March 10, 2020

Southwest Chicken

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Last Updated on May 16, 2023 by Annie

Zesty, juicy, and easy to make, this Southwest Chicken recipe comes together quickly for a delicious meal your family will love. Meal prep these chicken breasts for tacos, burrito bowls, or simply serve them up on their own.

A close up of sliced southwest chicken on a bed of rice.

I LOVE having an extra stash of chicken on hand. Typically you can find a Tupperware in my fridge with my sliced oven baked chicken. It’s such a quick and juicy chicken recipe that there is almost no excuse not to make it. After a few weeks of snacking on this chicken with hummus, crackers, and veggies for lunch I figured it was time for a change.

I wanted to keep having chicken but needed a different flavor. Sorry y’all I just can’t eat the same thing every day, theres gotta be a little spice in life right?! So I set out on a seasoning journey to find the perfect southwest blend to toss on my oven baked chicken breasts. This mix of spicy, savory, and a little sweet gives this chicken just the right flavor!

Why We LOVE this Southwest Chicken Recipe

I love a delicious take on a simple chicken recipe and this oven-baked southwest chicken ticks all the boxes. Some of the reasons we keep coming back to it include:

  • Easy to make– With less than 10 minutes of hands on time, these juicy chicken breasts come together quickly.
  • Versatile– Great for topping on salads, tacos, and even mixing into burrito bowls.
  • Perfect for meal prep. Make these chicken breasts at the beginning of the week and eat on them in a number of different ways throughout the week.
A gold fork with a slice of southwest chicken on a black plate with rice.

HOW TO MAKE SOUTHWEST CHICKEN

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Chicken Breasts– Roughly two pounds of chicken breast, flattened 1-inch thick.
  • Seasoning– A blend of chili powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper, coriander, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, oregano, and cayenne powder make up the southwest blend on these chicken breasts.
  • Olive oil– Used to coat the chicken and help the seasoning stick.
Ingredients for southwest chicken on a wooden cutting board.

Step-By-Step Directions

  • Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a 9×13 baking dish with aluminum foil.
  • Make southwest blend: In a small bowl mix together chili powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper, ground coriander, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, oregano, and cayenne powder.
  • Prepare the chicken: Trim the fat off the chicken breasts, then pound the chicken until it is about 1 inch thick. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and set aside.
  • Add to pan: Place the chicken top down in the foil lined baking dish.
A small white bowl with a gold spoon and southwest seasoning mixed together.
A white cutting board with two boneless skinless chicken breasts after being pounded flat.
A white baking dish with southwest chicken breasts before baking.
  • Drizzle with oil: Pour olive oil on the chicken and rub to coat the bottom side of the chicken breast.
  • Season: Sprinkle half of the seasoning on the bottom of the chicken and rub into the chicken breast.
  • TIP: To do this I pour the ingredients with my right hand and massage the oil and seasoning in with my left hand. This prevents getting chicken juice all over both hands and thus all over the kitchen.
  • Repeat: Once the bottom side of the chicken has been oiled and seasoned flip and repeat with the top side of the chicken.
  • Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
  • Rest: Remove after 20 minutes and cover with foil. Allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
A white baking dish with two southwest seasoned chicken breasts after baking.
A wooden cutting board with one chicken breast cut into strips.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Here are just a few kitchen gadgets that come in handy while making these zesty oven-baked chicken breasts.

  • Meat Tenderizer– Helps flatten the chicken into an even consistency and tenderizes the chicken.
  • 9×13-inch baking dish– The perfect size to bake the chicken breasts without getting them too close.
  • Meat Thermometer– To check the temperature of the chicken after it bakes and make sure it’s at least 165°F.

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING OVEN BAKED Southwest CHICKEN

There is one baking fear I have in life and that is dry chicken. When I set out to make chicken I want it to be full of flavor without drying out during cooking or relying on sauces at the end. To make sure your chicken stays flavorful and dare I say, moist, here are a few tips to follow:

  • Flatten out the chicken by beating it to the same height. This prevents over cooking the skinny end of the chicken breast.
  • Rub the oil into the chicken. Get your hands dirty! It’s worth it for the juiciest chicken EVER!
  • Give the chicken time to rest. Instead of leaving the chicken in the oven to cook longer, take it out at 20 minutes and cover. This allows additional time to cook through without over drying in the oven.
A southwest chicken burrito bowl with a drizzle of chipotle dressing on top.

DAIRY FREE CHANGES

None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. This is a naturally dairy-free recipe that involves no substitutions of any kind! AKA the best kind of recipe.

WAYS TO SERVE SOUTHWEST CHICKEN

There are a number of different ways to serve up this juicy southwest chicken. Here are a few of my favorite uses for this southwest chicken recipe:

  • Tacos– Chopped up and served in a fresh tortilla with pico de gallo, avocado, and black beans.
  • Burrito Bowls– Chop it into cubes and make a burrito bowl with cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo, black beans, and corn.
  • Loaded Nachos– Shred the chicken and use the southwest chicken to replace the taco meat from my loaded nachos recipe.

Chicken Recipes to Make Next

If you tried this Southwest Chicken recipe feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!

You can also get delicious dairy-free recipes and tips by signing up for my newsletter!

A black bowl with rice and a southwest chicken breast sliced on top.
Oven baked southwest chicken breast sliced on top of rice.
Print

Southwest Oven Roasted Chicken

Zesty southwest seasoning makes this the perfect juicy chicken to top a salad, burrito bowl, or taco!

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Tex-Mex
Keyword Chicken, Oven Baked Chicken, Southwest
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rest Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Oregano
  • ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Cover a 9 x 13 baking dish with aluminum foil.

  2. In a small bowl mix together 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon oregano, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Set aside.

  3. Beat the chicken breasts to flatten them out.

  4. Next, pat chicken dry with a paper towel.

  5. Rub about 1 Tablespoon on the bottom of the chicken breasts then pour ½ the seasoning on the chicken breasts and rub in.

  6. Flip and repeat on the tops of the chicken.

  7. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove and cover with foil. Allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before using or serving.

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Filed Under: Dinner, Tex-Mex
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