Cinco de Mayo chicken recipes are in my recipe rotation throughout the entire year, not only on May 5th. Who doesn’t love homemade enchiladas in March and salsa chicken in October? I could eat Mexican food at least once a week the whole year through.

These easy recipes below are all main course meals filled with lean protein. And most are low carb recipes for someone on a keto or low carb diet. And, of course, these are diabetic friendly, healthy recipes too! Maybe it’s because I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on Cinco de Mayo, but I have a deep love for Mexican food. The salsa, the guacamole, the Mexican rice, the cilantro, the queso… ohhh, the queso! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

My Cinco De Mayo Chicken Recipes Collection

Each of the recipes in this Cinco de Mayo chicken collection are either diabetic friendly to begin with, or I’m making suggestions on how they could be. What makes a meal diabetic friendly? Honestly, it’s about making a meal blood sugar friendly. And that takes fat, fiber, and protein to help avoid the blood sugar spike.

See below for the ways you can make these meals super diabetic friendly, and also let me know what you think! Now, let’s get to the delicious meal plan for Mexican Independence Day coming up!

Cinco de Mayo Chicken Recipes in under 30 minutes

1. Mexican Style Chicken Thighs

This Mexican style chicken thighs recipe is one I love because it’s a one pan meal, and — the best part — it’s on the table in under 30 minutes. This quick and easy recipe results in flavorful Mexican chicken that is the star of the meal. Once it’s cooked and ready, serve it with rice, beans, or any other side dish you want. With a squeeze of lime juice and some fresh chopped cilantro on top of the chicken pieces, it’s not only delicious, but it’s a dinner the whole family will love.

With chicken thighs in this recipe, you’re dealing with dark meat, which is more fatty in general and not as heart healthy. You can also substitute pieces of chicken breasts if you like. The addition of beans provides some great fiber, also.

2. Skillet Cilantro Lime Chicken

Here’s another chicken thigh recipe in this skillet cilantro lime chicken. Again, you can swap for chicken breast if you prefer.

This recipe is a winner in my book because it’s a quick and easy meal for a weeknight. It’s all cooked in one pan, and it’s on the table within 30 minutes. Just like the Mexican style chicken thighs above, you can serve it along with any of your favorite Mexican side dishes so you can control the fat, fiber, and protein content of the meal.

3. Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos

Who doesn’t love a great big helping of sheet pan nachos? This is one of my favorite kinds of Cinco de Mayo recipes! And these sheet pan chicken nachos are healthier than most! With lean shredded chicken, black beans, green onion, and cheese, they’re perfect for game day. (Or, frankly, any day of the week.)

I would recommend a whole grain tortilla chip to help the cause with diabetes on this recipe. And personally, I would add some avocado or guacamole for even more added fiber. Then dig in!

One-Pan Cinco de Mayo Chicken Recipes

4. Baked Salsa Chicken

Baked salsa chicken was the very first recipe I ever posted on the Devotions on Diabetes blog. It’s one of my favorite Mexican chicken recipes because it’s super simple, it’s all made in one pan, and you can make your side dish as it bakes. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Am I right?

The other reason I love this baked chicken recipe is because you only need a few simple ingredients, including spices (chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder), chicken, salsa, and cheese. That’s it! Top it with sour cream or plain vanilla greek yogurt. Serve it with brown rice, add avocado for fiber, and you have a home run dinner that will fill you up and also keep you full.

5. Mexican Shredded Chicken

Another one-pan dinner is this Mexican shredded chicken. Now this is a versatile choice! This recipe can also be the base of several dishes for you. Use it to top a salad, wrap it up in a burrito shell, serve it as tacos, or spread it out over nachos. A recipe like this offers you lots of options. And that helps your ability to decide the fat, fiber, and protein content of your meal.

This is another dish that would be great on a weeknight that you need a quick dinner. It cooks pretty quickly in the skillet, and it’s on the table in less than 30 minutes.

6. Southwest Chicken Rice Bowl

This southwest chicken rice bowl is amazing because everything is all in one dish. The tender chicken, the rice, the veggies, the beans… it’s a one-stop shop. And when this kind of a recipe comes together in one pan in under 30 minutes, you’ve got me hooked! This is one of the top Cinco de Mayo chicken recipes for sure!

