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Easy Creamy Baked Salsa Chicken

ByMelissa Jo Posted on Updated on
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A person lifts a serving of cheesy baked lasagna from a casserole dish with melted cheese stretching, in a kitchen setting.

This Easy Creamy Baked Salsa Chicken is a simple, flavor-packed dinner made with juicy taco-seasoned chicken breasts baked over enchilada sauce, green chilies, and refried beans, then topped with cream cheese, chunky salsa, and melted Colby cheese. Everything bakes together in one pan for about 30 minutes, creating a creamy, cheesy salsa chicken that’s perfect served over rice.

This recipe was inspired by my viral Texas Trash Chicken, which readers absolutely loved for its creamy, cheesy baked chicken goodness. If you enjoyed that recipe, you’re going to love this Tex-Mex inspired version.

A variety of Mexican food ingredients on a checkered surface, including refried beans, chunky salsa, enchilada sauce, diced green chiles, cream cheese, and taco seasoning mix, set in a kitchen.

These are my favorite brands of ingredients to use when making Tex Mex recipes like this one. La Victoria is my favorite for red enchilada sauce. Herdez makes a very authentic Mexican flavored salsa. If you prefer homemade I have an authentic Pico de Gallo recipe to use instead. La Preferida refried beans is so good you can eat right out of the can!

A hand with red-painted nails uses a red spatula to mix green chiles, chopped red onions, and red sauce in a white rectangular dish on a kitchen counter.

Mix the base sauce right in the baking dish. Red enchilada sauce, green chiles, and finely diced red onion.

Raw chicken breasts coated with a reddish spice blend are marinating in a tray filled with a dark, seasoned liquid. The chicken is uncooked and evenly covered in spices and marinade.

I love & use a 1 oz packet of Old El Paso Taco Seasoning. If you prefer homemade here is how to make using the seasonings in your cabinet: 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.

A hand pours chunky tomato sauce from a jar over a dish filled with cheese and other ingredients, preparing a meal in a white rectangular baking dish.
A baking dish filled with enchiladas topped with generous amounts of shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, ready to be baked. The dish sits on a checkered-patterned surface.
A person serves a cheesy, baked lasagna from a white dish; the lasagna is topped with melted cheese, tomato sauce, and chopped herbs, with cheese stretching as a slice is lifted.
A person is lifting a cheesy, baked lasagna slice from a casserole dish with a spatula. The lasagna is topped with melted cheese and chopped herbs, and cheese is stretching as the slice is lifted.
A woman with red nails and a brown top stands in a bright kitchen, holding a fork in one hand and covering part of her face with the other, as if laughing or embarrassed. White cabinets and a farmhouse sink are in the background.
This is me realizing that this recipe is so INCREDIBLE, it even beats my viral Texas Trash Chicken!!
A plate with an omelet topped with sauce and chopped green onions, a serving of white rice with sauce, and a tofu puff garnished with green onions. A baking dish with more sauce is in the background.

Tips for Recipe Success

  1. Butterfly the chicken breasts lengthwise for a thinner breast AND more surface area to slather the creamy, cheesy salsa topping over.
  2. Listen, It’s only going to take you about 5-7 more minutes to freshly shred the Colby Jack cheese, and the difference is more gooey melty cheese, and less hardened waxy cheese.
  3. BEST Oven-Baking hack: When you cover the baking dish with tin foil (aluminum foil) spray a little Pam or nonstick cooking spray onto the side of the foil that would touch the cheese and chicken. This will prevent your cheese from sticking to the foil and leave it where it should be…on the chicken!
  4. In this recipe you will use half of the can of refried beans in the dish. Serve the rest as a small side on the dinner plate and drizzle the sauce from the bottom of the pan over the beans. OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS!!
  5. Food Styling Rice Hack: Serve with white rice, I like to use the premade sticky rice you just heat up in the microwave. Heat it up or cook long grain white rice and then pack the cooked rice into a ramekin while it’s warm. Then, flip it onto the dinner plate. It looks SO gourmet! And then you guessed it; drizzle the sauce from the bottom of the pan over the rice. DELICIOUS.

🤔 Common Questions

Can I freeze baked salsa chicken?

Yes. Let the dish cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven or microwave.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Absolutely. Assemble the dish up to 24 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Bake when ready.

A plate with an omelette topped with sauce and chopped green onions, a mound of white rice with sauce, and a tofu puff also garnished with sauce and green onions. A baking dish with more food is in the background.

Easy Creamy Baked Salsa Chicken

The BEST easy creamy salsa chicken breast dinner, in just a few easy steps! Fill the base of the baking dish with your sauces and flavor makers, season the chicken breast, and top it with salsa and cheese! At the end of this recipe not only will you have the creasiest flavorful bite, but the sauce at the bottom of the pan is going to make the best sauce for your rice and beans!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

Prep the Chicken

  • Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  • Butterfly the chicken breasts so you have four thinner pieces. Place them in a bowl and sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken. Mix well so the seasoning coats all sides.
  • Set aside.

Make the Sauce Base

  • In a 9×13 baking dish, add:
  • the enchilada sauce
  • green chilies
  • minced red onion
  • Stir everything together directly in the pan.

Add the Refried Beans

  • Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, drop small scoops of refried beans evenly across the sauce mixture.
  • You’ll use about half the can (8 ounces).

Add the Chicken

  • Lay the seasoned chicken breasts evenly across the pan over the sauce mixture.

Add the Cream Cheese

  • Take the cream cheese and crumble small pieces over each piece of chicken (about 1 ounce per chicken breast).
  • You can spread it if softened, but crumbling works just fine.

Add the First Layer of Cheese

  • Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of shredded Colby cheese over each chicken breast.

Add the Salsa

  • Pour the entire jar of chunky salsa evenly over the chicken.

Add Remaining Cheese

  • Top everything with the remaining shredded Colby cheese.
  • Sprinkle green onions on top if desired.

Bake

  • Lightly spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray and loosely tent the baking dish.
  • Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and melted.

Serve

  • Remove the chicken from the pan.
  • Stir cooked rice into the creamy enchilada sauce mixture in the bottom of the pan and serve the chicken over the rice.
  • Warm the remaining refried beans and serve them on the side for the perfect Tex-Mex dinner.
Keyword Easy Creamy Baked Salsa Chicken
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👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store your Easy Creamy Baked Salsa Chicken in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

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