Cheesy Southwest Chicken Skillet

  • 4 Stars
  • (18)
Make this 30 minutes skillet dinner featuring pasta, chicken, Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ cheese sauce and Old El Paso® chiles – perfect for Southwestern meals.
  • 30 Min Prep
    30 Min Total
    • 4
      Servings

*High Fiber recipes contain at least 20 percent of the recommended daily value (5 grams) of fiber per serving.

  • Ingredients

    • 2 cups uncooked rotini pasta (6 oz)
    • 2 cups cubed rotisserie chicken
    • 1 can (18 oz) Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ creamy three cheese cooking sauce
    • 1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® diced green chiles, undrained
    • 1 cup shredded taco-flavored cheese (4 oz)

    Garnishes, If Desired

    • Diced red bell pepper
    • Sliced ripe olives
    • Coarsely broken tortilla chips
  • Directions

    1. In 12-inch skillet, heat 3 cups water to boiling; add pasta. Cook 8 to 9 minutes or until pasta is tender; drain and return to skillet.
    2. Add chicken, cooking sauce and chiles; heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with bell pepper, olives and tortilla chips.
  • Nutrition Facts

  • Review this Recipe

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      • By checking this box and submitting my comment, I'm agreeing to Progresso's Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Community Rules. Among other things, this means that Progresso (and the rest of General Mills) is free to use (or let others use) anything that I submit (including any ideas, recipes, comments, or other items) with or without attributing it to me. I'm also agreeing that I won't upload anything owned by someone else, or images of (or personal information about) someone else, without their permission.

  • Reviews

      • 5 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      May 10, 2013

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      Easy to make, and I had none of the problems with thickness or lack of flavor others mention. My family ate it all up.
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      April 17, 2013

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      I used regular chicken breast instead of rotisserie chicken and, added taco seasoning as my chicken was cooking. Added a chopped red and yellow bell pepper instead of the green chilies. Also drained and added a can of diced tomatoes. I cooked on medium heat and by the time everything was boiling, the sauce seemed to be nice and thick. I added the cheese on top and covered with no heat for 3 minutes - we enjoyed this recipe!
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      April 14, 2013

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      I altered this recipe and used drained Rotel tomatoes and green chiles. I , used chicken breast and put a little taco seasoning in with the chicken while I was cooking it. I think you could also use salsa in it to give it some "kick". I added about a cup of sour cream and we topped it with shredded cheddar.
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      April 01, 2013

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      Ok, I'm that annoying poster that gives the recipe a 'meh' rating when I completely changed the recipe- however...I gave it what I consider a medium rating due to the many disappointed posters using the original recipe and the awesomeness that my variation turned out to be!!!! Ok, for starters, I made this with ham, instead of chicken, because it is the day after Easter and I have toooo much left over. I also happened to use whole wheat rotini since that's what I had but I don't know that it's affected the flavor much. A can of the 3 cheese sauce starter, a can of undrained green chiles, about 3/4 cup of sour cream, a cup of mild cheedar cheese, a little salt, black pepper, onion powder and a few shakes of a spicy southwest seasoning called rattlesnake dust- could probably accomplish the same with a few dashes of hot sauce- I think the addition of some spicy really kicked it up without being overwhelming! I really encourage you to give a try if the original recipe sounded as dull to you as it did to me or if you too need to get rid of that leftover ham!!! Too pleased with this result.
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      March 19, 2013

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      I made this, but instead of rotisserie chicken, I cubed chicken breasts and sauteed them with fajita seasoning. I then sauteed a diced red bell pepper with the chicken after the chicken cooked most of the way. Everything else was the same. I thought it was really good.
      • 5 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      March 02, 2013

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      My husband is always leery when I try a new recipe, but he LOVED this. There were plenty of leftovers, and I didn't get any...he had eaten it all by dinner time the next day. I added the peppers and olives, but not the tortilla strips. Also, I didn't have taco cheese, so I just used regular cheddar and sprinkled some taco seasoning over the top.
      • 5 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      January 18, 2013

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      Love this! My family loves it too! Very tasty!
      • 5 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      January 15, 2013

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      Love quick and easy meals. Husband is not a "casserole" fan but asks for this all the time.
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      January 04, 2013

