Mexican spiced chicken topped with a creamy cheese sauce makes this, dinner delicious any night of the week. Pair it with the Perfect Mexican Rice for a complete meal that your family will be begging for more.
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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!
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.
How do I keep my chicken breasts from being dry?
Well, that's an easy one! Invest in a meat thermometer. This one is pretty cheap and has a lot of great features.
Also don't cut into your chicken breasts to check to see if it's done - use that meat thermometer!
Wanna know a great boneless skinless chicken breast cooking tip...
On average, most people over cook boneless skinless chicken breasts because they are worried about it being under cooked and the fear of salmonella.
They use the test of slicing the chicken through the middle to check to see if it's still pink inside, and when you do that, you lose all of the juices, resulting in dry chicken, if you didn't overcook it. So how do you prevent that?
Well, 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.
Yea, that's it. 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.
Invest in a thermometer and you simply won't have to worry!
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.
Looking for other Tex Mex Favorites? Check out some these:
- Fajita Chicken Rice Bowl
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Tex Mex Skillet
- Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Rice
- The Best Chicken Fajitas
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
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Laura
This looks so good - I'm always looking for easy chicken recipes!
Laura
Joanna
Thanks Laura!
Romany
Yummy, this looks delicious and so does the rice, cant wait to try both recipes out. Thank you for sharing.
Joanna
Thanks Romany!
Verily Victoria Vocalises
This looks utterly delicious. We love mexican in this house so definitely one to try 🙂
Joanna
Thanks! 🙂
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
I love the Spanish/Mexican inspired spices, they work so well together. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Morayma
My sauce was really thick. I used exact measurements, maybe cooked too long?
Joanna
It does sound like you cooked it a bit too long or at too high of heat.