Easy One Skillet Creamy Chicken and Peppers (30 Minute Dinner)

Whip up this creamy, cheesy one-skillet chicken dinner in just 30 minutes! Packed with Mexican-inspired spices, it’s a quick family dinner moms love, with minimal clean up and maximum flavour.

Why you and your family will love this recipe

• It has a subtle heat to it from Mexican-inspired spices, which you can lighten up, if needed
• You can prep and cook it in 30 minutes in one pan on the stovetop
• It is gluten-free
• No need to turn on the oven (perfect for hot days)
• It is balanced with protein, fibre, and healthy fats
• It is creamy and cheesy (a great way to get picky eaters to eat vegetables!)
• You can serve it on its own or with rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice for variety

Key ingredients you will need (plus alternatives)

Chicken breast – Boneless and skinless

Bell peppers – A variety of red, yellow, orange, and/or green

Onion – Yellow or red

Spices – Chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, sea salt (adjust salt amount if using chicken broth that has sodium added)

Cornstarch – To thicken the cheese sauce and is gluten-free. You can also use all-purpose flour

Sour cream – Adds a rich creaminess to the sauce. Cream cheese could also be an option or alternative

Heavy cream – I used 18%, but whipping cream or half and half also work. You might have to adjust or omit the cornstarch, depending on how heavy your cream is. This will determine how thick your sauce will get

Chicken broth – This adds flavour and keeps the sauce saucy!

Grated cheese – I used a blend of cheddar, mozzarella, and Jack. You could try jalapeno for more spice, and parmesan

Garnishes – Red pepper flakes, jalapeno peppers, green onion, cilantro

Can you make it less or more spicy?

I find the recipe, as it is published here, to be really mild with just the chili powder. If you add the red pepper flakes and jalapenos as garnish, it will be more spicy. Just omit them if you want less heat.

What to serve this creamy chicken dinner with

Rice: I love to cook rice in chicken or bone broth to elevate its protein and nutrition content

Quinoa: This seed (not a grain!) is gluten-free and protein-rich. Adding a scoop of cooked quinoa to this recipe would be a great way to boost the protein for the kids

Cauliflower “rice”: A low carb version of rice that also adds more fibre to your meal. If you don’t buy it already prepared, then it’s easy to make. Remove the stem from the head of cauliflower and either chop it by hand into the tiniest pieces, or pulse it in a food processor until it breaks down into pieces the size of a grain of rice. I like to sautee it for a few minutes in chicken broth or olive oil, sea salt and pepper

How to make this recipe in one skillet on the stovetop

1. Heat some olive oil in the skillet on low-medium heat. Cut the chicken breasts into long, thin strips and start to brown them in the heated pan for 3-4 minutes, turning over to cook both sides
2. Cut the onion into long strips and add them to the chicken. Sautee them for a few minutes until they start to become translucent
3. Cut the bell peppers in half, scoop out the seeds, slice them into long strips and add them to the pan. Coat everything with the spices, stir together and cook another 3 minutes
4. Sprinkle everything with the cornstarch, cream, sour cream, and chicken broth. Stir together, cover the pan with a lid, increase the heat until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, and let everything cook here for 20 minutes
5. Remove the lid, stir in the grated cheese, and let it melt while the skillet cools slightly. The sauce will thicken up as it cools
6. Serve as is, or with cooked rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice (see tips above)

If you love easy, one pot dinner recipes, try these next!

Easy One Pan Tex Mex Hash with Sweet Potatoes

One Pot Chicken and Coconut Rice

One Pan Spaghetti for Busy Nights

The Best Chicken Pot Pie Soup