Taste Tested Tuesday: Mexican Chicken Breasts
Posted by Andrea
We really enjoy Mexican food, but sometimes we become bored with the usual tacos and fajitas I often prepare. The other day I had a taste for Mexican, so I marinated a few chicken breasts, baked them, and topped them other Mexican fixings. The result was a juicy chicken breast bursting with flavor!
In my opinion, there are two “must haves” that make this a stellar meal. The first is the marvelous marinade that also works well with beef. The other is the salsa. You can use a traditional tomato based salsa or any other salsa you choose, but I prefer to use the homemade corn and bean based salsa we love.
Marinade
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons cumin
1-2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts
Other ingredients:
1 cup salsa
1 cup Mexican style shredded cheese
1 cup sour cream
In a large bowl combine all the marinade ingredients except the chicken breasts. Once thoroughly combined, pour the marinade into a resealable plastic bag and add chicken. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
To prepare, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with a cooking spray and place the marinated chicken breasts into the dish. Bake for 30 minutes.
Approximately five minutes before the chicken breasts are done, heat salsa in the microwave for about one minute. Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and top with each breast with 1/4 cup salsa and 1/4 cup cheese. Return chicken to the oven and bake until cheese has melted.
Remove chicken from the oven and top each breast with a dollop (or more) of sour cream. Serve immediately.
Photo: Courtesy of heyrocc (Flickr)
Yummy! We like Mexican here to!