Healthy Mexican Chicken Recipes

Making soups may have once been an all-day affair, but here's a great example of how a few choice convenience products can renovate an old favorite for our modern, hectic lives. Some frozen vegetables, a few canned tomatoes and canned broth--and voila! a Tex-Mex favorite in minutes.

Tangy, mildly spicy and tender, this chicken is delicious with black beans and salsa. It makes a great option for a taco party.

This healthy chicken and vegetable soup recipe is perfect for when you're in the mood for comfort food and Mexican all in one! The small amount of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce gives it a mild spice level. For a spicier soup, stir in up to 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers. Look for the small cans of smoked chipotle peppers in adobo sauce near other Mexican ingredients in well-stocked supermarkets. Once opened, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.

This spicy chicken taco recipe gets fresh orange flavor from both the crema and crunchy slaw toppings. Serve with tortilla chips and ice-cold beer.

This easy slow-cooker chicken recipe with mole poblano gets plenty of complex flavor from anchos (dried poblanos). Beer is an unconventional ingredient, but makes a nice bittersweet companion for the chiles. For more ways to serve this healthy mole, try these ideas: leave the chicken on the bone and serve with the sauce over brown rice; serve the shredded chicken on buns with creamy coleslaw; or stir vegetables and a can of rinsed beans into the saucy shredded chicken to make chili.

In this chicken taco bowl recipe we use the underside of a muffin tin as a mold to bake cute little taco bowls. Then we fill them up with a zesty chicken filling and taco fixings.

Sliced chicken, tenderized in lime juice, combines with a spicy sour-cream sauce in this tasty wrap. Serve with Vinegary Coleslaw and Spiced Pinto Beans.

Sherry vinegar deepens the lively flavors of this Southwestern salad, and beans and fresh tomatoes keep it moist. Make it a meal: Strawberry-Mango Margarita Compote is a cool finish.

This rich, velvety mole sauce recipe gets flavor from spices, chocolate, dried chiles and nuts. To make it at home, you'll need a blender and a fine-mesh strainer. Find the dried chiles and Mexican cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon, online and at Mexican grocers. Be careful not to burn the chiles or raisins when frying or the sauce will taste bitter. Use any leftover sauce and chicken for enchiladas the next day.

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce contribute a rich smokiness to this quick orange-infused barbecue sauce.

Charring tomatoes in a cast-iron skillet yields smoky results.

Smoky chipotle peppers make this quick, citrusy barbecue sauce special. Try this recipe with shrimp or pork chops on the grill as well. Serve with Quinoa & Black Beans and fruit sorbet for dessert.

In New Mexico and Arizona, posole is usually made with homemade pork stock and served at celebrations. For a quick weeknight meal, choose chicken and spice it with ground red chile and toasted oregano.

Here, tender broiled chicken is combined with a spicy, creamy sauce and plenty of vegetables in this quick rolled sandwich.

These pan-fried chiles rellenos are stuffed with a skinny chicken-and-corn filling. Serve with salsa or your favorite enchilada sauce.

Tomatillos and pepitas form the basis for pepian sauce--one version of Mexican mole. Make it a meal: Serve with beans and rice and shredded cabbage tossed with Creamy Lime-Chile Dressing.

While this recipe calls for oranges, grapefruit would work equally well. This salsa would also be terrific tucked into fish tacos.

Posole, originally from Jalisco, Mexico, is traditionally served around Christmastime. It's so tasty and--with a few convenience items like canned hominy and chili powder--easy to make that we like it any time of year. Shredded cheese, cilantro or thinly sliced radishes are traditional toppings for this stew.

This lime-infused chicken soup hails from Mexico's Yucatan region. Feel free to adjust the amount of chiles to your taste. Make it a meal: Cook up some Quesadillas con Frijoles Refritos to serve alongside.

Tomatillo-sauced chicken is a tasty filling for tamales, tacos or enchiladas.

These grilled chicken tostadas are topped with rich mole sauce and sweet-and-sour summer vegetables and use store-bought tostada shells for convenience. If you want to make this a vegetarian dish, leave out the grilled chicken.

A fiesta-in-a-bowl, this stew gets vibrant colors and flavor from scallions, carrots, jalapenos, tomatoes, cilantro and a whole ear of corn. Top it with diced avocado, hot sauce or salsa.