My family and I absolutely love Mexican style food. Taco Tuesday is everyone's favorite night! But then when Taco Tuesday turns into taco Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we all start to get a little bored.
That is why I created this delicious cheesy salsa chicken recipe. It has all that Mexican flavor that we love but in a whole new way! It is also incredibly easy to make which is a dinner requirement for all of us busy moms!
Let me tell you all about my tasty cheesy chicken salsa bake and you will see why it has quickly become my family's favorite dish.
Ingredients for Baked Cheesy Salsa Chicken
Do you love recipes that only require a few simple ingredients? I sure do! I actually seek out recipes that only use two or three ingredients because it means they will be simple, fast and likely inexpensive. My baked salsa chicken recipe only uses 4 main ingredients so you can already tell it will be a recipe you love!
You will need:
- chicken breast- Be sure to grab boneless, skinless chicken breast. These are the easiest to prep and serve straight from the oven. No worrying about bones or removing tough skin! Just a nice tender, juicy piece of chicken.
- salsa- Any kind of salsa will do. My family likes a little bit of heat so I get the spicier salsa. We also like the chunky version with big pieces of tomatoes and peppers. However, a mild, smooth salsa will work just as good!
- Mexican cheese- The shredded Mexican cheese blend you find in the grocery store is made of Monterey Jack cheese, Cheddar, Asadero and queso quesadilla cheese. This is the perfect mix to give your chicken bake some Mexican flair and delicious, cheesy goodness. If you can't find a pre-mixed Mexican cheese blend, grab some cheddar and monterey jack. These two will be all the flavor you need!
- taco seasoning- Your favorite taco seasoning mix is all you need to season this tasty chicken. Once again, any brand in any heat level will do. Whatever you have on hand! We use a spicy taco seasoning but I have tried the recipe with a mild version and that works great too.
I also use a little salt and pepper to make the chicken because salt and pepper is always a good idea. However, you can skip this if you are in a hurry, the taco seasoning will be flavorful enough!
How to Make Cheesy Chicken Salsa Bake
So you have all your ingredients together, now it is time to cook! You won't be in the kitchen for very long because this recipe is super quick to put together.
Here is what you need to do:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a rimmed baking pan with parchment.
- Spread ½ cup of the salsa on the baking pan.
- Place the chicken breasts on the baking pan, nestled on top of the salsa.
- Sprinkle the chicken with the taco seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Pour the rest of the salsa over the chicken.
- Bake the chicken for 25 minutes
- Pull the chicken out and sprinkle each chicken breast with the cheese.
- Bake for another 8-10 minutes to make the cheese melted and gooey.
- Enjoy!
I like to serve the chicken with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives. My husband likes to add a little hot sauce on top of the chicken breast too.
I usually serve the salsa chicken with some Mexican style rice or Cuban black beans. Any of your favorite sides and toppings will work!
Tips and Tricks for Making the Best Baked Cheesy Salsa Chicken
I always love to give you a few tips and tricks to make sure you get the most out of my recipes. Here are a few little pointers that you may want to try.
- If you don't have salsa, you can make a quick mix of chopped onion, diced tomatoes and a squeeze of lemon juice. Salt, chili, coriander, and cumin powder are optional.
- You don't have to rinse your chicken, but if you do, be sure to disinfect your sink after!
- You can use shredded rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breast if you have that, just spread evenly in the pan. Since shredded chicken is already cooked, the whole dish will only have to go into the oven for about 10-15 minutes to heat and melt the cheese. This is a perfect way to make easy taco meat or meat for a burrito.
- Add some sliced jalapenos to the salsa to get even more heat.
- Marinate the chicken in the salsa overnight to infuse more flavor into the chicken. Simply place the salsa in a gallon sized ziplock bag, and the chicken breast, seal the bag and place it in the fridge overnight.
- Make the chicken completely and then shred the cooked salsa chicken with a fork. Place all the shredded chicken in a freezer safe ziplock bag and freeze. Anytime you need perfect taco meat, you have it completely ready to go! Just thaw and serve.
If you have any little tricks that make this chicken salsa bake even better, let me know! Like I said before, my family loves Mexican food and finding new ways to make it are always great. I really could have "Taco Tuesday" every night of the week!
