Skillet chicken with salsa con queso
Chicken thighs braise in a jar of salsa con queso, turning into a one-pan dinner that tastes like it took all evening. The cheese pulls everything together while the peppers and tomatoes do the heavy lifting. Serve it over rice or with warm tortillas to soak up the sauce.
About 310 calories a serving, 32 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.
To buy
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
From your shelf
- 1 jar bold southwest flavor medium salsa con queso dip Pace
Staples
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. When the oil shimmers, lay the thighs skin-side down and sear until the skin is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes; flip and sear the other side for 2 minutes.
- Pour the entire jar of salsa con queso over the chicken, tilting the pan to coat everything. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover loosely, and braise for 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F [74 degrees C] at the thickest part of the thigh. Stir the sauce once halfway through.
- Taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice, couscous, or with warm flour tortillas for scooping.
Note Swap chicken thighs for breasts if you prefer, though they dry out faster; reduce braise time to 12 to 15 minutes. Leftovers keep refrigerated for three days and reheat gently over low heat. Stretch this into three servings by shredding the chicken and mixing it into the sauce to serve as a dip with tortilla chips as an appetizer another night.
On the label
WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, DICED TOMATOES IN TOMATO JUICE, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, MONTEREY JACK CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), MALTODEXTRIN, ROASTED RED PEPPERS, JALAPENO PEPPERS, NEUFCHATEL CHEESE (MILK AND CREAM, SALT, CULTURES, CAROB BEAN GUM), SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CHEDDAR CHEESE BLEND (CHEDDAR CHEESE, WATER, LACTIC ACID, MILK FAT, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORING, NONFAT DRY MILK, BLUE CHEESE, SALT, YEAST EXTRACT), DISTILLED VINEGAR, DATEM, TRISODIUM CITRATE, SODIUM ALGINATE, SORBIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORING, XANTHAN GUM, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SUGAR, PAPRIKA EXTRACT FOR COLOR, ANNATTO EXTRACT FOR COLOR, LACTIC ACID.
Pace, cheese, serving 30 ml, package 15 oz/425 g. Ingredients as printed on the label.
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Other queso
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- Hy-Vee queso blanco pasteurized process cheese product, queso blancoHy-Vee
- Good Foods spicy queso style dipGood Foods
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- Maika'i nacho queso dip, mediumMaika'i
- Wegmans queso cheese sauceWegmans
Cooks as queso, salsa. Half of it left? Use up the queso.