Our Mexican Chicken with Cheese Sauce recipe is a simple Mexican spiced chicken topped with a creamy cheese sauce makes this, dinner delicious any night of the week.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
What others are saying: Karla- "This chicken and sauce were sooooooo good. My bf and I enjoyed it so much. Def making this again"
Marlee- "Amazing. 10 stars if I could!"
Joanna's Personal Plate
Cheap Family Dinner: It's gotten really expensive to eat out, and this is one of our favorite meals at our local mexican restaurant. I can whip this up cheaper than our family can eat out.
Crowd Pleaser: I make this a lot when we have company because it's easy and everyone enjoys it.
Perfect Pairing: Pair it with the Perfect Mexican Rice for a complete meal that your family will be begging for more.
Jump to:
Some chicken recipes are boring and bland, which is why you hear so many people complain, "I'm so tired of chicken."
However, this recipe is none of that! Juicy chicken with a yummy cheese sauce is my ideal dinner night.
This chicken has a dry rub that is totally customizable when it comes to heat. You can up the spice level to suit your personal tastes.
This works well in our home, because I will rub mine down first, and then add a little extra crushed red pepper flakes, for Zack and the girls.
Are you ready to make this crowd pleasing Mexican chicken recipe?
Ingredients you need to make Mexican Chicken with Cheese Sauce:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- chili, garlic, onion powders
- crushed red pepper flakes
- dried oregano
- paprika
- cumin
- cayenne
- salt and pepper
- flour
- butter
- milk
- extra sharp cheddar cheese
How do you make Mexican Chicken with Cheese Sauce?
- Mix together seasonings and season the chicken on both sides.
- Grill or pan fry until cooked through, and no longer pink in the center. Set aside.
- In a medium pot, melt the butter, add the flour, seasonings and milk. Cook on low heat until sauce has thickened.
- Stir in cheese until melted.
- Serve up the chicken and drizzle the sauce over the top.
Recipe Tips and FAQ'S
how do I keep my chicken breasts from being dry? Investing in a meat thermometer is the best way to make sure that you don't overcook your chicken. Another tip, don't cut or slice your chicken to see if it's cooked through. When you do this, you are allowing the juices, that keep in moist, to run out.
how do I know if my chicken is done? The average cook time on the stove top, over medium to high heat is about 6 to 8 minutes per side. *This will depend on the size of your chicken breasts. Once you've cooked the chicken on both sides, pop that meat thermometer right in and check the temperature. Again if you buy super thick boneless skinless chicken breasts your time will increase per side, but even with the thickest of chicken breasts, I usually have never cooked longer than 10 minutes per side.
what is the best meat thermometer for chicken? I personally like a digital meat thermometer. It's easy to use and easy to pop in your kitchen drawer for storage.
Let's talk cheese sauce for this Mexican Chicken!
I will start off by saying that this sauce goes so well with this chicken, but it also makes a wonderful smooth and creamy cheese dip for chips, pretzels, and it's the perfect sauce for homemade macaroni and cheese!
Yep, one little sauce can do all that.
The sauce is what makes this dish. The chicken is juicy, perfectly seasoned, and tastes amazing all on it's own.
However, when you add this sauce, your taste buds will sing with happiness.
The best way to serve this is on top of our recipe for perfect Mexican rice.
Mexican Chicken with Cheese Sauce
Mexican spiced chicken topped with a creamy cheese sauce makes this, Mexican Chicken with Cheese Sauce delicious any night of the week.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 1 ⁄2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
cheese sauce
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded, do not use the bags!
Instructions
::chicken:
- Mix together your seasonings and season both sides of the chicken breasts well.
- Heat a grill pan over medium to high heat, and grill your chicken until done. (int temp 165 deg f)
- Set aside.
::cheese sauce:
- In a medium sized sauce pot, melt your butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in your flour and cook until it begins to just bubble around the edges.
- Add in the milk, slowly, whisking to combine as you go.
- Continue to whisk until your mix as heated through.
- You'll want to check the temp (I use my finger). You want it to be hot enough to melt the cheese, but not boiling.
- When the mix is hot, start whisking in your cheese in small amounts at a time until all of the cheese has been mixed in.
- Once the cheese is melted, stir in your paprika and cayenne pepper. Season with salt if needed. Serve hot over the chicken.
Notes
This dish is great on top of plain rice or alone. However, it is best served with our Perfect Mexican Rice.
This cheese sauce is also very good as a cheese dip for your chips!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 546Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 1744mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 54g
Laura says
This looks so good - I'm always looking for easy chicken recipes!
Laura
Joanna says
Thanks Laura!
Romany says
Yummy, this looks delicious and so does the rice, cant wait to try both recipes out. Thank you for sharing.
Joanna says
Thanks Romany!
Verily Victoria Vocalises says
This looks utterly delicious. We love mexican in this house so definitely one to try 🙂
Joanna says
Thanks! 🙂
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
I love the Spanish/Mexican inspired spices, they work so well together. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Morayma says
My sauce was really thick. I used exact measurements, maybe cooked too long?
Joanna says
It does sound like you cooked it a bit too long or at too high of heat.