Sweet Peas and Saffron

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Chili Lime Sweet Potato and Chicken Skillet

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This Chili Lime Sweet Potato and Chicken Skillet recipe is a healthy one pan dinner recipe with delicious Southwestern flavor. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and a squeeze of lime!

overhead shot of three bowls with Chili Lime Sweet Potato and Chicken Skillet

When it comes to easy dinners, one pan meals are where it’s at! Not only do they cook quickly and efficiently, but the clean up is so easy as well.

Our favorite one pan meals include this Enchilada Sweet Potato Skillet, this Winter One Pan Chicken and Veggies, and today’s Chili Lime Sweet Potato and Chicken Skillet.

This reader favorite recipe packs in so much flavor for so little effort, and is perfect for loading up with your favorite toppings!

Reasons you’ll ♡ this Chili Lime Sweet Potato and Chicken Skillet

  • it’s gluten-free and dairy-free
  • it is a complete one pan meal
  • perfect for meal prepping – although I do not recommend freezing!

Recipe video

Wondering how this chili lime sweet potato skillet comes together? This one-minute video will show you how easy it is to prepare! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Don’t forget to pin this post and save it for later!

frying pan full of ingredients to cook the one pan chicken and sweet potatoes (before cooking)

Which ingredients do we need?

  • Chicken – boneless, skinless breasts work best
  • Veggies – sweet potatoes, red and yellow bell peppers, and red onion, plus lime zest
  • Canned – use canned black beans or make your own perfect black beans at home
  • Stock – use store-bought chicken stock or make a batch of homemade bone broth
  • Spices – chili powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Toppings – shredded cheese, cilantro leaves, lime wedges, Greek yogurt or sour cream, avocado [See tips for properly cutting an avocado, and not your hand!], and tortilla chips

Meal prep tips

Here are some tips to make prep go smoothly:

  • sweet potatoes– make sure you cut them small- 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes
  • prep ahead– while you can chop the chicken, bell peppers & onion ahead and measure out the spices, it’s best to chop the sweet potatoes fresh so they don’t harden
  • leftovers– you can also use this recipe for meal prep by cooking ahead and reheating through the week.
  • storage– store in the fridge for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing.

Find my favorite meal prep containers & freezer equipment in my shop!

frying pan full of ingredients to cook the one pan chicken and sweet potatoes (after cooking)

Can I make this recipe vegetarian / vegan?

Definitely! Omit the chicken and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken stock. You can double the recipe’s black beans or try adding a can of chickpeas to add extra protein, if you like.

For another tasty vegan one pan dish, try this Vegan Moroccan Chickpea Skillet.

Is this recipe paleo?

You can easily make this paleo by omitting black beans.

What do you recommend serving with this?

This recipe is alllll about the toppings! Here are some of our faves:

  • sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
  • shredded cheese
  • cilantro leaves
  • avocado or guacamole
  • salsa or hot sauce
  • tortilla chips for scooping

bowl of Chili Lime Sweet Potato and Chicken Skillet with yogurt

More skillet recipes

Check out my shop for my favorite slow cooker, meal prep containers, and freezer equipment!

Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2015. It has been republished with fresh photos, tips and a new video in 2020.

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5 from 5 votes

Chili Lime Sweet Potato and Chicken Skillet

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: chicken, gluten-free, meal prep, one pan, one pot
Calories: 366kcal
Author: Denise Bustard
Servings: 4 -6
This Chili Lime Sweet Potato and Chicken Skillet recipe is a healthy one pan dinner recipe that works great for meal prep. GF, vegan- and paleo-friendly.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time45 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (roughly 2 large chicken breasts; cut into 1-inch cubes)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 cups sweet potato cubes (cut into 1-cm (1/2 inch) cubes; approximately 1 large or 2 smaller sweet potatoes)
  • 2 bell peppers (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
  • 1 red onion (1 small onion or 1/2 large onion; diced)
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon lime zest
  • 1 can black beans drained (540mL/18 oz)

To serve

  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • cilantro leaves
  • lime wedges
  • greek yogurt or sour cream
  • avocado
  • tortilla chips

Instructions

  • In a large skillet or pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, and cook until no longer pink in the middle (roughly 8-10 minutes).
  • Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a clean plate.
  • Add the sweet potato, bell peppers, red onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, chicken stock and lime zest.
  • Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer (covered) for 15-20 minutes, stirring 2-3 times, until sweet potatoes are soft and cooked through. If the pan becomes dry, add more chicken stock.
  • Add the black beans and cooked chicken breast, and cook 2 or so minutes until heated through.
  • Serve with suggested toppings.

Storage

  • Leftovers may be stored in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 4 days.

Notes

Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of batch | Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 507mg | Potassium: 1172mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 21965IU | Vitamin C: 82mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg

Chili Lime Chicken Skillet

original photo from the 2015 post!

Reader Interactions

About Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more. read more

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Comments

  1. Sarah

    5 stars
    This is super delicious!! Thank you so much for sharing. I used chicken sausage because I had it on hand and yuuuuuumy!

    Reply

  2. Rob

    I am not a cook but I was able to make this dish. I even did it in a cast iron skillet. My whole family likes it. This will be a recipe that we will add to the “even Dad can make” file.

