Easy Salsa Chicken Recipes: Crockpot, Instant Pot
Prepare for the most tender and juicy salsa chicken you’ve ever had! Baked on top of colorful fresh tomato salsa and smothered with melted cheese, this south-of-the-border wonder hits all the high notes of flavor.
If you savour such recipes, you cannot afford to overlook my catenaceous crockpot chicken salsa corn tortilla casserole, as it’s a satisfying and healthy option. On top of that, check out my crockpot salsa chicken tacos that are incredibly easy to whip up any day of the week!
This simple-to-make salsa chicken dish is a good protein selection that you can prepare ahead and consume with a variety of foods. It’s a vintage dish that just needs a few simple ingredients and a little bit of your effort. In addition, you can variate the recipe in order to prevent boredom. By the way, this is going to turn into your most cooked food ever, and it’s a great idea to prepare this for the week – quick dinner solution!
Seriously, my little ones become very fond of this Mexican chicken meal. They get all giddy when they see baked salsa chicken the menu as they know it’s taco night! They like pulling the chicken and adding it to their tacos or rice bowls and then using some salad toppings to finish it off. Baked salsa chicken, besides being one of the classics, has been a regular choice on my blog for as long as I can remember. It’s just a spicy, saucy, and super-flavorful dinner that never disappoints!
Chunky salsa is a good way to bake chicken breasts that do not have bones and skins. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts remain in a moist environment, surrounded by yummy salsa, and absorb the notes of tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and garlic. This salsa baked chicken recipe is a cinch to make and requires few ingredients, so it’s always a fail-proof meal when you need to eat something delicious quickly at home.
What You’ll Need
When getting the perfect ingredients for chicken salsa, the perfect blend of the different flavors of the salsa gives the taste that everyone craves. This dish is the most popular one with the family. The ingredients and instructions are listed by scrolling down to the recipe card.
- Olive Oil: It is the necessary oil for the frying of the chicken breasts, although you can as well use vegetable oil or avocado oil?
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: I propose that you lower the meat for better cooking. You are more than welcome to change it with your favorite part.
- Ground Cumin: There are other things, including chicken breasts that you can season taco style.
- Chili Powder: Mildly spiced and deep flavor.
- Paprika: The sweet or smoked paprika would be perfect.
- Garlic Powder: The fresh garlic that is minced can be used as a substitute.
- Salt and Black Pepper: These two are the main things that make the taste richer and to die for.
- Chunky Salsa: The ingredients are fresh homemade salsa or your favorite salsa which is both in terms of popping up the taste and the blend of wetness in the total product.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Additionally, the cheese adds a soft and melted topping. I personally like a mix of white and yellow cheddar, but you can always replace it with Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or a Mexican cheese blend.
How To Make Salsa Chicken
It’s a piece of cake, really! You could make this homemade salsa or find some healthy salsa for your perfect morning. Another option is the store-bought one which also works as I-1.
- Preheat: Set your oven to 375°F.
- Prep the chicken: Get the olive oil in a large frying pan to start cooking. First, make sure each fillet is turned into an equal size and sprinkle each with seasonings on every side. Preheat the frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Sear: Cook the chicken in a skillet for a couple of minutes or under fire and the flesh is brown on all sides.
- Spread: Anchor a layer of salsa on the bottom of the baking form, set up the chicken pieces on the salsa, and lastly, pour in with the unused salsa.
- Bake: Bake uncovered until the chicken is done. Add to the skillet and cook until melted and bubbly.
- Add cheese: Then, spread on shredded mozzarella cheese or your favorite type of cheese and broil at 375°F for 3-5 min until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
- Rest: Take out of the oven and do not eat right away, let dairy products stand for 5 minutes before eating.
Salsa Chicken Add-Ins
One of the best things about baked salsa chicken is that you can get versatile with it. You can disturb it with different substituents.
- Beans: Add a drained can of beans like black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans for extra protein and texture.
- Vegetables: Give more colors and flavors to the dish by placing cut onion, jalepeño, bell pepper, or corn.
- Creamy Additions: It is also a good idea to mix in the cream cheese or sour cream for the flavor to get better once the cooking is finished.
- Different Salsas: Add the taste by trying various types of salsas such as salsa roja, peach salsa, or make my salsas verde chicken.
Serving Suggestions
You can break the cooked chicken into ledges, put in together with everything else and then save in the refrigerator for up to four days. Indeed, we really favor our flavorful shredded salsa chicken for the tacos bellas, bowl in tacos, quesadillas, nachos, burritos, salads, casseroles, etc. The sky’s the limit with those choices and provides for a super week of meals and snacks.
An effortless meal for any weekday night would be a leafy green goddess salad or fiesta rice and chicken. For a better choice, you can still opt for it with coconut lime cauliflower rice—a dish that never falls short!
Leftovers
This salsa chicken recipe is an attractive dream in meal prep since it stays fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days which can be even frozen for up to 3 months. If you desire the chicken, do the following: first defrost it in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it in a saucepan over medium heat, or just microwave it.
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- ½ tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1½ cups salsa, you can also use store-bought chunky salsa
- 1 cups shredded cheddar cheese, I use a mix of white and yellow cheddar
Instructions
- Set temperature at 375˚F for the oven to preheat.
- Warm up the olive oil in a big skillet.
- Bash chicken breasts to an even thickness and season them with cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Shift the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side or until they get brown.
- Firstly, this is not the only way you can make the marinade. It is only a suggestion and the option for the marinade is entirely up to you.
- The prepared chicken is placed on the tomato sauce, and also the chicken breast is laid over the layer of salsa, which is topped with the rest of the salsa.
- Bake the food without a top for 25-30 minutes or keep checking until the swift is the chicken is done. Measure out the correctness of the doneness of the chicken – chicken is ready at 165˚F the moment its inside temperature becomes so.
- Retake top and add the grated cheese over the top-make sure that the cheese is melted and is bubbly after heating it to the oven for 3 to 5 more minutes.
- Retake top and so it sits for 5 minutes upon being taken off of the oven and before serving.