Our Most Popular One-Pot Meal Is Cheesy Perfection

Published on November 15, 2025

Cowboy Chicken isn't just for ranchers. In fact, our cowboy recipes are some of our readers' favorites. They're always comforting, satisfying, and packed with flavor from spice blends or sauces. From meaty Cowboy Spaghetti to a spiced Cowboy cocktail, you can easily (and happily) fuel yourself with cowboy recipes all week. And if you're looking for the perfect starting place, this cowboy chicken is the answer. This simple skillet chicken dish is not shy about flavor and gets extra heartiness from chicken breast, black beans, and fire-roasted corn. You'll quickly see why it's our most popular one-pot recipe of the year.

Why We Love Cowboy Chicken

The words "one pot" are always music to our ears, and this chicken recipe doesn't stop there. It's also made with pantry-friendly ingredients you likely already have on hand, including dried spices and canned beans and tomatoes. We've made dozens of one-skillet chicken recipes, including light lemon butter chicken breasts and a classic chicken cacciatore, but none are as popular as this hearty, flavor-packed dish. We chalk that up to the simple but powerful spice blend, the sweetness of fire-roasted corn, and, of course, the generous topping of melty cheese.

Tips for Making Cowboy Chicken

You can throw this weeknight recipe together in minutes using these helpful tips from the BHG test kitchen.

• Make the spices work for you. This dish is flavored with a mixture of dried spices, including chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano. In a pinch, you can swap the individual ingredients for a store-bought Southwest-style blend. And if you can't find bold-flavored Mexican oregano, you can replace it with regular dried oregano.
• Choose your heat level. If you're extra sensitive to spice, you can reduce the amount of chili powder or omit it altogether, though we don't think this is an especially hot dish.
• Swap the beans. If you don't have black beans, pinto beans are a great swap.
• Add toppings. Serve Cowboy Chicken with a scoop of sour cream and fresh lime juice for extra zip.
  

What Our Readers Say About this Skillet Chicken Recipe

If you're not already convinced to make this cheesy chicken dish, here's why our readers are giving it five stars:

• "Very easy to make. You don't have to change a thing.
• "Easy to make and absolutely delicious! The chicken was very tender, the corn sweet, and the whole dish had great flavor. Will definitely make again.
• "It was easy to make and the dish has some great flavors!"