This salsa chicken bake is definitely one of my favorite, go-to recipes. It makes Mexican food easy and fun. It is also so versatile that you can make it a hundred different ways and never get bored.
Serve this delicious cheesy chicken salsa bake with some spicy rice or on top of nachos. Eat it on its own as a low carb meal. Add some spice with jalapenos or make it mild with a simple tomato salsa. This is one of the easiest recipes out there, and it takes little preparation so it is perfect for one of those super busy days.
Give this cheesy salsa chicken recipe a try, I know you will enjoy it!
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Baked Cheesy Salsa Chicken
Ingredients
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 cup salsa (heat level optional)
1 cup Mexican cheese
1 tsp taco seasoning
as desired salt and pepper
garnish: dollops of sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Season chicken breasts with taco seasoning and salt and pepper
- Place ½ cup of the salsa in a parchment lined baking pan
- Place the chicken in the pan, and cover with the remaining ½ cup of salsa
- Bake for approximately 25 – 30 minutes.
- Open oven door and sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken.
- Bake for another 8 – 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and gooey.
- Garnish with sour cream and chives if you wish. Enjoy!
Yum. This looks so good. It’s been a while since I’ve made salsa chicken. Mine always comes out too watery. I also like making rotel chicken.
That is a Very tasty chicken. Sunday lunch sorted.
Looks like an easy but hearty meal. Sounds like a great combination of flavors and good for when we are busy.
will share this with friends who eat chicken.. and i will substitute the chicken with tofu .. love the simplicity of the recipe
I'd love to try this one with the rotisserie substitute. There's more flavor and I don't have to wait too long. Besides, quick and easy recipe is always the recipe to go. Love mex foods!
I love no fail recipes with simple ingredients!
This sounds amazing! Salsa makes everything better LOL!!
That's a cool way to spruce up salsa. I've never thought of using it with chicken.
This recipe looks so delicious! Thank you for the share!
Most any main dish with chicken works for me! This looks like a really good one, especially with the added cheese and salsa.
Wow! This is really good!! I love cheese and this just look really good! Bookmarking this for dinner soon!
This looks yummy, I have tried it before, and looking at the pictures makes me want to make it again.
This looks amazing, I must give it a try. It looks simply to make. with the cheese yummy thanks for sharing
Who could ever say no to all that cheese?! I can't wait to give this one a try.
I love a quick and easy recipe for dinner. I have all the ingredients in my kitchen. I think I figured out what we are having for dinner tonight. Yum!
Yum! That looks very cheesy. Can't wait to try this out!
We are vegetarians so I'm going to make this with my tofu/tempeh slices and I imagine it will be scrumptious! Thanks for sharing!
Oh my this looks delicious! Love the raspberry balsamic - that flavor must be amazing!
I love adding a scrumptious twist to an old favorite! This one looks so delicious! My family will surely love to have this again and again!
That Cheesy Chicken Salsa Bake looks absolutely amazing. I bet your family is already asking you to make that delish-looking recipe again.
This looks so delicious! We love different takes on chicken dishes around here since I buy it in bulk when I go to the store. Adding this one to my lineup.
That cheesy chicken salsa bake looks and sounds so delicous. I would really like to make that for my kids. What's not to like about cheese, chicken and sals?
Anything with cheese like this is AOK in my book!
This looks really delicious. Add cheese to anything and I'm there. I'm trying this.
I can’t wait to make this. Cheesy and salsa are my faves!!! Thank you for sharing it!
My family is going to love this recipe. We like spicy food so a medium salsa will be perfect.
This recipe looks so delicious and easy to make. It will be perfect for all those busy nights. I am excited to give it a try.
I love to cook with salsa. This chicken looks so delicious. I will have to give it a try this week.
That looks absolutely delicious and tasty! I would really love to try this recipe!
We have a version of the salsa chicken that we love, but we use salsa verde. The raspberry balsamic and the firecracker wings look so yummy! I can't wait to try them!
Yum! I've always loved the pairing of salsa and chicken! I bet this would make for a delicious dinner.
That looks divine! Chicken can be so boring so when I can find a whole bunch of different recipes all doing something awesome with chicken I condemn. This will be one of those.
I can't wait to make this. "Cheesy" and "salsa" won me over. I love anything with cheese on it.