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Mexican Chicken with Cheese Sauce

Mexican chicken with cheese sauce is a Tex-Mex skillet dinner featuring pan-seared chicken breasts smothered in a glossy queso made with Velveeta, Rotel, and jalapeños. The creamy, smooth cheese sauce is poured over the chicken and finished with pico de gallo, cilantro, and fresh jalapeño slices.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 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 garlic cloves minced
  • 0.75 cup whole milk
  • 6 oz Velveeta cubed
  • 0.5 can (5 oz) Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
  • 0.25 tsp cayenne
  • 0.01 pico de gallo for serving
  • 0.01 cilantro for serving
  • 0.01 jalapeños for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Season and sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken breasts with cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper to taste, making 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 with visible browning and cooked through; set aside.
Make the queso cheese sauce
  1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the minced garlic for 1 minute, stirring until fragrant.
  2. Add whole milk and bring it to a gentle simmer, then stir in cubed Velveeta, Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, and cayenne until completely smooth and glossy.
Smother and serve
  1. Pour the queso sauce generously over the seared chicken to fully smother it, letting some sauce pool in the skillet.
  2. Top immediately with pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, and jalapeño slices for a bright, fresh finish.

Notes

For the smoothest queso, keep the milk at a gentle simmer before adding Velveeta and stir until the cheese is fully melted. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet or microwave with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce. Freezing isn’t recommended because Velveeta-based queso can become grainy when thawed. For a lower-fat swap, use reduced-fat milk and a smaller amount of Velveeta (cubed) so the sauce still melts smoothly.