This is a great easy win when you want something with a bit of punch to liven up your midweek tastebuds. Think chicken chilli con carne energy with a bit of cheesy nachos indulgence. The ‘queso’ style sauce is so simple to make and adds a lovely smokey creaminess. Serve the chicken on its own or with a crisp green salad or over some coriander rice. It would also be great stuffed into a jacket potato.
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Yields:
4 - 6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
5 mins
Cook Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
600 g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 Romano peppers, sliced
1 Tbsp. chipotle paste (we used Luchito)
1 lime, zested and halved
2 x 400g cans of good quality chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g can black beans, drained
Handful fresh coriander, leaves picked
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 Tbsp. fire roasted serrano chillies (or jalapeños)
Cooked rice, to serve (optional)
FOR THE QUESO SAUCE
10 g butter
2 smoked garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tsp. onion powder
170 ml evaporated milk
75 g mature cheddar, grated
1 tsp. cornflour
Directions
Step 1Heat the oil in a deep, lidded ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and fry the chicken thighs for 5min, turning until golden all over. Remove to a plate.
Step 2Add the onions and peppers with a pinch of salt and fry for 8min, until soft. Add the chipotle paste, reserve the lime zest and juice the lime over the pan, tossing in the squeezed lime halves, too. Stir well and continue to cook for 2min.
Step 3Return the chicken to the pan, along with the chopped tomatoes and drained black beans. Stir well, cover and simmer over a low heat for 15min.
Step 4Meanwhile, make the queso sauce. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over a low to medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for 2min. Add the onion powder and evaporated milk and continue to cook for another 2min. Toss the cheddar with the cornflour, then add to the pan and continue to stir until the cheese melts and the sauce has thickened. Season to taste and set aside.
Step 5Remove the lid from chicken pan. Remove the lime halves and then transfer the chicken thighs to a board and shred with two forks, returning the shredded meat to the pan and stirring well.
Step 6Preheat the grill to high. Spoon the queso sauce over the surface of the chicken in an even layer, then stick under the grill for 3-4min, or until starting to turn golden brown.
Step 7Toss together the reserved lime zest, coriander, spring onions and chillies and sprinkle over the top. Serve with rice, if you want.
GH TIPS
This dish would work brilliantly with beef mince instead of chicken thighs.
If you want an even more smokey flavour, you can substitute mature cheddar for a smoked one or a scarmorza (smoked mozzarella).
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The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
Sarah is Good Housekeeping's Kitchen and Homes Director, looking after all things food and homes for the brand. Sarah started her career in journalism, then retrained as a chef 15 years ago following a lifelong dream to work in food. Since retraining, she has worked as a private chef, assisted on tv commercials, created recipes for some of the country's leading brands and became the go-to birthday and wedding cake baker in her friends and family network. In 2025, she was shortlisted for Cookery Writer of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers
