After several decadent dessert recipes, I wanted to hit you guys with a healthier meal idea. Of all the dinner recipes I have, I most frequently receive positive feedback on my chicken recipes. #slavetothechicken LOL you guys can’t get enough. As my Christmas gift to you, I have another easy, healthy chicken recipe you can add to your arsenal – Salsa Chicken!

My sister-in-law Shannon used to make this recipe when it was her night to cook dinner in college. I was always amazed at how juicy it made the chicken, and how perfectly the mustard, sugar, and salsa melted together in the oven. It’s an insanely savory, delicious dinner that you can eat all winter long!

Salsa Chicken – easy, inexpensive, and healthy!

I think, in its own way, this Salsa Chicken recipe is perfect for the holiday season. This time of year, everyone is feeling so busy with errands, financially stressed from all the Christmas shopping, and – let’s be real — we’re sucking down eggnog by the gallon (or is this just me? 😂 LOL)

With all of this craziness, this recipe is going to be a life saver for you over the next two weeks. Salsa Chicken is a one-pan recipe. As such, it requires virtually no clean-up, but also no prep. Dump it in the pan, stick it in the oven, and go finish wrapping gifts! Second, this recipe requires only five ingredients – three of which are likely already in your pantry – so it’s inexpensive! Finally, at only 527 calories, you get a dinner full of healthy carbs and protein.

The easiest way to cook brown rice

I recently added rice to this recipe (but you can easily omit it if you’d like to, and just use the chicken as the main dish). If you are making rice, I have a hack for you to make your rice cooking effortless :).

In the freezer aisle, they now have bags of frozen brown rice. You simply place the bag in the microwave and follow the instructions on the bag, and bang! Your rice is cooked. If you’d like to cook your own rice, check out this article on how to make it the old fashion way.

Print Recipe

Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken is an easy, inexpensive way to make healthy dinner for you or your family! Serve with brown rice for extra fiber, or swap out the brown rice for any veggie rice for a low-carb option!

Prep Time5

Cook Time1

Course: Dinner

Keyword: affordable recipes, Chicken Dinners, Chicken Dishes, dinner ideas

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 527kcal

Cost: $12

Equipment

casserole dish

Ingredients

1.5 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
3 tbsp Spicy Mustard
16 oz container of Chunky Salsa
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
1.5 cup Brown Rice Cooked (I buy frozen cooked brown rice! – saves a lot of cooking time)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F
Combine salsa, spicy mustard, brown sugar in a medium sized bowl. Stir until mixed together.
Pour oven chicken in a casserole tin. (Choose a casserole tin small enough that the chicken is covered by the salsa mixture – this keeps the chicken moist!)
Bake for 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked through (cut to make sure the inside no longer pink).
Shred the chicken with two forks.
Pour the shredded chicken and the brown rice back into the sauce.
Serve! If you want extra kick, sprinkle brown rice over the top. c

Video

Notes

For a lower calorie & lower carb version of this recipe, replace the brown rice with cauliflower rice.

When I meal prep this recipe for my dinners later in the week, I reheat the salsa chicken and rice in a skillet. To replicate the same fresh flavors of “day of” salsa chicken, I add a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of water to the skillet and stir until mixed through.