling as readily as a plated dinner.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The peppers soften on standing, which is unavoidable.
Freeze
Freezing is not recommended. Melted Jack goes oily on thawing and the peppers lose all their texture.
Reheat
Reheat gently in a covered pan over low heat. High heat splits the cheese and overcooks the chicken a second time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a red salsa instead?
It would make a different skillet. Salsa verde is tart and tomatillo-based, and it is one of the four elements the recipe is defined by.
The peppers went soft.
They had longer than five minutes, or the pan was crowded. They soften again under the lid, so they need to leave step 3 still crisp.
The cheese went oily.
The heat was too high. Step 5 says reduce to low and cover — the cheese should melt in trapped steam rather than fry.
Can I use thighs?
Yes, cut to the same inch and taken to the same 165°F. They are a little more forgiving through the browning stage.
