Salsa Chicken

Salsa chicken is a flavorful dish with juicy and tender chicken smothered with tomato salsa and topped with gooey melted cheese.

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Tender and juicy, salsa chicken is full of flavor, delicious, and only requires 5 ingredients to make. This incredibly easy-to-make chicken dinner is perfect for a quick weeknight meal that only takes 10 minutes of prep time. 

MORE RECIPES: Paprika Chicken | Honey Garlic Chicken | Chicken Marsala

Add a little something extra to your standard chicken dinner with this flavorful salsa chicken recipe. Tender chicken is smothered with tomato salsa, topped with gooey melted cheese, and baked to bubbling perfection.

Perfect for a weeknight dinner, salsa chicken can be on the table and ready to eat in less than an hour. Serve this easy chicken dish with Spanish rice, roasted vegetables, or a taco pasta salad for a complete meal. 

The whole family will adore this Mexican-inspired chicken dinner. Even better, salsa chicken is a one-dish meal, which makes preparation and serving even easier. 

Salsa Chicken Ingredients

Mozzarella cheese melts beautifully over the chicken and is the classic choice for this dinner recipe, but you can certainly use a different cheese. Try cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese as an alternative. You can never have too much cheese, so you could also sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of whatever shredded cheeses you choose for even more flavor. 

Depending on how spicy you’d like your chicken, you could use mild salsa, medium salsa, or hot salsa. You could also make your own homemade salsa. If you’d prefer you can use a green salsa instead of a red one and turn this recipe into a salsa verde chicken dish.

Make this flavorful chicken even more delicious by adding a few of your favorite toppings before serving. Try sour cream or a little bit of diced green onions. 

How to Make Salsa Chicken

FIRST STEP: Preheat the oven to 375°F.

SECOND STEP: Spray a 9×13 baking dish.

THIRD STEP: In the baking dish, stir together the olive oil and taco seasoning.

FOURTH STEP: Add one chicken breast at a time to baking dish, flipping each over in olive oil mixture to cover both top and bottom of each chicken breast.

FIFTH STEP: Arrange the chicken flat in baking dish and pour salsa over the top.

SIXTH STEP: Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.

SEVENTH STEP: Sprinkle the cheese over top of chicken and bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

EIGHTH STEP: Serve hot.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast? 

You could use boneless chicken thighs instead of boneless chicken breasts in this easy recipe. If you use thighs keep in mind that it will likely take less time to bake. Follow the guidelines for ensuring that the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. You may also need a couple of extra thighs to end up with the same quantity of chicken. 

Can I freeze leftover chicken salsa? 

This easy, baked salsa chicken will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three months.

What salsa is best for this chicken recipe? 

You could use mild, medium, or hot salsa depending on how spicy you’d like your chicken. If you want, you can also make homemade salsa instead of using store-bought salsa. You could even use a green salsa and make this recipe into a salsa verde chicken dish.

How to Store Salsa Chicken 

IN THE FRIDGE: Store leftover salsa chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. 
IN THE FREEZER: Allow leftovers to cool and then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Salsa chicken can be kept in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.

Salsa Chicken

Salsa chicken is a flavorful dish with juicy and tender chicken smothered with tomato salsa and topped with gooey melted cheese.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 135 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• ▢ 1 jar salsa (418 milliliters (mild or medium))
• ▢ 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

 

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Spray a 9×13 baking dish.
• In the baking dish, stir together the olive oil and taco seasoning.
• Add one chicken breast at a time to baking dish, flipping each over in olive oil mixture to cover both top and bottom of each chicken breast.
• Arrange the chicken flat in baking dish and pour salsa over the top.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
• Sprinkle the cheese over top of chicken and bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
• Serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 332IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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