Southwest flavors shine in this deliciously seasoned, low-calorie Chicken Veggie TexMex Skillet, with zucchini, onion, yellow squash, & bell peppers!
Anybody out there enjoy fajitas? I sure do, and chicken fajitas (in flour tortillas) are my favorite. This recipe for chicken veggie TexMex skillet is one I came up with while trying to cut out some carbs from my diet a few years ago. I wanted to enjoy the TASTE of fajitas, but with far less calories from tortillas, sour cream and guacamole!
Well… here’s a tasty solution! Southwestern-inspired spices, chicken breast strips, onions, peppers and green and yellow zucchini squash are featured in this simple dish! Everything can be eaten as is (no tortillas), for a “healthier” yet delicious TexMex meal!
It’s REALLY GOOD, and you get your protein (chicken) AND veggies, without a lot of extra calories! Here’s how to make a chicken veggie TexMex skillet:
Scroll down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Prepare The Chicken
Pat two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Slice into strips, about 2″ long and 1″ wide. Mix together the Southwest-inspired spices and sprinkle lightly over the chicken pieces. The spices used are ground cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Pan-Sear The Seasoned Chicken
Heat 1½ Tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Once the oil is very hot (but NOT smoking), add the chicken pieces. They should sizzle when they hit the pan.
Cook the chicken until the pieces are lightly browned on the bottom. This will take 2-3 minutes, depending on how hot the oil in the skillet is.
Turn each piece of chicken over, and finish cooking on the second side (a minute or two). Once the chicken is cooked all the way through and golden brown, remove the skillet from the heat, and set aside.
Prepare And Cook The Veggies
Prepare the veggies by slicing the onion and the red and green bell peppers into thin strips. Cut the squash into “planks”, as shown below, and then combine the all the veggies.
To cut the zucchini and yellow squash, remove both ends. Cut the squash in half, as shown in Step #1 below. Now cut the half portion in half (step #2- below). Finally (step #3-below), slice each piece into planks, about 1/2″ wide.
Cook The Veggies
Heat the remaining 1½ Tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Once the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the prepared veggies, and stir. Lightly season with additional salt and pepper (if desired).
Continue to cook the veggies, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes, or until they have softened, and are fully heated through.
Last Step For The Chicken Veggie TexMex Skillet!
Once the veggies have cooked through, add the seasoned chicken pieces back into the pan. Stir to combine all the ingredients in the chicken veggie TexMex skillet, and cook until the entire dish is heated through. When ready to serve, portion out the chicken and veggies onto plates.
We enjoy eating it, as is, as a delicious low-calorie dish of meat and veggies. HOWEVER, if you really want something else to go with it, place it on top of steamed rice, or throw it in a warmed tortilla!
You can even go crazy and top it with grated cheese, sour cream or guacamole, if calories aren’t a concern! .
I truly hope you enjoy this dish. Thank you for spending a bit of your valuable time on this blog today, friends. I appreciate it, and hope you have the opportunity to make this meal for those you love.
Have a wonderful day, take care, and may God bless you!
Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of recipes featuring chicken, including:
- Lemon Rosemary Chicken Breasts
- Easy Chicken Rice Casserole
- Southwest Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chili & Lime Chicken Fajita Salad
- Easy Tamale Pie
Interested In More Recipes?
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Southwest flavors shine in this deliciously seasoned, low-calorie Chicken Veggie TexMex Skillet, with zucchini, onion, yellow squash, & bell peppers!
- 2 large chicken breasts (boneless skinless) , cut into 2" strips
- 1½ Tablespoons vegetable oil , for cooking chicken
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper (¼ tsp. EACH)
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ Tablespoons vegetable oil , for cooking veggies
- 3 cups zucchini and yellow squash (1½ cups EACH) , cut into 2" long x 1" wide planks
- ½ medium red bell pepper , seeded and cut in thin strips
- ¼ medium green bell pepper , seeded and cut in thin strips
- ½ medium brown onion , thinly sliced
Pat two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Slice into strips approx. 2" long by 1" wide. Mix spices together and sprinkle lightly over chicken, to season. Mix by hand, to distribute spices onto chicken.
Heat 1½ Tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet, on medium-high heat. Once oil is very hot (but NOT smoking), add chicken. Chicken should sizzle when it hits the pan. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom (approx. 2-3 minutes). Turn each piece of chicken over, and finish cooking for and additional 1-2 minutes. Once chicken is fully cooked through and golden brown, remove skillet from heat, and set aside.
Slice onion and red and green bell peppers into thin strips. Cut squash into "planks", and then combine all veggies. Heat 1½ Tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat in large skillet. Once oil is hot, but not smoking, add veggies, and stir. Lightly season with additional salt and pepper (optional- if desired). Continue to cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes, or until veggies have softened, and are fully cooked through.
Once the veggies have cooked, add the seasoned chicken pieces to the veggies. Stir to combine all ingredients, and cook on medium heat until heated through. To serve, portion out chicken and veggies onto plates. Enjoy!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!