This Baked Salsa Chicken Recipe is an easy weeknight dinner that my family requests often. It’s so simple to throw together but there is so much flavor thanks to the salsa and cheese.
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Raise your hand if you could eat Mexican food every single night of the week!
(Picture me over here with both hands in the air, jumping up and down like a maniac.)
I just love Mexican flavors. The authentic stuff is good, the American-ized stuff is good, the fusion stuff is even good! I’m here for all of it.
We make a lot of Mexican inspired dishes in our house, like this baked salsa chicken, our keto guacamole, and our keto taco soup! They’re all tasty, but this baked salsa chicken recipe is one of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table and my kids love it too!
Chicken and salsa go together perfectly and there’s just 2 net carbs per serving. We love chicken dishes with salsa!
🐔 Ingredient Notes:
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Chicken – We’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts in this baked salsa chicken recipe, but boneless chicken thighs would also work if you prefer those!
Salsa – This restaurant style salsa is our FAVORITE! It’s good for dipping pork rinds, too. You don’t have to make your own though, you are welcome to use your favorite salsa brand from the store, either mild or spicy!
Cheese – We’re using pepper jack cheese in this baked salsa chicken because I’m using a milder salsa. If you’re using a spicier salsa, you could definitely swap out the pepper jack for some cheddar cheese! Or just use whichever you like the most.
Seasoning – Garlic salt, chili powder, and cumin. My spice cabinet is bursting at the seams with all kinds of spices, but if you don’t have quite the same collection as me, you could also just use some taco seasoning from the store. Or if you want to go the extra mile try it with my homemade keto taco seasoning! We’re also garnishing the chicken with chopped fresh cilantro.
The seasoned chicken baked in salsa is tender, juicy and bursting with flavor!
It’s a super easy weeknight recipe that you can prepare in no time.
This is tasty on it’s own or over our keto taco salad (just skip the beef) or with our Mexican cauliflower rice!
I love using this meat thermometer for making sure the meat is fully cooked! Easy for beginners & absolutely worth the low cost. Just stick it in the thickest part of the meat to check for doneness. This thermometer is also magnetic so it’s easy to store right on the side of the fridge or oven for easy access! Get it on Amazon.
How To Make Salsa Chicken:
Pound – This is stupidly simple, so this is going to be quick. 😉 Start out by pounding out your chicken to an even thickness. This will ensure that it bakes up nice and evenly. For more tips on how best to pound out the chicken, see below!
Season – You can quickly prepare the seasoning mix for this baked salsa chicken by combining some garlic salt, chili powder, and cumin! It’s a flavorful mix that will add a little extra kick to the chicken. Or use some taco seasoning if you don’t have that. Season the chicken breasts with it until they’re well coated.
Salsa – Now you can begin assembling this baked salsa chicken by spreading a cup of the salsa into a 9×13 baking dish, and then placing the seasoned chicken breasts on top. Pour more salsa over the seasoned chicken to coat and then pop the dish in the oven!
Bake – Let the salsa chicken bake uncovered for 30 minutes. You can then remove it and sprinkle the cheese over the top – and don’t skimp! Place it back in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Now that the cheese is melty and the chicken is tender and juicy it’s time to dig in! Serve this up with a side of cilantro lime cauliflower rice. You can even top it off with some sliced avocado, homemade guacamole, or sour cream if that’s your style. Enjoy!
Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap on your work surface. Place one chicken breast slightly off center, and fold one side of the wrap loosely over the top of the chicken. The plastic wraps keeps the chicken juices from flying all over your kitchen.
Grab a meat tenderizer/mallet and pound the chicken. You can also use a rolling pin or other heavy object to pound your chicken out.
You don’t want to flatten the chicken – just get it to an even thickness.
Recipe FAQs:
There are about 7 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber in this recipe, so 5 net grams of carbs. But this will vary depending on the salsa that you are using.
Yes it is! Some brands of salsa can be sweeter than others so the carbs may vary but in general salsa is low in carbs and great for a keto diet!
You do not need to cover the chicken when baking, it should be baked uncovered. The salsa will provide the moisture to keep the chicken from drying out!
MORE MEXICAN INSPIRED RECIPES!
- Crockpot Chicken Fajitas: Serve them over cauliflower rice or in a low carb tortilla!
- Taco Pizza: Made with my favorite low carb pizza crust.
- Keto Taco Casserole: We make this one often!
- Guacamole Chicken Melt: If you love guac, this is for you.
- Keto Enchilada Sauce: So simple and flavorful!
