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Ditch that boring baked chicken recipe! Sure, popping seasoned or marinated chicken breast in the oven is a fool-proof way to make dinner, but why not liven it up. Salsa fresca chicken takes baked chicken to a whole new level! Topped with homemade pico de gallo and shredded cheese, you can’t go wrong!
I’ll be honest, right now Zach and I are on a wedding diet! With just a few short weeks until the big day, we want to make sure I fit into my (very tight) dress and he wants to look his best in his suit! So we have been eating a LOT of lean chicken breast lately. But it gets pretty boring really quickly! So having a new way to switch it up is awesome! And the flavor of this dish makes me not even miss bacon cheeseburgers (JK, I still miss those).
Pico de Gallo
The star of this dish is the homemade pico de gallo that tops the chicken. Now, you can definitely buy this at the grocery store to save time and chopping, but
it’s actually super easy to make so the extra 5 minutes is worth it!
In a bowl, mix together:
- 1 1/2 cups diced roma tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/3 cup diced white onion
- 1-2 diced jalapenos
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- salt and pepper (to taste)
That’s it! Set it aside and move on to seasoning
the chicken. If you want to make this the night before, or make a big batch to use late on tacos, enchiladas, or just with some tortilla chips, go right ahead! The longer it sits, the better!
Salsa Fresca Chicken
Now that your pico is ready, it is time to assemble the dish. Begin by preheating the oven to 375. Now take 1lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut the breast in half length-wise if they are thick) and season them with 2 tsp of chili powder, 2 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
Put the chicken in a greased casserole dish and top with the homemade pico de gallo. Finish off with 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella (Shhh….I used a delicious mozzarella provolone blend! Use whatever cheese you’d like). Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Serve with white rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or a green salad. This is also great alongside black or refried beast. While we are at itm why not slice it up and serve it in a tortilla? Taco Tuesday could use a makeover right?
Need More Tex Mex Dishes?
- Breakfast Taquitos
- Steak Egg And Cheese Burrito
- Chipotle Salmon Burgers
- Chicken Fajita Bowls
- Crispy Baked Fish Tacos
- Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
Salsa Fresca Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast cut in half if too thick
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper
- 1½ cups roma tomatoes diced
- ⅓ cup white onion diced
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1-2 jalapenos seeded and diced
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- Season chicken breasts with chili powder, cumin, onion powder, salt and pepper
- In a bowl, mix tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Top with shredded cheese and bake 30-35 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°
- Serve immediately with rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or a green salad
