This Baked Salsa Chicken is a super easy weeknight dinner. With only 4 ingredients, this recipe comes together quickly and will be ready to eat in about 45 minutes. If you’re looking for a simple chicken recipe to add to your dinner rotation, then this is it!
This salsa chicken recipe requires very little prep work so it’s perfect when I don’t have time to meal prep dinners on Sunday! I just need to make sure I have the basic ingredients on hand.
Now, just because this recipe is probably one of the easiest ones I ever make, it doesn’t mean it’s lacking on flavor. Not. At. All. In fact, when I make this, my husband always raves about how tasty it is – he loves it!
I’ve also made this for friends and it was a huge hit. When I tell them how simple it is to make it, they really can’t believe it because it tastes a lot more complex than it actually is.
This is also a great chicken recipe if you’re new to cooking or are not 100% comfortable in the kitchen. I mean, if you can open a jar and turn on the oven, then you can make this.
This baked salsa chicken is a great starter recipe to start building your confidence in the kitchen!
Frequently Asked Questions About Salsa Chicken
Before I jump into this recipe, I wanted to answer a few questions I received from some of my readers about this baked salsa chicken recipe.
Can I Switch Up Some Of The Ingredients?
YES!
The 4 ingredients you need for this baked salsa chicken are boneless chicken breast, taco seasoning, jarred salsa, and taco cheese. That’s it. Now, as simple as those ingredients are, you can easily create many different variations based on your favorites!
Let’s look at the seasoning. You can use basic taco seasoning, a southwest blend, or make your own homemade taco seasoning and add some chipotle powder to spice things up a bit.
Try a different salsa. You can really switch things up with the type of salsa used. You can use a basic mild, medium, or hot salsa or even get creative with a black bean or pineapple salsa. There are so many salsa varieties on the market so the sky’s the limit!
Swap out the cheese. Mostly, I use a basic taco cheese because I tend to always have that on hand. However, I love using shredded pepper jack with this recipe. It gives it great flavor and a nice kick. Another thing you can do is shred the cheese yourself. This just makes it that much creamier!
So, get creative with this recipe. I’m sharing a basic baked salsa chicken recipe but you can really make it your own using your favorite ingredients.
What Type Of Chicken To Use?
I prefer to use boneless chicken breasts. However, you can use boneless chicken thighs in this recipe as well. If you want to use bone-in chicken breast or thighs, you might need to add more cooking time.
A Few More Cooking Tips For The Chicken:
- Just keep in mind that chicken needs to have an internal temperature of 165 to be cooked completely.
- I like to to use chicken cutlets because it cuts down on cooking time. So, if the chicken breasts are thick, I’ll put them between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and use a mallet to pound it out thin until it’s about 1/4 – 1/2 inch or so.
- I also cut the chicken breasts in half because my kids never eat a whole chicken breast. You can keep them whole but that’s just a tip if you have kids like mine.
My last piece of advice about chicken would be: the higher the quality of the meat, the better the meal. So, if you can purchase organic or all-natural chicken breasts, I highly recommend it!
Can I Meal Prep This Salsa Chicken Recipe?
As easy as this recipe is to make on the busiest nights, you can still meal prep it ahead of time if you want.
There are three ways you can do this:
- The first thing you can do is put the chicken, spices, and salsa into a gallon size freezer bag. You can either stick it in the refrigerator (up to 3 days) and when you’re ready to cook the chicken, simply dump it into a casserole dish, add the cheese, cover, and bake.
- You can even make a freezer kit with the chicken, spices, and salsa and then take it out to thaw in the refrigerator a day before you’re going to make it. That’s a great way to have a chicken recipe ready ahead of time in the freezer.
- Make the salsa baked chicken completely ahead of time and then portion out with some rice or quinoa and have it ready for lunch or dinner that week.
What Can I Serve With Baked Salsa Chicken?
I love making chicken burrito rice bowls with this salsa chicken. I’ll cook some brown rice over the weekend so it’s ready to use and then I’ll warm it up and put some of the chicken over top with some of the salsa it cooked in. Then, I’ll add my favorite burrito toppings like:
- Sour cream
- Hot sauce
- Sautéed onions
- Tomatoes
- Sliced avocado.
You can also serve this alongside quinoa and vegetables too! I’ve put together this Mexican Quinoa Salad and Southwest Black Bean Skillet using this chicken recipe.
Baked Salsa Chicken
Now that we are done with all the questions, it’s time to start cooking this salsa chicken! Here are the 4 ingredients you will need to make this recipe:
- Boneless chicken breast cutlets
- Taco seasoning
- Salsa
- Shredded taco cheese
How To Make Salsa Chicken In The Oven
Start out by seasoning the chicken breasts with 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning until it’s all coated.
Place the chicken into a baking dish and pour 2 cups of the salsa over the top.
I like to purchase big bulk containers of salsa from my local wholesale store but, if you’re using a jar of salsa from the grocery store, then just dump the entire jar in.
Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese over the top of the salsa and cover the baking dish with foil.
Bake the whole dish for about 45 minutes in a 375-degree oven. Once it’s all done, let it slightly cool and serve as is or shred with two forks to serve in another dish.
More Mexican Food Recipes
This baked salsa chicken is absolutely delicious and you’ll love having this quick dinner in your weeknight rotation! If you are looking for some more Mexican-themed recipes, here are a couple of more to add to your meal plan:
- Turkey Taco Bowl
- Steak Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Spicy Mexican Chicken Soup
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Sheet Pan Nachos With Ground Turkey
Make this Salsa Chicken next time you are in a pinch and need to have dinner on the table FAST! Share a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you decide to make this!
Baked Salsa Chicken {Meal Prep}
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breast cutlets
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 cups salsa
- 2 cups shredded taco cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix together chicken cutlets and taco seasoning.
- Place chicken cutlets into a baking dish.
- Pour salsa over top of the chicken and then sprinkle 2 cups shredded taco cheese over the top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Serve hot
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