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      Thank you for the ideas on what to do well it cooks and the other spices I love takin other recipes and making my own! Will share when i make mine
      • 2 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      December 27, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      The canned sauce used in this recipe was pretty sorry....very thin like evaporated milk and has about as much flavor as using evaporated milk! Hard to rate the recipe when it is based on using such a poor product!! And, the sauce is too high in sodium.
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      December 10, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      With a few added spices this recipe is super easy and delicious. P.S. Posting exactly how you did your recipe has nothing to do with a rating...Keep it relevent!!
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      November 14, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      Had to return and post our results. This turned out far better than the Cheese BBQ, with several alterations of course. While the pasta was cooking, I placed the chicken (we used leftover KFC and a couple of thighs I had seasoned and baked the night before) into a bowl, added the sauce, green chilies, sliced black olives, Chipotle Chili powder, fresh ground black pepper and some Chili powder according to our taste preferences. Once the pasta was drained, I sauteed half a Vidalia onion along with 3 cloves of garlic (chopped fine) in a bit of olive oil and butter. Once that was done, I added the pasta back into the pan followed by the bowl of seasoned sauce, chicken and green chilies. After it came to a soft boil, I added two slices of Chipotle Gouda cheese from our local Deli counter and let it simmer covered. To finish it off, we added some Mexican cheese to the top and it was wonderful! Lots of leftovers since there's just two of us, and I don't eat much at one sitting, so we were very pleased.
      • 2 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      November 13, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      My rating is based upon a previous recipe made with "Recipe Starters." Am making this tonight, and am glad I looked at the comments thus far. Will make some alterations no doubt, and as with most things we cook, add our own selection of Paul Prudhomme Chilies and other spices. We always have to either add cheese or meat to the Progresso soups, and so far I have been unhappy with these sauces. As with the Progresso soups versus Campbell's Chunky Soups, THIN seems to be the continued complaint. Certainly hope the powers that be are reading the suggestions and issues, or another potential decent addition to grocery store shelves (and the employees needed to make them) will vanish. The first recipe we tried was "Cheesy Barbecue Beef Rigatoni." And I will post to there, but the recipe is calling for far too much pasta versus other ingredients, and the sauce was very displeasing. Wondering just how long the sauce reduced for that image showing on the site, or what was added to make it pleasing to the eyes and palate. I mean, we're not expecting gourmet food from simple ingredients, but many of us do enjoy aesthetically pleasing as well as tasty food.
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      November 05, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      I added in some chopped bell pepper and mushrooms as well as some taco powder, and even though it did taste pretty good, it was nowhere near as strong of a taste as I was expecting (neither very cheesy nor very spicy). Nonetheless, my family enjoyed it, and it was easy to make, so I will definitely be making it again!
    • Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      November 01, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      it was so tasty and easy to make
    • Reviewed by
      msuek
      October 22, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      LOVE THIS RECIPE!!!! Topped with Monterey jack with Jalapeno cheese instead of taco cheese. Really helped bring out the tast of the chilies!! Definitlly going to make this again!!
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      October 05, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      As usual, the reviews were incredibly helpful! I thickened up the sauce a bit with some corn starch... I am lucky enough to live in new Mexico, so I used some fresh green chili seasoned with garlic salt, I added a bit of salt, and out of curiosity, about half a package of taco seasoning. It was really good. Picky husband enjoyed it too!
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      September 21, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      Based on the comments from the reviewers below, I modified a bit. I place the chicken breasts in my crockpot, and seasoned them with chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic, cumin, herb pepper, and onion powder. Then I added a 7 oz can of green chilies and poured the recipe starters cheese sauce on top. I cooked on low for 6 hours, and then stirred in some cooked rotini before serving. I did NOT add the melted cheese on top. It was sooo yummy! My 7 year old asked for seconds, then thirds. That never happens. I do agree with the other reviewers that the sauce is too thin. Next time I'll add some cornstarch to the sauce at the end of cooking to thicken it up. Overall, though, I'd make again!
      • 3 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      September 18, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      Pretty good, I added a yellow pepper when the pasta had 2 minutes left. I didn't have chiles on hand but it still had good flavor.
      • 4 Stars
      Reviewed by
      Anonymous
      September 08, 2012

      Oh no! What's wrong?


      • We didn't catch that,
        why don't you give it another try.
      Thank you for your report.
      I didn't make this exact recipe but it was my foundation. The kids enjoyed it. I didn't have green chiles, so instead I added 1 tsp chili powder and a generous amount of dried onions. While I was surprised by how thin the sauce was, it did thicken considerably after cooking down a bit, and I added 1/2 cup of sour cream as well.

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