- Homemade Queso Dip: This cheesy low carb dish is perfect for dipping with some keto bread or crackers!
Baked Salsa Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 6 ounces each
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ cups salsa
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness.
- Season the chicken with the garlic salt, chili powder, and cumin.
- Pour ½ cup of salsa in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and spread to coat the bottom.
- Place the chicken on top of the salsa. Pour the remaining salsa over the top of the chicken.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top of the chicken with the cheese. Return to the oven for 3-4 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.
Karly Sheeley says
My family loved this and asked me to repeat it. I did use my homemade enchilada sauce instead of salsa, but it worked beautifully. Thank you for the dinspiration!
Susan says
I made this tonight and it was the bomb! Absolutely delicious! You can really taste and smell the cumin. Added sour cream on top. Would definitely make again!!!
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Susan!
Margaret Cantu says
Thank you for responding. But. Could not wait to hear from you.
I decided to warm it up in the microwave. Did not add cheese. Came out very tasty.
I really enjoyed the meal
Thank you.
Margaret L Cantu says
Reheating:
What temp. ?
How long?
Should I add more cheese or remove to warm up chicken?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Margaret! We usually just reheat food in the microwave until it’s heated through. You can add more cheese if you like.
Laura Samaniego-Johnson says
What kind of Store red salsa do you recommend or do you have a recipe for one?
Karly Campbell says
We linked to our recipe for salsa in the ingredients list. 🙂
Liz says
Could you use boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts? If so what do you recommend changing the cook time to?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Liz! I’m sure you could change it up, but I’m not sure how long it would take to bake. We don’t like thighs in our house, so don’t cook with them often. 🙂
Liz says
Just got done making it with chicken thighs, cook time only varied by 5-10 mins. So yum and simple.
Thank you!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks for sharing, Liz!
Jo Welch says
Thank you.
Jo Welch says
Can this be made ahead of time, say in the morning, and just pop it in the oven when I get home in the evening, or even the day before?
Thanks.
Karly Campbell says
Yes, I think so, though I haven’t tried it.
Kimberly Walker says
Delicious! Best of all super easy to make especially on a work night. My family loved it so much I had to make it again the next day! I used sliced pepper jack cheese because my local store didn’t have shredded, otherwise I made it exactly as the recipe says. Served it with cilantro lime rice.
Karly Campbell says
So glad you and the family enjoyed it!
Britni says
What kind of salsa do you use?
Karly Campbell says
We normally use this homemade salsa, but any store bought salsa that you like with 2 carbs per 2 tbsp should be fine. Tostitos is our preferred brand for store bought.
Ruby Dora Lucas says
Can you freeze the salsa chicken & for how long?
Thanks Dora
Karly Campbell says
I’ve never tried freezing it, but I think it would freeze like any other chicken recipe. 🙂
Lan says
Karly,
I too have to watch sodium intake!! The salsa I use comes from Wal-Mart produce departement, its fresh not bottled and sodium content is 160 mg for 2 TBPS, I use garlic powder and onion powder instead of garlic salt, use monzeralla cheese for 160 mg sodium I use more pepper to season instead of salt. I think these amounts are with in reason, so far its worked for me. I hope these tips help someone somewhere. Thanks Karly for all you do. Lan
Karly Campbell says
Thanks for sharing!
Tiffany says
Excellent! Chicken was moist. Great flavor. And super easy! Thanks for the recipe.
❤️❤️
Tiffany
Phlanx’s Marketing Specialist
Megan Smith says
I cook up chicken breasts in the Crock-Pot using green salsa and top it with Mexican blend cheese and guacamole. Ole!
Karly Campbell says
Yum!
Kay says
This sounds absolutely amazing! Our family has at least 1-2 Mexican meals per week, but it’s time for something new instead of the same ol’ repeats. I’ll be adding this to next week’s menu for the family. Thank you for sharing.
Karly Campbell says
Hope you all enjoy it!
Jeanine R Lawley says
Does sound delicious. Sodium is too high for me. I know it’s not from the chicken. Is it the salsa?
Karly Campbell says
The salsa, cheese, and garlic salt would all have sodium.
polly h nash says
I will def try this, but w/ red or green enchilada sauce
Karly Campbell says
I think a green sauce would be great here!
Elisa says
Hello,
When you mention salsa in this recipe, what exaxtly is it please?
Thanks
Karly Campbell says
Hi Elisa! I’m not sure what you’re asking exactly…what is salsa? It’s a chopped up mix of tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, and spices. What brand did I use? I either use homemade (linked to in the recipe) or Tostito’s resturant style most often, but any brand you like is fine.