For people interested in swapping the rice, you could definitely do a brown rice instead here. Also, the beans definitely help with adding fiber. You could add even more fiber with an avocado if you want. Scoop it into a bowl and grab a spoon, friend!

Slow Cooker Cinco de Mayo Chicken Recipes

7. Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

There are just days the slow cooker needs to do the work for me. You know what I mean? Just throw it in, set it on low, and walk away. It’s glorious. And when it comes out like these gorgeous chicken tacos, it’s even more of a win.

These slow cooker chicken tacos are a great recipe because they also only require a few ingredients. Just dump and go! Also, I would add beans (or refried beans) and avocado for fiber to this recipe. Or I would use a Mission Carb Balance shell. Either of those things would help someone with diabetes have a more well rounded meal.

8. Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

This recipe is similar to the Mexican shredded chicken above, but this Mexican chicken is cooked in the crock pot. Just throw together three ingredients, and let it go on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours. And you’ve got a delicious high protein main dish.

You can do so much with this slow cooker Mexican chicken. Use it in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, salads, and even more! Again, this means you decide the total fat, fiber, and protein content for the entire meal – and that’s super diabetic friendly.

Cinco de Mayo Chicken Recipes with Cheese

9. Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

This chicken and black bean enchilada recipe is a classic Mexican dish that is a winner for any lunch or dinner. Whether you’re looking for a Mexican fiesta, or you have leftover chicken to use, this recipe will come through for you. Packed with chicken, beans, corn, red bell peppers, green chiles, and cheese, it’s an easy chicken dinner and a great recipe for the whole family! Just assemble and bake the warm tortillas, and chow down.

This is one of the new recipes on the Devotions on Diabetes blog. Using my favorite low carb wraps in place of soft flour tortillas really helps lower the carb count in this chicken enchiladas meal. With the chicken and beans together, you have a high protein dinner, also!

10. Santa Fe Chicken Skillet

Just look at the cheesy goodness that is this Santa Fe chicken skillet. This could be one of my new favorite main dishes! And in case you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, there are instructions for that on this recipe card as well. I personally love this recipe because it includes both Ro-Tel and cheese. That’s one of the most delicious food combinations in a creamy sauce right there.

There are 33g of carbs in this dish. In case you wanted to lower that, you could omit the corn. But the protein is crazy good at 39 g protein per serving!

11. Chicken Fajita Casserole

Again with a one-pan, super easy dinner, is this chicken fajita casserole. And not only is it low carb, it’s keto friendly and gluten free!

One of the reasons I enjoy this recipe is that it includes cream cheese. It’s only half a standard brick, but talk about a creamy, cheesy south-of-the-border meal!

12. Pico de Gallo Chicken

There are few Mexican foods I like more than pico. The chopped veggies together make an excellent topping for tortilla chips, in my opinion! You can chop the veggies yourself, or pick it up at your grocery store. And again, this is a low carb dish that you can make very diabetic friendly with your choices of sides.

But this pico is the star of the show in this Mexican chicken recipe. Pico de gallo chicken is so simple it’s just a matter of layering ingredients in the pan while the oven preheats. Then the chicken bakes in the preheated oven while you get to work on something else. Give it a try!

And a Bonus cinco de mayo chicken Recipe!

13. Mexican Cauliflower Rice

This one is a total favorite of mine and has been for years. It’s not a chicken recipe (it calls for ground turkey), but I had to throw it in as a bonus because it’s just that good. It’s one of my best Mexican recipes!

My Low Carb Mexican Cauliflower Rice recipe is full of protein and makes a delicious dinner for the entire family. The best things about it? It’s simple to prepare, full of flavor, and it’s a one pot meal you’ll enjoy making. What a great way to go for a busy night’s dinner! 

DID YOU MAKE THese Cinco De Mayo Chicken RECIPEs?

How will you feed the guests at your Cinco de Mayo celebration? If you make these delicious recipes in honor of Cinco de Mayo (or any day!), would you please let me know? I would love to hear from you!

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NOTE: I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician. Nothing here should be taken as professional medical advice. Any nutritional information provided should be used as a general guideline and estimate only. For the most accurate information, please calculate based on the specific ingredients and brands you use, as well as any changes you make to the recipe.

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