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Easy Baked Salsa Chicken

Perfectly tender and juicy Salsa Chicken baked on a bed of fresh tomato salsa and topped with melted cheese. A low-carb, Keto-friendly, tasty, and cheesy chicken dinner loaded with flavor. 

Baked chicken breasts with salsa and cheese.

SALSA CHICKEN

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts stay juicy baked in this beautiful Homemade Restaurant Style Salsa, getting all the flavors from tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and garlic.

Incredibly simple and SO easy to make, this Baked Salsa Chicken is always the perfect recipe for when you’re short on time, but still want a delicious, homemade dinner. 

Salsa poured over chicken breasts.

HOW TO MAKE BAKED SALSA CHICKEN

This easy recipe needs just a few ingredients and it’s a snap to prepare.

If time allows, start with making your own Salsa. BUT, if you want to use store-bought, that’s cool, too. Just choose your favorite chunky salsa

  • Preheat oven to 375˚F.
  • Warm some olive oil in a skillet.
  • Season chicken breasts with a mixture of seasonings, herbs, salt, and pepper; transfer chicken to skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side, or until just browned. For the seasonings; you can also use store-bought or homemade taco seasoning mix. 
  • Cover the bottom of a baking dish with salsa. Arrange chicken on top and add more salsa over each chicken breast.
  • Bake for 30 minutes, or until chicken is done.
  • Add shredded cheese on top and bake for 4 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.
  • Let stand 5 minutes, then serve.
Baked Chicken breasts in baking dish with salsa.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH SALSA CHICKEN

I like to serve it with just a big leafy green salad for when we’re counting carbs, but if not, Fiesta Rice is the way to go. It’s SO GOOD! Just as well, I can’t forget this Coconut Lime Cauliflower Rice – it always hits the spot. 

Also, you can shred the cooked chicken breasts, mix everything together, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Shredded chicken is great for using in tacos, burritos, and on top of salads.

MORE BAKED CHICKEN DINNERS

ENJOY!

Baked chicken breasts with salsa and cheese.

Baked Salsa Chicken

Katerina | Diethood
Perfectly tender and juicy Salsa Chicken baked on a bed of fresh tomato salsa and topped with melted cheese.
4.93 from 41 votes
Servings : 4 serves
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • cups Chunky Salsa <– click for Homemade Salsa Recipe (you can also use store-bought Chunky Salsa)
  • 1 cups shredded cheddar cheese, (I use a mix of white and yellow cheddar)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375˚F.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
  • Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness and season with cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  • Transfer to skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side, or until just browned.
  • Spread about 1/2 cup salsa on the bottom of a baking dish.
  • Arrange browned chicken breasts on top of salsa and add the remaining salsa over the chicken breasts.
  • Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use a thermometer to check for doneness – chicken is done when internal temperature reaches 165˚F.
  • Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese.
  • Bake for 3 to 4 more minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

HOW TO STORE BAKED CHICKEN
  • Store leftover chicken in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 6 oz | Calories: 308 kcal | Carbohydrates: 7 g | Protein: 32 g | Fat: 16 g | Saturated Fat: 7 g | Cholesterol: 102 mg | Sodium: 1011 mg | Potassium: 744 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 4 g | Vitamin A: 1205 IU | Vitamin C: 3.2 mg | Calcium: 242 mg | Iron: 1.4 mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, American/Southwest, Mexican
Keyword: baked chicken, baked chicken breasts, chicken breast dinner, healthy chicken, keto chicken recipes, keto dinner idea, low carb recipe, mexican food, salsa chicken
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50 comments on “Easy Baked Salsa Chicken”

  1. Truly love this recipe!!! For my Added tip we made boxed Spanish rice. Then when the chicken was done we cut it into bite size pieces, and put it on top of the Spanish rice, garnished with cilantro.. Don’t be too shy with the cheese!!! It all melts in your mouth!!!! Truly a comfort food😋

  2. Had some jarred salsa that wasn’t the greatest so used it for this. Seasoned with taco packet. Husband loved it! Will definitely try again with breasts instead of thighs.

    1. That’s what I use as I am on a low sodium diet too. It’s an excellent salsa. Try his Mango salsa.

  3. Have made this many times and it delicious! We are not fans of cheddar so I use
    Monterey Jack, Colby or a mixture of Jalapeno Jack. Turns out good each time/

      1. This was amazing I seasoned my chicken with black pepper, salt, garlic powder and garlic salt. Used shredded Mexican cheese it was amazing and the leftovers 2 days later was even more delicious 😊

  4. Hi! I haven’t made this yet but plan to do so soon. How cooked should the chicken be when it is done initially on the pan? Is the internal temperature not very relevant at that point since it is just going in the oven anyway?

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Yep, it’s going to cook through in the oven. You just want to brown it a little bit on the stove top.

  5. Tried this tonight. It was absolutely delicious! My husband loved it too. I will be making this again & again. Low on my diet points too. So easy to make too. Thank you!

  6. Fantastic! I injured my hand and wasn’t able to cook so I needed a recipe that was super simple for my husband to make (he is definitely not a cook) and this recipe fit the bill. He followed the recipe exactly and served with rice and roasted asparagus. It was delicious. Thank you for such an easy, flavorful recipe.

      1. Just made this with the Fiesta Roce. It came out much better than I anticipated. I used some Salsa Roja from the local Mi Tierra and it was fabulous though it came out much more spicy than uncooked Salsa Roja. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts

        1. LOVE Mi Tierra! I go there every time I’m in Texas. I will get some this December for this recipe.

  7. I marinate my chicken in salsa overnight in a plastic bag, then bake it the next evening. Adds extra salsa flavor to the chicken.

  8. I’m going to give 5 stars because I believe the above comments. I must have done something wrong. It was extremely bland 😢

  9. Avatar photo
    Claudia Aldrich

    SO GOOD! Super easy when I’m crunched for time. Will definitely go in the regular rotation. Served with brown rice and avocado.

  10. Delicious

    This was delicious!! I served it over yellow rice and the flavors from the chicken seasonings, salsa, and the cheese blended perfectly. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. It’s also a great way to use up leftover salsa!!

    1. Avatar photo
      lmneuf@telus.net

      So easy and flavorful! The chicken was incredibly tender and there was enough sauce to top the cauliflower fritters I cooked as a side dish. Will definitely make again!

  11. Love it…..I used Sylvia’s Chicken Rub for the
    spicing. Otherwise, kept the same as the recipe.
    Thanks.

  12. Excellent! Chicken was moist. Great flavor. And super easy. I follow WW and this was only 4 Freestyle Smart Points using Kraft 2% cheddar. Served with black beans. Will make again and again.

  13. This baked salsa chicken is so flavorful and so easy to make!! Will be making it on a regular basis!

  14. Low carb is fine for those that need to watch it but for me it has to be low sodium….and it is so darn hard to find any recipe that is and my daily limit is 1000-1200 mg! So I make this, eat a serving and toss the rest and sit and not eat another thing cause it gets to my limit..

    1. Katerina - Diethood
      Katerina Petrovska

      Hi!
      I understand your frustration because my dad’s diet is also low sodium and he’s always looking for alternatives. I know he and my mom have started to use Himalayan Salt which is slightly lower in sodium than regular table salt. Also, they just don’t salt their food after cooking.
      In as far as this recipe, if you make your own Salsa, you can avoid a lot of the added sodium that you get in the store-bought versions. You can also use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar because mozzarella also contains less sodium. I hope this helps, somewhat.

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