This skillet chicken with black bean sauce is a quick, flavorful weeknight dinner that does not require any marinating. It is simple to prepare, full of bold Mexican-inspired flavor, and delicious served with cilantro lime rice, cheese quesadillas, avocado, salsa, or your favorite toppings.
I love a good homemade dessert, but easy dinner recipes deserve just as much attention. Real-life meals are often the recipes we need most, especially on busy nights when there is no time to marinate chicken, prep complicated sides, or run to the store for specialty ingredients.
This skillet chicken with black bean sauce is exactly that kind of meal. It is practical, satisfying, and made with ingredients that are easy to keep on hand, including chicken breasts, black beans, lime juice, fajita seasoning, tomatoes with green chiles, garlic, onion, cilantro, and a few simple spices. The result is a hearty chicken dinner with a creamy, savory black bean sauce that makes plain chicken breasts taste exciting.
Things I Love about this Skillet Chicken
• The chicken does not need to be marinated. Just pound the chicken to an even thickness, season both sides with fajita seasoning, and cook it in a skillet until tender and cooked through.
• This easy skillet chicken recipe uses basic pantry and refrigerator staples. Since there is no long prep time, it is a great option when dinner needs to come together quickly.
• The black bean sauce is smooth, flavorful, and versatile. It adds moisture and richness to the chicken and also tastes great with rice, quesadillas, tortilla chips, or roasted vegetables.
• You can customize each plate with toppings like guacamole, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt.
Chicken breasts can be tricky to cook well. They are often uneven in thickness, which means one end can dry out before the thicker part finishes cooking. Dry chicken is one of the biggest reasons people avoid cooking chicken breasts, but a few simple steps make a big difference.
How to cook skillet chicken perfectly
• Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness before cooking. Place each chicken breast in a plastic bag or between pieces of parchment paper, then gently flatten it with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or the bottom of a heavy skillet. This helps the chicken cook evenly and prevents the thinner parts from becoming tough.
• Cook the chicken over medium-low heat. A skillet that is too hot can brown the outside too quickly while leaving the inside undercooked.
• Keep the lid on the skillet while the chicken cooks. The trapped steam helps the inside of the chicken cook through while keeping the meat more tender.
• Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing. Even a short rest of 2 to 3 minutes helps the juices settle back into the meat.
Even if your chicken turns out a little less tender than planned, the black bean sauce helps keep the dish moist and flavorful. The sauce is one of the best parts of this meal because it is rich, slightly smoky from the cumin, gently spicy from the cayenne, and brightened with fresh lime juice and cilantro.
Another helpful bonus is that the sauce makes enough for more than one meal. You can freeze half of the black bean sauce and save it for the next time you make this chicken. When you are ready to use it, simply reheat the sauce in a small saucepan or skillet and spoon it over freshly cooked chicken.
The sauce comes together quickly in a blender or food processor. First, sauté onion and garlic in the same skillet you will use for the chicken. Then blend them with black beans, reserved bean liquid, diced tomatoes with green chiles, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Once smooth, warm the sauce and serve it over the seasoned chicken.
This chicken with black bean sauce has been a family favorite for years. It was originally inspired by a magazine recipe and has been adapted over time into a simple, dependable dinner that works well for weeknights.
Cheese quesadillas are a great side dish for this skillet chicken. They can cook in a separate pan while the chicken finishes, then be sliced into small triangles and served alongside the chicken and sauce. Cilantro lime rice is another excellent option. Brown rice cooked with a pinch of salt and a small spoonful of coconut oil becomes bright and fresh with a squeeze of lime juice and a handful of chopped cilantro.
For serving, top the chicken with black bean sauce and add sliced avocado or guacamole, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt. A wedge of lime on the side makes the plate look fresh and adds extra flavor. This is the kind of easy chicken dinner that fits naturally into a regular meal rotation because it is fast, flexible, and satisfying.
If you try this skillet chicken with black bean sauce, leave a comment and share how you served it. It is a simple, flavorful meal that works well with rice, quesadillas, or your favorite Mexican-inspired sides.
Mexican Skillet Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
For the Black Bean Sauce
- 1 tsp. cooking oil, such as avocado or grapeseed oil
- 1 small or medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, halved
- 15 oz. can black beans, drained with 1 tablespoon liquid reserved
- 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chiles
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
For the Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts, about 4 oz. each
- 2 tsp. fajita seasoning
- 1 tsp. cooking oil, such as avocado or grapeseed oil
Instructions
Make the Sauce
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Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion and garlic until tender and fragrant.
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Drain the black beans, reserving 1 tablespoon of the liquid, then rinse the beans. Add the sautéed onion and garlic, black beans, reserved liquid, diced tomatoes and green chiles, cayenne pepper, cumin, cilantro, and lime juice to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
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Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until heated through.
Make the Chicken
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Use a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet to pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. Sprinkle both sides with fajita seasoning.
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Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the chicken, cover with a lid, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through.
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Spoon the warm black bean sauce over the chicken. Serve with guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt. Pair with cilantro lime rice or cheese quesadillas.
Notes
Other easy chicken recipes you may like:
Cheese-Stuffed Salsa Chicken with Mexican Risotto
2-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken
Hearty Chicken Enchilada Soup