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Southwest Baked Chicken – a baked chicken recipe that is ready in no time, with tons of flavor. Just 4 ingredients and dinner is done!
Are you ready for a new chicken recipe? We eat a lot of chicken at our house, but the same old dinners can get old and boring fast. So I like to mix it up and make sure that my family stays excited about different chicken dinner ideas.
This Southwest Baked Chicken recipe is perfect. You get all the delicious Tex-Mex/Mexican flavors, but in a super quick and easy recipe!
We are all busy, so getting dinner on the table quickly is an absolute must! This baked chicken recipe takes about 2 minutes worth of hands on time, and then you just let the oven do the work to cook everything!
You can double the recipe in no extra time, so you have meal prep ready for you for the week. Or if you are cooking for just one, you can easily pair it down to not have a lot of extra food sitting around.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Chicken Breasts – you could use chicken thighs as well
- Taco Seasoning – a store bought packet or my Homemade Taco Seasoning is great.
- Salsa – jarred salsa is actually best for this because it is less watery
- Shredded Cheese – cheddar or some kind of Mexican blend works well
- Cilantro – optional garnish. You could also use parsley if you aren’t a fan of cilantro
How to Make Southwest Baked Chicken
- Start by sprinkling taco seasoning evenly over the chicken.
- Pour the salsa for the chicken and then you just bake!
- Once the chicken is almost completely baked top with cheese and then return to the oven to melt completely.
- You can top with a little fresh cilantro at the end to brighten up the flavor, but this is completely optional!
What to Serve with Baked Chicken
This is one of those meals you could really serve a bunch of different ways. You could go basic with Mexican Rice, Refried Beans or Slow Cooker Black Beans if you wanted to complete the Tex-Mex Meal.
You could serve with the Best Cornbread recipe or a Tossed Salad or even Roasted Asparagus on the side
How Long To Bake Chicken
It really depends on how thick your chicken is. But generally speaking I find it takes about 25 minutes to fully cook chicken when baking it. If your chicken is thinner it will be done quicker, but this is the average time. It is best to check with a meat thermometer to test for doneness. It is safe to eat chicken at 165º F.
This easy baked chicken is ready in minutes and such a great dinner any night of the week. Only a few ingredients are needed, so you can have everything you need to make this on hand at all times! Just add your favorite side dish and dinner is done.
Yes, you definitely can. Just add the chicken, taco seasoning and salsa to the crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Top with the cheese, put the lid back on for about 15 minutes for it to melt and it should be delicious and ready to go!
Chicken lasts for up to 4 days in the fridge. So cover or place in an airtight container. You can reheat in the microwave.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Italian Baked Chicken
- Chicken Madeira
- Garlic Tomato Baked Chicken
- Sous Vide Chicken Breasts
- Fiesta Lime Chicken
- Crispy Chicken Codon Bleu
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
Southwest Baked Chicken
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup shredded cheese, (cheddar, mexican blend etc.)
- Cilantro to garnish, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F
- Sprinkle taco seasoning evenly over both sides of chicken. Place in a baking dish. Pour salsa over the top of the chicken.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Garnish with cilantro if using.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton. The opinions and text are all mine.
My family loves chicken and I am always looking for new recipes! This one looks so inviting!
This dinner was amazing! I will be making it often! Thank you!
yeah not much energy for lost ingredients for old man annnd me