How does a cheesy Baja chicken & bell pepper skillet sound for tonight’s dinner? This tasty, succulent chicken breast recipe boasts plenty of south of the border flavours. So if you love chicken and peppers, as well as Mexican seasonings, you should really enjoy this chicken cheesesteak dish. The fresh veggies, juicy chicken and flavourful seasonings come together with Pepper Jack cheese for a hearty meal.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see the privacy policy for details.
Although there is no shortage of baked chicken recipes to choose from, this one stands out from the rest. Citrus, garlic, peppers, cilantro, cheese, and more add flavour to the chicken. This dish is gorgeous served hot with rice on the side.
Chicken and Peppers Skillet Ingredients
This cheesy Baja chicken & bell pepper skillet calls for chicken breasts, bell peppers, and onion as the main ingredients. Plenty of amazing flavour comes from the orange and lime juices, garlic, jalapeno, paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, cheese, and cilantro.
There are different ways to present this dish. You might like to offer sour cream on the side or extra cheese. If you’re cooking for a crowd, have sliced jalapenos or hot sauce (or both!) on the table, so anyone who wants their chicken cheesesteak with an extra kick can have it that way.
How to Make this Chicken Breast Recipe
First put the chicken in a bowl. Next up, make the marinade by whisking the orange and lime juices with garlic, salt, and jalapenos. Pour this over the chicken and let it marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
When the time’s nearly up you can pan fry the onion and peppers in some oil in a skillet along with more of the minced jalapeno and garlic. Add some lime juice and salt.
Now, proceed with the cheesy Baja chicken & bell pepper skillet recipe by preheating the oven. Put the skillet on the stove and warm it up. Meanwhile, mix salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes to make your chicken and peppers seasoning. Add the seasoning to the chicken then sear it in hot oil.
Put the onions and peppers back in the skillet around the chicken and add a slice of cheese on top of each chicken piece. Now bake for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the baked chicken and veggies hot from the oven with rice or your preferred sides, sprinkling the cilantro on top just before serving.
More about Baha Chicken
This cheesy Baja chicken & bell pepper skillet has some history behind it. Perhaps you remember Nancy Reagan’s version of baja chicken from the 1980s, which she made with garlic, olive oil, dry sherry, and tarragon vinegar, and of course chicken. This is a tasty chicken breast recipe but Baha chicken is a different dish now.
Also described as chicken cheesesteak or spicy chicken and peppers, modern Baha chicken recipes have a garlic, citrus and spice marinade. Some people marinate the chicken overnight while others just give it a couple of hours.
If you’re using breasts I’d recommend up to 4 hours max so the marinade doesn’t start changing the texture of the meat. If you’re subbing chicken thighs or quarters, I’d say anything up to 24 hours would be fine. I usually make my Baja chicken and pepper skillet with chicken breast but you can use another part of the bird. It’s your baked chicken so you get to decide everything! One of the reasons to love chicken recipes like this.
Mexican Chicken Cheesesteak FAQs
If you prefer your chicken and peppers without a kick, that’s fine. Simply omit the jalapeno and red pepper flakes. You can always serve those separately at the table so people can spice up their own portion if they wish. Of course, if the opposite applies, you can add extra!
This chicken breast recipe will keep for up to 3 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. You can warm it back up in the oven or in the microwave. So if you love this chicken cheesesteak for tonight’s dinner, you can also enjoy spicy baked chicken tomorrow for lunch.
Cheesy Baja Chicken Recipe
Cheesy Baja Chicken & Bell Pepper Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
Baja Chicken Marinade
- 1 orange juiced
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 jalapeño minced or sliced
- 6 Cloves garlic crushed
Sauteed Vegetables
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 jalapeño minced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 Teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 lime
Skillet
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon pepper
- 1 Teaspoon paprika
- ½ Teaspoon cumin
- ¼ Teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 slices pepper Jack cheese
- 1 Tablespoon cilantro chopped
- Splash olive oil
Instructions
- Place chicken into a casserole dish or bowl.
- Prepare marinade. Juice the orange and 1 of the limes into a bowl. Add crushed garlic, sliced or minced jalapeños, and salt. Stir until combined.
- Pour marinade over the chicken and cover. Place into the fridge and marinate for 2 hours.
- When 10 minutes remain for marinating, start sauteing the pepper and onions. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- Once the pan is hot, add olive oil and swirl to coat to prevent sticking. Add the minced jalapeños, diced peppers, diced red onion, and minced garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, then juice the lime over the top and add a pinch of salt. Stir and sauté for 3 more minutes.
- Remove sauteed vegetables from the skillet and set aside temporarily.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Return the skillet to the stove top over high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade. Combine salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl or ramekin and mix.
- Season the chicken with this Baja chicken spice seasoning.
- Add a splash of olive oil, then sear the chicken for 4 min per side.
- Add the sauteed vegetables back to the skillet on top of and around the chicken breasts.
- Place a slice of cheese over the top of each chicken breast. Place into the oven on the center rack. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
Notes
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
This cheesy Baja chicken skillet certainly doesn’t lack flavour. It’s really tasty, spicy and delicious and you will love how this chicken cheesesteak includes typical south of the border flavours so nobody leaves the dinner table anything less than completely happy! This will become one of your favourite chicken and bell pepper recipes.
Other Recipes You Will Love
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for recipes, dogs, sustainability, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Bella Bucchiotti is a freelance food, travel, and lifestyle writer for MSN and the Associated Press Wire.
This looks delicious. My family will love this one
How many jalapeños are required? Ingredient list has one but directions include minced jalapeños in the marinade and the pepper/onion sauté
Thanks!
Looking forward to making this
hi! I updated the info! Thanks for letting me know. It might have been missed when I was reformatting recipes.