Recipe Background
Baked Salsa Chicken combines vibrant spices and salsa for juicy chicken.
Back in my college days, I had a knack for borrowing recipes from my friends’ culinary traditions, mixing them with my flair. During my sophomore spring break, I stayed back on campus while most friends went off on adventures. It was during this week that my friend Carmen introduced me to the magic of combining spices like chili powder and smoked paprika. She also had a salsa recipe passed down from her abuela that we used liberally on everything.
Feeling inspired, I decided to combine Carmen's salsa with a dish own my mother used to make. She’d often bake chicken with just about anything we had leftover in the fridge. I added black beans and corn into the mix and discovered that sautéing them first before adding rice gave it a fuller flavor. Draining the cans ensures the dish doesn't drown in excess liquid.
The first time I pulled this creation out of the oven, a few friends returned early from break drawn in by the smell wafting down the dorm hallway. Curious about the aroma, they gathered in my little kitchen, and we devoured the entire dish in under forty minutes. The chicken was juicy, the salsa baked into each layer, and the fresh grated cheeses bubbling to perfection on top. I stood there knowing I had created a meal that was both comforting and celebrated my newfound independence.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper divided
- 4 small chicken breasts or 2 large breasts cut in half boneless and skinless
- 1 tablespoon butter melted or olive oil
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes optional, drained
- 2 cups rice cooked
- 1 (4-ounce) can mild chopped green chiles
- 1 1/2 cups salsa divided
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese freshly grated
- fresh cilantro optional, chopped, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Whisk the chili powder, the cumin, the garlic powder, the onion powder, the smoked paprika, the oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper together in a small bowl.
- Pound the chicken to an even thickness.
- Pat the chicken dry.
- Drizzle one side of the chicken with 1/2 of the butter or olive oil.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the seasoning mixture over the buttered side of the chicken, rubbing it in.
- Flip the chicken and repeat the drizzling and seasoning process.
- Add the black beans, the corn, the tomatoes, the rice, the chiles, 1 cup of the salsa, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper into the prepared baking dish, stirring to combine and spreading it into an even layer.
- Add the chicken on top of the mixture.
- Spoon the remaining salsa over the chicken.
- Bake uncovered until the chicken is cooked through at 165 degrees F, about 40-50 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken from the oven and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and the Monterey Jack cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is melted, about 4-5 minutes.
- Garnish with the cilantro and serve.
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