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Mexican Chicken with Cheese Sauce

Mexican chicken with cheese sauce featuring pan-seared chicken breasts smothered in a glossy queso made smooth with Velveeta, Rotel, and jalapeños. Finished with bright pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, and spicy jalapeño slices for a classic Tex-Mex skillet chicken dinner.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 540
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Use evenly thick breasts for faster, more consistent cooking.
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.25 Salt and black pepper to taste
Cheese sauce
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 0.75 cup whole milk
  • 6 oz Velveeta, cubed
  • 0.5 can (5 oz) Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
  • 0.25 tsp cayenne
For serving
  • 0.25 Pico de gallo
  • 0.25 fresh cilantro
  • 0.25 jalapeño slices

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Season and sear the chicken
  1. Season the boneless skinless chicken breasts with cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Make sure both sides are evenly coated.
  2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken for 5–6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. The visual cue is browned edges and no pink in the center; then set the chicken aside.
Make the queso cheese sauce
  1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and cook the minced garlic for 1 minute. You should smell garlic and see it lightly sizzle.
  2. Add whole milk and bring it to a gentle simmer, then stir in Velveeta, Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, and cayenne. Keep stirring until completely smooth and glossy.
Smother and serve
  1. Pour the queso cheese sauce generously over the cooked chicken and serve immediately. The sauce should fully coat the chicken with a thick, pourable layer.
  2. Top with pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, and jalapeño slices. The visual cue is fresh green and red toppings sitting on top of the golden queso.

Notes

Pro tip: To keep the queso smooth, add Velveeta and stir continuously once the milk reaches a gentle simmer, and avoid hard boiling. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of milk if needed. Freezing is not recommended because Velveeta-based queso can break when thawed. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat milk and sub a smaller amount of Velveeta while keeping the sauce texture by stirring until fully melted.