Skillet Salsa Chicken

Supper in a hurry just got a whole lot easier! And, as an added bonus, there’s very little clean up too! Skillet Salsa Chicken is ready in thirty minutes, uses only one pan, and is simple delicious. Use your favourite salsa to make this quick and easy chicken dinner!

It’s been a while since most of us have faced the dreaded task of commuting home from work only to have to prepare dinner for the family. Many of us are working from home now, so it’s easy to take a minute or two during the work day to get something into the oven. Others do not have that luxury, so this Skillet Salsa Chicken recipe is for you!

Whether that is your case or not, you can still enjoy this wonderful tasting chicken. All you need is a skillet to make everything happen. It’s really just a matter of seasoning and browning the chicken first in some olive oil before finishing it up in the oven with the salsa. Who doesn’t have time for that!?

The key to this dish being a success is to use a salsa that you love. If you have nacho night at your house, be sure to use that same salsa. Now is not the time to experiment with trying a new brand. Since chicken tastes like chicken – look at me being overly descriptive! – it’s the salsa that’s the star of this dish. Let’s get into it!

SALSA

Go to any grocery store and walk down the aisle with all of the jarred salsas. How many options do you have? There’s the obvious – hot, medium, and mild. I love spicy food, but I don’t care much for hot salsa. So, for me, I’d go with mild, because not everyone like spicy food. I can always add hot sauce afterward if I want.

Next, there’s the ingredients. There’s salsas out there with peppers, beans, corn, etc. Could you use one of those? Yes. If it’s your favourite, go for it. I just have one word of caution. Salsas that have things like beans and corn tend to be very thick and chunky. Although that type will work in this recipe, a thinner, restaurant-style salsa, is best. The liquid will evaporate a bit in the oven, and if you have used a thick salsa, you might be left with a dryer sauce. It’s not the end of the world, and it will still be delicious!

Restaurant-style salsa is usually thinner in consistency. And, it has no chunks of tomatoes, onions, or peppers. It’s what I like to call a smooth salsa – like this store-bought Pace original. Now, we only ever buy two types of salsa. First, it’s Tostitos Mild Salsa for McKenna, but John.e and I prefer the PC Brand White Corn and Black Bean Salsa. In this recipe though, I used my homemade salsa, because it’s restaurant style, has jalapenos in it, and it’s delicious! Oftentimes, I’m asked how I use up all of my canned items, well, here’s one example of how I put them to use!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Olive Oil – I always use extra virgin light olive oil so that the flavour is muted.  Olive oil has a high heat tolerance, so it’s perfect for sautéing.
• Chicken Breasts – See the notes on preparing and/or selecting chicken breasts in the next section.
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder & Onion Powder
• Salsa – Be sure to use a restaurant-style salsa if possible. You can use your favourite salsa too, but read the section above about salsas first.
• Parsley – For freshness and garnish.
• Butter – For flavour!

HOW TO MAKE SKILLET SALSA CHICKEN

Preheating the oven is vitally important, so do that first. Your oven should be fully preheated to 400 degrees by the time you have finished browning the chicken. Place the skillet over medium heat. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add the olive oil to the skillet and carefully place the chicken breast in. The chicken pieces should not be touching.

Fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side. Don’t move the chicken around while it’s frying. The more you move the chicken, the less contact it will have with the surface of the pan, which will slow down the browning. Once browned on both sides, turn off the heat and remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a plate.

Add the butter to the skillet and allow the residual heat to melt it. Add in the salsa and stir it to combine it with the butter. Place the chicken back into the skillet in a single layer – right on top of the salsa. Place the skillet into the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, garnish, and serve immediately.

THE RIGHT CHICKEN FOR THIS RECIPE

I’m using chicken breasts in this recipe for two reasons. The first reason is that chicken breast meat is healthier and leaner. But, also, breast meat cooks much faster than dark meat. To get the chicken just right for this recipe, you will want to pay attention to the following suggestions.

To keep this recipe quick – thirty minutes or less – you will need to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Bone-in meat, even though I prefer it, because it’s more flavourful, needs more time to cook. The skin being left on creates grease, which will thin out the sauce in the end. We don’t want that!

Chicken breasts come in various sizes. If you have thick breast meat, you might want to thin it out so that it cooks all the way through in the amount of time depicted in the recipe card. The maximum thickness on the fat end of the breast should not exceed 3/4 inch. If it’s more, place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound the thick end with a wooden rolling pin. This will flatten it out, ensuring that it cooks properly.

OTTAWA VALLEY MEATS

The chicken you see in the photographs is from Ottawa Valley Meats. I used two packages of the skinless boneless chicken breasts, which is one pound. Sourced from local generational family farms that organically feed and raise White Rock chickens in a free-range environment. All their chicken products are air-chilled; this process significantly limits water content and ensures a superior taste and texture.

You can find a complete list at Ottawa Valley Meats. If you are in Ontario, be sure to take a look at the website. Ottawa Valley Meats offers seafood, beef, poultry, pork, etc. And, they deliver right to your door!

BAKED CHICKEN DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DRY!

If you’ve ever had chicken breasts baked in the oven and they were too dry, there could be various reasons why, but I’m pretty certain I can narrow it down to just one. Are you ready to hear the truth? Here it is! The person in charge of baking that chicken let it stay in the oven too long. There, I said it!

I have baked enough chicken in my lifetime. And, I have learned a few very important things. These things will keep your chicken tender and juicy every single time. Move over dry chicken breast! There’s no room for you at Lord Byron’s house! I’m going to tell you just how I get the most tender and moist chicken every single time.

NO MORE DRY CHICKEN!

The first thing you need to remember is as follows. If you are baking chicken pieces – dark or white meat – keep the pieces separated. Do not allow the chicken to touch or overlap. Doing so prevents the pieces from cooking properly, which most likely means a longer time in the oven.

Also, depending on how much overlap there is, you might be creating steam. Steam is heat and steam will overcook the chicken! No matter what type of chicken you’re cooking, keep the pieces separated! Want proof? Just look at these photos of my Baked Parmesan Chicken Fingers! 

Secondly, always, always, always preheat your oven! I have seen so many home cooks place chicken breasts in a cold oven and then turn it on. That whole time your oven is preheating, your chicken is cooking. Chances are, it’s going to dry out. 

Lastly, unless you’re baking chicken breasts the size of a turkey breast, there is never any need to bake them longer than 30 minutes. Never! If you’re worried about the chicken not being brown, there’s a solution to that. Place your chicken under a broiler for a minute or two. That’s it!