Salsa Verde Chicken Bake

photo credit here

This was so easy and very tasty.  I only used seven tenders and one cup (small can) of salsa verde.  The chicken stayed moist and the cheesy sauce was yummy served with chips.


1 1/4 to 1 1/3 pounds boneless skinless chicken
2 cups tomatillo salsa verde
4 ounces grated Monteray Jack and/or Pepper Jack cheese (I used the Pepper Jack for ours and the Mont. Jack for the kids to help cut back on it being too spicy)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)


Preheat oven to 350F.  Remove tenders from the chicken breasts and cut the larger pieces in half.  You should have 4 4-ounce chicken portions plus the tenders.  line a 8x8 casserole baking dish with the chicken pieces.  Try to cover the bottom as completely as you can with chicken.


Cover the chicken pieces with the salsa verde. Cover completely, there should be no exposed chicken or it will dry out. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, use it. The chicken should be removed from the oven when the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 150°F.

Sprinkle cheese over the chicken, increase the oven heat to 400°F and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, enough time for the cheese to melt and the sauce to get bubbly.

Remove from oven. Serve immediately. Spoon over cooked rice or quinoa. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips for crunch if you would like.