It’s 2012. How many checks have you already messed up by writing 2011 on them? Oh, that’s right…I’m the only one still using a checkbook. What can I say? I’m old school. Some things die hard.
Regardless, it’s another new year. Holidays are over. Winter break is over. Everybody’s back at school, back at work, back at trying to eat healthy and cooking regular meals. Back to getting up at 5am. Again, just me?
Let’s grab the bull by the horns, okay? Seize the day! Learn to make something that we can’t pronounce…something complicated…something that takes 10 hours long and has our back writhing in pain!
Bwahahahaha. Now, we know that’s not me.
How about something with only 4 ingredients, 5 minutes of prep, and only uses one pan?
Ya. Now we’re talkin’.
Salsa Verde Chicken Bake
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
• 2 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 jar (16 ounce) tomatillo salsa verde
• 2 cups grated Monterey jack and/or pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line the dish with the thighs so that they’re flat and do not overlap. Try to cover the bottom as completely as you can with the chicken.
Cover the chicken pieces evenly with the salsa verde. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the chicken, increase the oven heat to 400°F and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
Spoon over cooked rice, sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
(slightly adapted from Simply Recipes)
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Just… YUMM-O. Love this one… reheated is great too. So delicious, so easy! Thanks Amy!!
YAY!! I’m so excited you’re going through the archives. Have I already said that? You’re actually reminding me of so many recipes I haven’t made in a long time. Paul loves this one :D
Julie K introduced me to your site and I’m a fan! This dish I’ve made twice in one week…and the Chicken soup was AWESOME!!
Oh yay! *claps hands wildly* I love Julie. Welcome, welcome to you!
I just wanted to let you know I cook this at least once a week for my husband! He would have it every night if I’d let him…very easy to make and very delicious too! Great recipe found on Pinterest… :)
Hi Linda – thrilled to hear it! Aren’t these just the best…few ingredients and prep, but without sacrificing flavor? It’s a great go-to weeknight meal when you’re toast. Thanks so much for stopping by. I love Pinterest!
Made this for dinner tonight! Yum! I did make some yummo modifications; I added sliced leeks and used cheddar/gruyere cheese (that’s all I had). I served it with a salad of avocado, red peppers, cucumbers and cilantro with a lemon vinaigrette. Very, very easy. The easy prep allowed me to make dinner while entertaining my three and a half year old.
My son LOVED this meal!
Thank you!!
Hi Kim – I love your modifications…gruyere, be still my heart. And the side salad sounds great! So glad this worked out for you :D We can all use easy dishes in our life, especially with little kids.
I always love new chicken recipes, and this one seems like no exception! It sure is hard sometimes to get back into that routine — even cooking — after such a long break, isn’t it?
P.S. You are SO not the only one waking up at 5 am…. Shoot me now.
I get up at the crack of dawn because it’s the only time I can accomplish anything before the rugrats are awake. You have to get up that early for work? I think that’s worse. Ugh.
It’s already typed into my menu for next week! I’ve seen this recipe on Elise’s page before, but never seriously considered making it until a) you posted it because one pot dish you like = one pot dish I like and b) when I discussed it with Steve, the words “yes I do too like salsa verde” were spoken. Whoops. :P
Funny thing is, I had very low expectations for this, but I needed something quick and easy that night. No cartwheels, per se, but it was a very pleasant surprise. Paul loves it. I’ve already made it again. Good, simple weeknight meal.
Elise used breasts, which I’m sure are good too…but you know, I’m a thigh gal. Like you. And I also used a larger casserole dish so I could cook more chicken, and thus have left overs the next day. I recommend going with the pepper jack cheese for more heat. Like I need to tell YOU that!
Hey, tell me what you think I need to be told! ;) I will keep all that in mind. I definitely want leftovers the next day. And I don’t expect it to be like… scallops pancetta pea puree mind blowing, but it seems like a weeknight/leftover lunch meal to make both me and Steve very happy. Love those kind of recipes the MOST. :)
I made it last night and it was perfectly wonderful. But here’s the thing – and yes, I am so slow: it wasn’t until I was explaining to Steve what we were having for dinner (worried he may not like it after all) that it occurred to me that it was just like this recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/salsa-chicken/
(no sour cream used over here)
which was, like, my second or third thing I ever cooked ever when I started making us food about 7 years ago. Just with red salsa and cheddar. So! I did half the pan with green sauce and half with red with the pepper jack I bought grated over the whole thing. We all (I, Steve, brother-in-law who stopped by) agreed the green was better. HA.
Anyway, long story short (except, um, not), it’s a great weeknight meal and I love that we found an updated better version of something I made so long ago. :)
Well, that explains why you were interested in this dish to begin with – it jogged taste bud memories on a subconscious level. Too funny. I’m glad I played a small role in reminding you :D
My husband cannot leave a grocery store without a jar of tomatillo salsa, so I usually have 2-3 jars in the fridge at all times. Thanks for the inspiration! Happy New Year to you and your family and good luck with the workout – I don’t dare even start that one!
I always have it on hand too, so this recipe totally jumped out at me. And nobody seems to want to exercise with me. Can’t imagine why? *wink* Happy New Year to you, too Lana!
Cook it! Happy 12 2 U. GREG
{laughing}!! Your posts always cheer me up, Amy. Even when I don’t need cheering :-) Love this easy recipe, too. Salsa Verde is SO yummy!! Sometimes I’ll make this (or something darn similar) and I’ll serve it with tortillas instead of rice. Or just ADD the tortillas to it and have the chicken and rice INSIDE the tortilla. Or I’ll just eat it right out of the pan. In any case, it’s always yummy!!
Sigh. I’m back to being up at 6. Not that I ever STOPPED getting up at six…even over the holidays. (maybe on new year’s day. When I may have slept until EIGHT. What is WRONG with me?!?!?)
I’m kind of in love with how cheesy this is.
Gotta say, this little ditty is about as easy to eat as it is to make. Love this dish.
Looks delish Amy!! My kind of chicken!! :)
Oh, dude. This is sooooo amazing. I’m all over it.
This degree of simplicity is about all I can handle right now anyway. Something about the holidays has incapacitated me for regular life.
Then again, maybe simplicity COULD become my regular life . . .
I think all the holiday prep zapped a lot of people. I know right now all I want to do is scramble eggs and eat sandwiches.
This is right up my alley!!! Since I can last about 30 minutes standing, before the pain gets to bad. I love easy, fast & tasty!!! BTW…I haven’t screwed any checks, YET!! LOL Thank you Amy, for this recipe and I’m sure my hubby thanks you too!!!
I don’t like being on my feet for a long time prepping. But honestly, it’s all the clean up that does me in. So when I find a yummy one-pot meal, I’m all over it. Hope you guys like it! (If you don’t mind spicy, I would go with the pepper jack cheese – definitely adds another layer.)
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