Cheesy Salsa Smothered Chicken

Lean chicken breasts. Spicy salsa. Gooey cheese. What more do you need in an easy weeknight meal?

Note that the size of your chicken breasts and the consistency of your salsa will determine the overall cooking time for this dish (as well as the individual portion size and macro count). Use our cooking time as a guideline, not gospel, and be sure to adjust your macros.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Heat an oven-proof skillet (like cast iron) over medium-high heat. Rub the chicken breasts with the olive oil, garlic salt, black pepper and seasoning blend. Add the chicken to the hot pan and let it sear, about 3 minutes on each side, until brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. With the skillet still on the stove, add the chicken broth to the pan and use a spatula to scrape up any delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the salsa, stir, and let it bubble until the extra liquid evaporates and the salsa’s volume reduces by half, about 7–10 minutes.
4. When the salsa is thickened, nestle the chicken breasts back in the sauce. Top each chicken breast with 11 grams of cheese, and place the pan skillet in the hot oven. Let the dish bake until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through, about 5–10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken.
5. Serve with lime wedges alongside rice or your favorite vegetable.

This recipe is driven by salsa, so make sure you use a brand that you like. If you find your salsa is a little bland, try adding extra salt and some fresh lime juice.

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