Baked Salsa Chicken Recipe
Dinner doesn’t get easier than this Baked Salsa Chicken Recipe! The chicken is juicy, flavorful and smothered in melted cheese, and it can be served as-is with your favorite side dishes or shredded and served in tacos, burrito bowls and more. It includes just 4 ingredients and the recipe includes slow cooker instructions!
I’m all for delicious dinner recipes that aren’t time consuming or complicated, because life is busy and there’s no need to spend tons of time prepping and cleaning up when I don’t have to.
My honey pineapple teriyaki chicken and Mexican rice casserole are two examples of chicken dinners that come together in a flash, and they appeal to the pickiest eaters.
This Baked Salsa Chicken recipe delivers as well, and the best part is that it’s even easier because chicken and salsa are simply dumped in a baking dish and baked in the oven.
It’s the hands off approach to cooking….and I’d go so far as to say that it’s almost not cooking at all.
You can prepare my restaurant style salsa for this recipe, or choose your favorite store bought salsa to make this recipe come together even more quickly.
Dinners don’t get a lot easier or more delicious than this. 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Baked salsa chicken is juicy, packed with flavor and smothered in melted cheese for a delicious, south of the border chicken dinner.
- It’s an easy dump and go recipe that includes just (4) ingredients and about 10 minutes of prep time.
- It’s family-friendly and extremely versatile! Serve it with your favorite sides or shred the chicken to use in burritos, tacos and more.
- It’s gluten-free, low carb and can be made dairy-free by omitting the cheese.
Recipe ingredients
There are two main ingredients to this recipe, just chicken and salsa, with a bit of taco seasoning added for depth of flavor.
Cheese is also added at the end because everything is better with it! Unless you are following a dairy-free diet, however, in which case you can simply omit it.
- Chicken breast. You’ll need (4) boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Boneless skinless chicken thighs may be substituted if you prefer.
- Salsa. I love using my restaurant style salsa for this recipe because it’s easier to control the ingredients and flavor, but your favorite store bought salsa will work as well. The recipe calls for 2 cups of salsa as I like extra for serving, but you can get away with using 1 1/2 cups if you like.
- Taco seasoning. The seasoning adds great depth of flavor. Use my homemade taco seasoning or your favorite store bought brand.
- Cheese. Use your favorite variety of grated cheese, or omit altogether for dairy-free salsa chicken.
- Cilantro. Freshly chopped cilantro adds freshness and a pop of color. It may be substituted with freshly chopped parsley, green onions or chives.
See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities.
How to make this recipe
This baked salsa chicken recipe is truly one of the easiest dinners I’ve ever made.
The chicken breast is seasoned with taco seasoning, then smothered in salsa and baked in the oven. Grated cheese is added at the end for a cheesy, flavorful chicken dinner.
Homemade salsa can be prepared in advance, or you can use your favorite store bought brand to make this recipe go even more quickly.
This meal can also be prepared in your slow cooker! See the FAQs section below or refer to the notes section in the recipe card for more information.
Pro tip: Pound the chicken breast out to even thickness for more even cooking. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken. For best results, allow the chicken to come to room temperature 15-20 minutes prior to cooking.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Pound the chicken breasts to even thickness.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper and taco seasoning.
- Place 1 cup of salsa in the bottom of the baking dish and spread evenly.
- Place chicken in the salsa and cover with the remaining salsa.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees.
- Top each chicken breast with grated cheese and bake an additional 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
FAQs
You can use any type of salsa for this recipe. I prefer to use my homemade restaurant style salsa to control the ingredients and level of spiciness, but you can certainly use your favorite store bought brand.
You can also change things up with my green enchilada sauce or tomatillo salsa as well!
There are no thickeners or stabilizers in salsa, so it will separate and be a bit watery in places after baking.
That said, once the chicken is done, remove it from the pan and stir the salsa together (adding some extra lime juice is a great idea here!) in order to make it cohesive to serve with the chicken.
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs will also work in this salsa chicken recipe. Cooking time will vary, so begin checking for doneness after 20 minutes and go from there.
To prepare slow cooker salsa chicken, season the chicken as per the recipe instructions, then place the salsa in the slow cooker. Submerge the chicken breast in the salsa and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for about 6 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees. When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat. Top with grated cheese and cover until the cheese has melted and serve!
Serving suggestions
The sky is the limit on the delicious ways that you can serve this salsa chicken!
- Serve this delicious salsa chicken with rice! My Mexican rice and cilantro lime rice are both delicious options. It also pairs perfectly with roasted sweet potatoes or Mexican corn salad.
- It makes a delicious lower carb dinner served with air fryer broccoli or atop Santa Fe chicken salad.
- Shred it to use in a multitude of ways like my Instant Pot shredded chicken. Use in quesadillas, tacos, chicken enchiladas or chicken enchilada bake for a meal that the entire family will love. It’s also great in chicken burrito bowls with black beans and guacamole!
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Pound the chicken breast out to even thickness for more even cooking. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken. For best results, allow the chicken to come to room temperature 15-20 minutes prior to cooking.
- Prepare restaurant style salsa up to a few days in advance or use your favorite store bought salsa in a pinch.
- The recipe calls for 2 cups of salsa as I like extra for serving, but you can get away with using 1 1/2 cups if you like.
- I highly recommend serving the chicken with lime wedges and garnishing it with freshly chopped cilantro for bright, fresh flavor.
- Store leftover salsa chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also shred the chicken, stir in the salsa and freeze it for up to 3 months.
More easy chicken dinners you’ll love:
- BBQ pulled chicken
- Chicken piccata
- Creamy Chicken Marsala
- Crockpot chicken and rice
- Honey pineapple teriyaki chicken
- Instant pot chicken and rice
- Sheet pan chicken thighs
- Tequila lime chicken
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Baked Salsa Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2-2 1/2 lbs; sub with skinless chicken thighs if desired
- salt and pepper to taste; do not use salt if using store bought taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon homemade taco seasoning or your favorite store bought brand
- 2 cups restaurant style salsa or your favorite store bought brand
- 1 cup grated Mexican cheese
- freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pound the chicken breasts to even thickness and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle both sides of each chicken breast evenly with the taco seasoning.4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon homemade taco seasoning
- Pour 1 cup of the salsa in the bottom of a baking dish or skillet that's large enough for the chicken. Place the chicken in the salsa, then pour the remaining salsa over the top of the chicken.2 cups restaurant style salsa
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the grated cheese over each chicken breast. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 2-3 minutes longer or until the cheese has melted. Remove from heat and let stand 5-10 minutes. Serve with lime wedges and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro, if desired, and enjoy!1 cup grated Mexican cheese, freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish
Notes
- Pro tip:  Pound the chicken breast out to even thickness for more even cooking. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken.
- Prepare restaurant style salsa up to a few days in advance or use your favorite store bought salsa in a pinch.
- Store leftover salsa chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also shred the chicken, stir in the salsa and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Slow cooker salsa chicken: To prepare slow cooker salsa chicken, season the chicken as per the recipe instructions, then place the salsa in the slow cooker. Submerge the chicken breast in the salsa and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for about 6 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees. When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat. Top with grated cheese and cover until the cheese has melted and serve!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
