Bright green salsa verde over tender cooked chicken, topped with a shower of melty cheese. This easy weeknight chicken dinner makes a great prep-ahead meal, too!
I have a bit of an obsession with the flavor of bright, full, packs-a-punch-but-doesn’t-knock-you-out salsa verde.
Salsa verde literally means “green sauce”. My favorite way to make it is by roasting halved tomatillos and blending them with fresh and vibrant cilantro, zesty lime juice, fresh garlic, and, occasionally, jalapeno or a habanero chile. Some days, you just crave that hit of heat in your salsa!
This is one of the meals I’ve been sending out with my Prep Pack deliveries, and the feedback I’m getting on it is awesome.
People are loving how they can make parts or all of this dish ahead of time and then cook it the night they need it.
They also love how quickly this simple chicken dinner comes together, and how good the leftovers are the next day!
Seriously- this is definitely a weeknight chicken dinner that tastes even better the next day. It’s the perfect dinner-turned-lunch dish.
And the cherry on top is that it freezes like a rockstar, which means it’s the perfect addition to a meal prep batch sesh.
Plus, topping off this dish with a shower of melty cheese makes it pretty tough to beat.
It’s definitely one of my new favorites, and I can’t wait to share it with you! Click here for more details on grabbing your own Prep Pack (NYC only at this time)
Salsa Verde Chicken Bake
Description
A simple chicken weeknight dinner that works great as a freezer meal, too! Bright and zesty salsa verde smothers layers of melty cheese and tender, seasoned chicken. This is a new family favorite that makes a great potluck dish, too!
Ingredients
FOR THE SALSA VERDE:
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¼ cup cilantro leaves, packed
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2 cloves garlic
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5-6 large tomatillos, peeled and rinsed
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¼ cup lime juice
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Optional: 1 jalapeno, stem removed
FOR THE CHICKEN
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2 pounds boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs)
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1 cup shredded pepper jack or mozzarella cheese
Instructions
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Heat an oven to 400*F and arrange the tomatillos, sliced side down, on a sheet pan. Roast the tomatillos until they have softened and have begun to brown, then transfer to a blender or food processor.
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Add the lime juice, cilantro, and garlic and jalapeno if using and blend until smooth.
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Turn the oven down to 350*F. Pound the chicken thin and season the liberally on all sides with salt and pepper.
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Line half the chicken at the bottom of an 8×8” casserole dish, then spread half the cheese on top.
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Layer the other half of the seasoned chicken on top.
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Pour the salsa verde into the chicken, gently pressing the chicken into it. If freezing, store the second half of the cheese for once the dish is baked. Wrap tightly and freeze.
To cook from fresh or thawed: Thaw the dish in the fridge overnight as needed. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350*F for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the chicken is cooked through.
Prep it for the freezer:
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Make salsa verde and store separately
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Pound the chicken and store separately
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Store the shredded cheese separately