I have been making a version of this Chicken Taco Quinoa Skillet for years! I’ve modified it quite a bit and finally landed on a recipe that my family loves. My favorite part about the recipe is how quickly it comes together. It’s practically dumping a bunch of ingredients into one pan and watching the magic happen! When a recipe is fast, easy, uses only a few dishes, and is high in protein and fiber, it’s a winner. Given how busy we all are these days, I’m absolutely all in for quick meals!
I always like to talk about modifications, so let’s chat about a few things!
First of all, I used to make this recipe with ground turkey, but for some reason I can’t eat ground turkey anymore. The smell and taste just don’t appeal to me anymore, so I swapped it for ground chicken and it’s perfect. So feel free to use whatever ground meat you have on hand for this recipe!
As for the rest of the ingredients, you can include or omit anything you want! Sometimes black beans bother me, so I’ll swap them for pinto beans or even just leave the beans out. You can also use any color pepper or combination of peppers you have. I’ve also added a quarter to half cup of salsa, which is great too. There are seriously so many options!
Ok, before I give you the recipe, let’s talk about how we eat this. Our favorite way to eat this is with chips or in a taco shell. We’ve also eaten it over greens. Feel free to add all of your favorite toppings (avocado, cilantro, raw chopped onion, sour cream, etc). It’s just another fun way to do Taco Tuesday! Speaking of Taco Tuesday… here are some other great “taco inspired” recipes from our site.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Here is the recipe:
Chicken Taco Quinoa Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1/2 onion diced – about a cup
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 tsp salt, pepper + garlic
- 1 diced pepper
- 1 can mild rotel tomatoes & green chilis
- 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
- 1 can rinsed black beans
- 1 cup fire roasted corn
- 3 Tbsp or 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 cup water
Optional Toppings
- cheese
- cilantro
- avocado
- lettuce
- chips
- tortillas
Instructions
- Start by heating oil in a large pot or pan over medium high heat.
- Add the garlic and onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until soft.
- Add the meat and spices and combine.
- Once the meat is mostly cooked through add the remaining ingredients and mix.
- Cover and reduce heat to medium, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
- Cook covered for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through and everything has combined!
- Top with cheese and other toppings and serve with chips, on a tortilla or over greens! ENJOY!
