Gluten Free Skillet Chicken with Fiesta Cream Sauce

A simple one skillet chicken recipe with fiesta cream sauce. What’s fiesta cream sauce you ask? It’s the most delicious cream sauce made with cilantro, lime, a hint of cumin, garlic, and jalapeños! SO good!

Am I becoming the one skillet chicken lady or what?

We’ll get to that in just a second. How was your weekend friends? Did you do anything special? The hubby and I had a MAJOR sushi craving this week that we finally were able to satisfy, well kinda. If you live in Houston, give Oishii a try. I literally stuffed my face with the yummiest stuff ever for lunch and was still craving sushi for dinner. It’s not that it wasn’t satisfying, it’s that it was sooooo good I wanted more. Kinda like this tasty chicken recipe topped with a fiesta cream sauce.

What the what sauce? FIESTA CREAM SAUCE. A sauce loaded with all the flavors, like cilantro, lime, cumin, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a hint of minced jalapeños. It’s been a while since I’ve cranked out one of my skillet chicken recipes and so here is one with a super tasty, Cinco de Mayo inspired recipe. Yes, I know, the 5th of May was last week. You guys. This recipe is a winner. You know how the saying goes. A simple 30-minute recipes that uses pantry staples and can be served with pasta, rice, quinoa, bread, farro, grilled veggies or even a salad! We’ve got another week of rain here and this is the epitome of good comfort food.

One of my most popular recipes to date on the site, is this one right here. And so I thought, why not do a few different spin on it so we can enjoy it every week with a new flair? You likey?

I am a big, let me say it again, BIG fan of easy chicken dinners that take around 30 minutes to make from start to finish. These recipes are especially handy when you’re like me — suffering from a pre-summer, head spinning cold. I’ve sneezed so many times that i’m surprised my brain hasn’t popped out through my nose yet. ?

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ⅛ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ⅓ cup finely diced yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons minced jalapeños
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Using a mallet, pound down the chicken breasts/thighs into ½ inch thickness. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken.
2. In a 2 cup measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, lime juice, garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes.
3. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and allow to brown on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Don’t worry if the chicken isn’t cooked completely, we’ll finish it in the oven. Remove the chicken to a plate.
5. Reduce the flame to medium, add the diced onions to the skillet along with the chicken broth mixture. Using a whisk, scrape the bottom of the pan so all the brown bits are loosened. Let sauce reduce for about 9-12 minutes or UNTIL ABOUT ⅓ CUP OF THE SAUCE REMAINS. Add the minced jalapeños and stir to combine.
6. When the sauce has reduced, remove from the flame, add the butter and whisk until it melts completely. With the skillet off the flame, add the heavy cream, whisk to combine. Place the skillet back over the flame for just 30 seconds, DO NOT allow the sauce to boil. Remove from heat, add the chicken back into the pan and drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Place the skillet in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Top with chopped cilantro and serve warm with additional lime wedges.

Notes:

• Use boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs that about the same thickness. I pounded mine down to about ½ inch.