Easy Mexican Salsa Chicken Bake
One of the easiest and tastiest chicken dishes around! Got chicken, salsa and cheese? If you do you’ve got what it takes to make this Easy Mexican Salsa Chicken Bake! Best part is, you can throw this together in 5 minutes!
Ingredients in Easy Mexican Salsa Chicken Bake
Chicken Breasts – I buy chicken breasts in large family packs, that being said; they’re usually pretty large so I cut them in half lengthwise to make sure that they’re not too thick and they’ll cook evenly in 30 minutes. (I do this in many recipes) By the way, make sure that you have a sharp knife, it makes it so much easier! I highly recommend keeping a knife sharpener handy for jobs like this. I usually run my favorite knife through my sharpener a few times before halving chicken. It makes a world of difference!
Salsa
I use jarred salsa to keep things simple. A thicker type of sauce works better than a watery one as the chicken will release liquid when it cooks. Use your favorite brand.
Cheese
I prefer a Cheddar and Monterey Jack blend but either one is good alone.
Taco Seasoning
This really takes the flavor up a notch! I keep taco seasoning in my pantry… many of my favorite recipes call for it. For that reason, I make my own and you can find the recipe here. 🙂 Taco Seasoning
What to serve with Easy Mexican Salsa Chicken Bake
Black Beans, Corn, Rice, Salad, Refried Beans
I like to make Black Bean and Corn Salad; black beans, fresh corn, tomatoes, green onions and peppers make up my go-to salad to pair with Mexican dishes. The flavors really complement each other!
Taco Ingredients…
Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole or avocadoes would be great on the side.
Rice and Beans…
Make a batch of rice while your chicken is in the oven, add a can of black beans and sliced green onions for a simple side.
Refried Beans…
These are another great staple to keep in your pantry.
Leftovers
As always, any dish with ample seasoning tastes even better the next day. If I have leftovers (when my kids are away for dinner) I like to shred the chicken using two forks, mix together with the sauce and make Burritos for lunch the next day. It would also be good for making chicken nachos or Buffalo chicken dip.
Top Easy Chicken Recipes to try:
Easy Mexican Salsa Chicken Bake
Equipment
- 8×10 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 2 Large Chicken Breasts or 4 small
- 4 tsp. Taco Seasoning
- 16 oz. Salsa
- 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar/Jack Cheese Blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease baking dish. (8×10 used here)
- Sprinkle 1 tsp. taco seasoning on both sides of each chicken breast.
- Place chicken in baking dish and cover with salsa.
- Bake (uncovered) for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside-165 degrees F
- Sprinkle cheese over chicken and bake for a few minutes, just enough to melt cheese.
- Top with chopped green onions or cilantro if desired or both!
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear from you! You can leave any questions or comments below.
1 thought on “Easy Mexican Salsa Chicken Bake”