Salsa Verde Chicken Bake

This Salsa Verde Chicken Bake is an amazingly easy and delicious dinner the whole family is going to love! And this recipe with chicken, cheese, and slightly spicy Salsa Verde is low-carb, Keto, and gluten-free, if you care about that.

Pin the Salsa Verde Chicken to try it later!

Salsa Verde Chicken Bake is my Friday Favorites pick for this week, and it’s an easy dinner that everyone who likes green chile salsa is going to love! When the idea to use Salsa Verde in a recipe with chicken and lots of cheese popped into my head, Kara and I tested the recipe several times. And every time we made it we both gobbled up the Salsa Verde Chicken, and I devoured the leftovers as well!

And it seems other people are enjoying this perfectly seasoned, slightly spicy, and cheesy chicken recipe. Salsa Verde Chicken is perfect for an ultra-easy low-carb and Keto chicken dinner that’s quick enough to make on a work night! And the fun Mexican salt and pepper shakers in these photos are from Gorky Pottery, which I visited when I went to Mexico!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link) or your favorite low-sugar Salsa Verde
• boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ground cumin (affiliate link)
• Garlic Powder (affiliate link)
• Onion Powder (affiliate link)
• salt
• fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• grated Mozzarella cheese

Is the Salsa Verde Chicken low in carbs?

This tasty chicken with salsa verde only has 4 net carbs per serving and 26 grams of protein!

What’s the difference between Salsa and Salsa Verde?

Salsa Verde is a green Mexican salsa that uses tomatillos instead of red tomatoes, sometimes call Tomatillo Salsa Verde. The word verde means green in Spanish, and it refers to the color of the tomatillos and green chiles. Salsa Verde often has onions and sometimes lime juice. Homemade Salsa Verde is easy to make, but there are many good commercial brands available as well.

What cheese did we use for Salsa Verde Chicken Bake:

We used Mozzarella Cheese for this recipe but Monterey Jack would also be a great choice, or use a white Mexican cheese if you have some.

Want more easy chicken bake recipes?

I’m a fan of baked chicken dishes that I call chicken bakes, and this recipe is a perfect example. It uses the easy technique of seasoning the chicken and then pan-frying so it’s partly cooked. Then chicken breasts are cut into strips and arranged in baking dish. Then the recipe cooks in the oven with a tasty sauce or topping. This Chicken Bake recipe cooked in Salsa Verde is similar to my Greek Chicken Bake and my mega-popular Easy Baked Pesto Chicken, but the flavors are very different!

What brand of Salsa Verde did I use?

I’m a long-time fan of Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link). It’s partly because it doesn’t have added sugar and only has 30 carbs in the whole bottle, making it perfect for a recipe like this. I do love the flavor of this product, but any Salsa Verde that’s low in sugar will work fine here. (Herdez has not compensated me to feature their Salsa Verde here, and I’m pretty sure they don’t even know I’m alive!)

How to Make Salsa Verde Chicken Bake:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C and spray casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil.
2. Put Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link) or your preferred brand into a small pan and simmer over low heat until it’s reduced by one-fourth. Don’t skip this step or the final dish will be watery.
3. While Salsa Verde reduces, trim chicken breasts so they’re a similar size and thickness.
4. Combine the ground cumin (affiliate link), Garlic Powder (affiliate link), Onion Powder (affiliate link), salt, and pepper, and rub chicken with that mixture.
5. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and brown chicken over medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes per side.
6. When chicken is browned (but not cooked through) remove to a cutting board and cut each chicken breast into three lengthwise strips. (They should not be fully cooked at this point.)
7. Lay the chicken strips crosswise in the casserole dish, staggering them to fit as needed.
8. Pour reduced Salsa Verde over the chicken breasts.
9. Top with grated Mozzarella Cheese.
10. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the dish is bubbling hot, chicken is cooked through, and cheese is melted and nicely browned.
11. Serve the Salsa Verde Chicken hot and devour! Wasn’t that easy for a work night dinner?

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

There will be some flavorful sauce in the bottom of the dish, so I’d love this chicken baked in salsa verde with something like Easy Cauliflower Rice or Pureed Cauliflower with Garlic, Parmesan, and Goat Cheese that you can smother with the tasty sauce!

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe for Salsa Verde Chicken reheats well (in a pan on the stove over low heat is best) so it’s been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Continue to Content

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Yield: 8 servings

Salsa Verde Chicken Bake

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

This low-carb Salsa Verde Chicken Bake is quick and easy to make and this is delicious for a work night chicken dinner!

Ingredients

• one 16 oz. jar Herdez Salsa Verde (see notes)
• 4 very large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C and spray 9" x 13" (or similar size) casserole dish with non-stick spray or mist with olive oil.
2. Start by putting the Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link) or your preferred brand of Salsa Verde into a small pan and simmering over low heat until it's reduced by one-fourth (to 1 1/2 cups). This takes about 10 minutes, but don't skip this step or the final dish will be watery.
3. While Salsa Verde reduces, trim chicken breasts so they're a similar size and thickness. (You can also pound the chicken to make them equally thick if you prefer.)
4. Mix together the ground cumin (affiliate link), garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper and rub chicken on both sides with that mixture.
5. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and brown the chicken over medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes per side. (Don't overcook at this point.)
6. When chicken is barely browned, remove to a cutting board and cut each chicken breast into three lengthwise strips. (They are going to cook more in the oven, so they aren't fully cooked at this point.)
7.  Lay the chicken strips crosswise in the casserole dish, staggering them to fit as needed.
8. Pour the reduced Salsa Verde over the chicken breasts.
9. Top with grated Mozzarella Cheese.
10. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the dish is bubbling hot, chicken is cooked through, and cheese is melted and nicely browned.
11. Serve the Salsa Verde Chicken hot and devour!

Notes

I love Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link) because it's so delicious and low in carbs, but use any brand you prefer. Check the label for carbs and added sugar if you're using a different brand. Monterey Jack cheese would also be delicious for this. Use full-fat or reduced-fat cheese, whichever you prefer.

Recipe created by Kalyn from an idea that popped into her head, and tested with help from Kara.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 222Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 5gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 73mgSodium 706mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 26g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Salsa Verde Chicken Bake is a great dish for low-carb or Keto diet plans, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. South Beach would recommend reduced-fat cheese and low-carb and Keto diets would prefer full-fat cheese.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Oven Dinners for more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This tasty Salsa Verde Chicken dinner was posted in 2020. The recipe was featured for Friday Favorites in 2024, and last and updated with more information in 2025.