    Reply

  4. Joan G

    5 stars
    This is a wonderful recipe. Didn’t chicken broth so used water. It didn’t miss the stock. Felt it served 4 would be skimpy for 6.

    Reply

  5. Whitney

    Just had this for dinner and it was yummy!!!! We had it on top of rice, and added a few squeezes of line. Delish!!!

    Reply

  6. Jonathan Page

    5 stars
    Going to make this later! Only cooking for 2 though, what do you think it will taste like cold/re-heated for lunch the next day?

    PS… LOVE the site!

    Reply

  7. Jill

    I just made this tonight – it was amazing! I’ve never seen my toddler eat so much in one sitting. Definitely adding this into the rotation!

    Reply

  8. Hayley Grace

    This is the 1# most popular recipe in my household! I make it AT LEAST once a month and I know have the recipe memorized from making it so many times. It’s so delicious and makes great leftovers, if I can get my husband to leave any!

    Thank you for bringing this into my life!!

    Reply

  9. Cindy B

    This is so good!
    Made it last night.
    Just happened to have all the ingredients on hand.
    My whole family liked it.
    My picky husband even had seconds!
    Thank you for this recipe.
    I will be making it again soon.
    Oh, by the way it’s perfect for Autumn too.

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Samantha, I’ve just added the nutritional information. Looks like its 375 calories or so (if you divide the pan into 6 servings).

      Reply

  11. Kayla

    Made this last night for dinner! It was AMAZING!!! My husband added some rice to his. I am totally going to make this one again! Yummy Healthy and if your into paleo it works for that as well!
    Thanks for sharing

    Reply

  12. Dixie

    This was amazing!! My sweet potato hating kids even ate it…served it with a lime wedge, fresh cilantro and a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt (like sour cream). My husband said the yogurt really set it all off. Was out of chili powder so used more cumin and a bunch of smoked paprika. Made a double batch and froze single servings for later!!

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Dixie! I’m so happy to hear it! We liked Greek yogurt on ours as well. I will have to try with smoked paprika! Thanks so much for reporting back 🙂

      Reply

  13. Catherine Cowan

    Wow! This was so good! I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it because I’m not a big lover of peppers. This was a few now pan dinner. Thank you!!

    Reply

  14. Shelley

    Made this last night! It was super yum. I followed the recipe just as it is, and it was easy, tho a bit more time consuming. Pro tip: get your friends to come over and do the chopping and sautéing, and you can focus on making a salad or appetizer or dessert. 🙂 Having some help with the prep made it worth the time and effort.

    Reply

  16. Kristin

    Hi! I am looking forward to making this recipe for the first time tonight. I’m curious – do you skin your sweet potatoes before cooking them, or leave the skins on? I hate peeling vegetables (haha), but have only ever used recipes that call for peeled sweet potatoes. It doesn’t look like you’ve done so – I could be mistaken, but I’m curious if you think it’d make a difference!

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hey Kristin! I didn’t peel my sweet potatoes…I agree, it’s such a pain, plus I’ve read that the skin has a ton of nutrients. Let me know how you like the recipe!

      Reply

  18. Izzy

    I’m so intrigued by all these one pot meals! I need to get on that trend! And this one looks like something I would love! Summer is here too, but it isn’t early as enjoyable as yours is sounding! I need throw some flip flops on an get some ice cream 🙂

    Reply

  23. Harriet Emily

    I LOVE one pot dishes – they are the best way to cook! I just can’t wash up, I’m so terrible at it that every time I try to, my whole household complains (but at least it stops me from having to do it so much mwahaha). Therefore, I always try to cook as many things in the same pot as possible!!! This looks like the perfect dish for me, the flavours sound sooo delicious and refreshing. Of course the fact that its one pot is perfect! I definitely need to make this!

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Felicity, we didn’t find it dry at all, but if you wanted to add something to it, you could serve it with some Greek yogurt or sour cream? I wouldn’t add a sauce, though, that might completely change the flavors.

      Reply

      • Shelley

        We added a dollop of greek yogurt and it brought out the flavors really well. Also we used extra chicken stock, so it was def on the juicy side!

        Reply

  27. Danielle

    I keep seeing so much dinner inspiration for next week and this is going on my list too! This looks perfect, Denise! You can never go wrong with one-pot meals 😉

    Reply

  33. Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat.

    One pot fast and easy dinners are where it’s at in the summer – lounging on the deck with the kiddos is definitely more important than cooking, cleaning and laundry! Totally with you on that! This skillet looks fantastic, I love all the colours!

    Reply

    • Denise

      I’m totally obsessed with sweet potatoes! I wish I could grow them! Where do they even grow? I feel like I should know that. I hope your sweet potatoes grow, Jess, I can’t even imagine how amazing fresh sweet potatoes would taste!

      Reply

  39. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    I definitely feel more lazy in the summer too in terms of housework…that can definitely wait! I’m loving this skillet, Denise! Such a great idea to flavor the chicken with zesty spices and add in sweet potatoes. Sounds like the perfect easy meal!

    Reply

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