Make-Ahead Mexican Chicken (Oamc)

"This recipe is from a Pampered Chef party photocopy. I have always read and heard that it is not best practice to cook chicken in the juice that it marinates in, but I did for this recipe, and I'm still alive. It is not ABSOLUTELY necessary to freeze the chicken after combining all the ingredients in the bag - in fact, for my experience, I just took out frozen chicken breasts and defrosted the chicken in the sauce (in the fridge) and made it the very next night. The freezing part is just an option for busy people to have a convenient ready-made meal waiting in the freezer. I served this with cornbread and steamed veggies, but fiesta-style rice might be nice as well."
 
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photo by Greeny4444 photo by Greeny4444
photo by Greeny4444
photo by Boomette photo by Boomette
photo by Boomette photo by Boomette
photo by Greeny4444 photo by Greeny4444
Ready In:
1hr 20mins
Ingredients:
6
Serves:
4
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ingredients

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directions

  • Write "Mexican Chicken - 400 degrees F for 45 min, then melt cheese on top" on the outside of a Ziploc bag.
  • Place the chicken in a freezer bag.
  • Add all of the ingredients to the freezer bag, except the cheese.
  • Coat the chicken well, squeeze all of the air out of the bag, and freeze.
  • When you are ready to make the chicken, defrost the chicken in the refrigerator for 24 hours (this also marinates the chicken in the salsa).
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (as you have written on your bag, so you wouldn't forget!).
  • Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Place the chicken in pan, and pour the sauce over the chicken.
  • Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
  • Sprinkle cheddar cheese on the top, and put back into the oven, until the cheese melts (the broiler would be a good alternative for this step too).

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Reviews

  1. This worked great. Such an easy no-fuss recipe to prepare to freeze and to cook when needed. During the last 10 minutes or so (when adding the cheese), I also added a can of black beans (rinsed and drained). So delicious!
     
  2. This had so much flavor. I had marinated the chicken about 12 hours before cooking and it was so tasty. I made the recipe as directed and we all enjoyed it. I did use mild salsa because I don't like things real spicy. Will make again.
     
  3. This is so yummy and easy to do. I used mild salsa because of my son. He didn't like even with that. He can be so fussy sometimes. Next time I'll use a spicy salsa for me and DH. The chicken had a really nice taste. And I loved the cheese on top. So yummy all combined. Thanks Greeny :) Made for Holiday tag
     
  4. Thanks for the GREAT recipe! This was SO easy to make and my family gobbled it down! I cooked it the day of (literally threw it all in the pan and into the oven). I omitted the onions and it still was flavorful, juicy, and delicious. I will definitely make this one again and again! Thanks!
     
  5. I made this tonight and it was very good. I used home canned salsa but my salsa isn't very saucey so I added a little water. I will be making this again for sure thanks for posting!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I am an active lady, and I am not the top chef in the world, but I can hold my own. I love making things that remind me of when I was little, I love trying out new recipes, and I love learning new things to cook. Most of the recipes I post are recipes I loved that I found online, but that I have tweaked just a bit. I do have some family recipes on here too. I love to bake, probably more than anything else in the kitchen. I love to bike ride. I like to read, travel, kayak (I've only been twice, but I loved it), hike, camp, basically any outdoorsy/active stuff.?
 
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