Easy Baked Salsa Chicken Breast

Juicy, savory baked salsa chicken is a quick and easy dinner to prep anytime of the year. Delicious and quick to prep, this easy dinner made with simple ingredients is covered in melted cheese and full of flavor from the salsa!

 

Why We Love Baked Salsa Chicken

• Flavorful Juicy Chicken Breast– The salsa keeps this chicken nice and juicy as it bakes, and depending on the salsa can give it so much flavor!
• Easy Dinner Or Great For Meal Prep– I’ll often make this dish and we’ll have it as is the first night, then use the rest of it for other dinners just like you would use any diced chicken. Most of the time cooking is pretty hands-off, making it a great delicious meal for busy weeknights. Try serving this easy recipe with Spanish rice or beans for an easy complete meal.
• Simple Flavorful Ingredients– You only need a handful of ingredients to make this easy chicken dinner with only a little prep work.

Ingredients For Baked Salsa Chicken

• mild salsa divided, you can use mild, spicy, smooth or chunky salsa, whatever you prefer. You can also use this easy fresh salsa recipe or even salsa verde if you prefer.
• lime juice
• olive oil
• taco seasoning
• salt
• pepper
• boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• shredded cheddar cheese – you can also use Monetery Jack cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, or another shredded mexican cheese blend.
• Cilantro – optional garnish

How To Make Baked Salsa Chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Oil a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish or casserole dish. Pour ½ cup salsa in the baking dish and spread evenly; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl add lime juice, olive oil, taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Whisk together until combined.

3. Place chicken breast one at a time into the oil mixture coating all sides, then place in the prepared pan.

4. Pour remaining oil mixture over chicken breasts. Evenly pour remaining 1 cup salsa over chicken breasts. Place in the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes or until chicken internal temperature reaches 165 degrees when checked with a meat thermometer. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts.

5. Add the shredded cheese to the top of the chicken breasts and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melty.

6. Let the chicken rest for at least five minutes before slicing. This keeps them nice and juicy!

Variation Ideas

This simple recipe is really flexible, and you can add a lot of things to make it even more delicious. Any time you add extra ingredients you need to keep an eye on the dish to make sure it doesn’t burn.

If you add a lot or frozen vegetables you may need to also cook the dish a little longer, so keep an eye on it.

Add Green Chilies – Green chilies are really delicious in this dish. You can use rotel in place of the salsa or just add canned or fresh green chilies chopped to the dish. I usually will use about half a can or two ounces.

Try Adding Beans – Adding cooked black beans to the bottom of this dish can round out this meat a bit, or serve this chicken with beans and rice! Black beans or kidney beans are both a great choice. You can also serve it with my 10 minute black bean and corn salsa or delicious Cowboy Caviar Salsa at the table.

Mix Some Corn In – Frozen, fresh sweet corn, or corn from a can (as long as it is drained) can all easily be added to this recipe.

Top With Bell Pepper– Make it fajita style and add bell peppers to the bottom of the dish, dice some on top of the chicken, or both!

Cube Some Avocado– Avocado is really delicious cubed up on top of this chicken and added right before serving. Yum! You can also serve with easy guacamole.

Shred Or Dice The Leftovers– Any leftover chicken can be shredded or diced. Use the cooked chicken breasts in other recipes like enchiladas, homemade tacos, nachos, burritos, wraps and more.

How Long Will Baked Salsa Chicken Last?

Expect this baked salsa chicken can last for about three days when stored in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.