This weeknight dinner recipe is bursting with fresh Southwestern flavor. OMG, it's so easy that's it's almost too embarrassing to post!
So good with a side of roasted sweet potatoes or pasta con broccoli!!
Once you've made this you've got to try the Baked French Onion Chicken!!
🥘 Ingredients
We always called this Texas Two Step chicken. Since I usually have the ingredients on hand it's my go to for last minute dinners.
- Chicken breast or chicken thighs are my favorite but you could use bone in chicken as well.
- I use chipotle mustard because I like the extra spice. You can use any dijon mustard you prefer.
🔪 Instructions
- Just preheat your oven and spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Put the chicken in the dish - don't crowd it.
- Whisk the mustard, brown sugar, and salsa in a bowl and pour it over the top.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes and serve with rice.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: Make this even easier! Grill the chicken ahead of time and bake for just 10 -15 minutes or until warmed through. The grilling gives it a nice smoky flavor. 🍗
- Salsa chicken freezes well. I like to add the ingredients in meal sized portions to bags and vacuum seal them to use for later. I leave the chicken uncooked - then it's just a thaw, dump, and go! You can see how I do it in this easy freezer meal prep tutorial.
- I've made this recipe with pork chops, too. Delicious!
- Serve with rice, potatoes, cornbread casserole, or whatever you like.
- Leftovers are delicious in warm, soft tortillas!
- You can put it together up to 2 days ahead of time.
- It will be fine tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- You can make this in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours but the sauce gets watery - I don't recommend it.
When I inherited my mom’s 1939 edition of Better Homes and Gardens cookbook it was stuffed with recipes she had clipped over the years. Once in awhile I still very carefully go through them to reacquaint myself with flavors and foods from my childhood.
One of the worn and stained papers has a recipe that was on the back of Pace Picante sauce at some point.
I love this simple salsa chicken recipe - it's right up there with the slow cooker tequila lime chicken.
📖 Recipe
Texas Two Step Salsa Chicken
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1 ½ cups salsa
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon spicy mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F
- Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally to make 2 pieces each
- Rub a baking pan with olive oil.
- Lay the 8 pieces of chicken breast in the pan.
- Mix the picante, brown sugar, and spicy mustard together until smooth.
- Pour over the chicken.
- Bake 20 minutes until it reaches a temp of 160F.
- Let sit on the counter for five to ten minutes so that the juices settle and the temperature continues to rise to 165F.
Notes
- Salsa chicken freezes well. I like to add the ingredients in meal sized portions to bags and vacuum seal them to use for later. I leave the chicken uncooked - then it's just a thaw, dump, and go!
- Make this even easier! Grill the chicken ahead of time and bake for just 10 -15 minutes or until warmed through. The grilling gives it a nice smoky flavor.
- I've made this recipe with pork chops, too. Delicious!
- I think it's best served with rice.
- Leftovers are delicious in warm, soft tortillas!
- You can put it together up to 2 days ahead of time.
- It will be fine tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Facts
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published March 13, 2015. Last updated April 14, 2021 for better readability and user experience.
Kendall
What seasoning did you put on the chicken in the video?
Thank you!
Marye
I used my copycat popeye's chicken seasoning but you could also use tony chachere's. https://www.restlesschipotle.com/copycat-popeyes-seasoning-salt-recipe/
Tim M
I've been making this recipe for years, I didn't know it had a name. I had a friend show up at home, I had chicken breasts in the freezer and Pace Picante in the cabinet. Turned out to be great, with the box of scalloped potatoes and a can of peas and snaps. Oddly enough the combination goes great together. We're having it again tonight. I grill my butterflied chicken on low in a skillet, season with cumin and chilli powder. Once the chicken is almost done I add 1 cup of water to make a broth, then pour the picante in the broth and smother the chicken. The chicken almost falls apart. Thanks for sharing!
Marye Audet
It sounds like a great technique! Thanks for reading.
Anthony
This looks so delicious and not really hard to make. I will try your recipe to make it for my family. Thank you so much for sharing this !
Marye Audet
I hope you all enjoy it!
Anna
Now I'm gonna be in love with your Texas Two Step Chicken. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Marye Audet
🙂 let me know what you think
Mariana
Hey it's delicious! 1 vote for this recipe. I'm gonna try this tomorrow. Thank you.