Whip up a flavorful skillet of Easy Chicken Picante for dinner tonight!
Easy Chicken Picante
What could be easier that combining salsa, Dijon mustard and fresh lime juice for a chicken marinade that also doubles as a sauce? After entertaining on and off over the last month and a half, I was looking for an easy meal that used ingredients I had on hand. This recipe for Easy Chicken Picante fit the bill perfectly!
Don’t be fooled by the short list of ingredients, however. This recipe is big on flavor due to the quantity of Dijon and lime juice included. You can vary the amount of heat by selecting mild, medium or hot salsa. I used medium salsa, which delivered a nice little kick. I also tweaked the original recipe so that it creates more sauce. In my opinion, everything is better with a little more sauce.
Ready in Under and Hour (but marinate longer if possible)
This recipe can be made in under in hour if you marinate for 30 minutes because the cook time is only about 15-17 minutes, If you do have time to marinate the chicken for an hour, the flavor will be more robust.
What to Drink and Serve on the Side
I’ve mentioned Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice in a number of previous posts. It’s a very easy option which microwaves in just 90 seconds. They have a variety of flavors, including Red Beans and Rice,which was a great side dish for this meal.
You may be cooking this as a quick weekday meal, so adult libations may not be on the menu. But we had the all the fixings for margaritas on hand so I thought, why not? Anything with salsa always goes better with margaritas in my book!
Easy Chicken Picante
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 c. medium salsa divided (or use mild or hot if you prefer)
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- Juice of 1 lime
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
- sour cream optional
- snipped chives or thinly sliced green onions optional
Instructions
- Mix 3/4 c. salsa, Dijon mustard, and lime juice in a sealable plastic bag. Add chicken to the bag, turn to coat with the marinade, and refrigerate for 30-minutes to 1 hour.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat until foamy. Drain chicken, saving the marinade. Add chicken in a single layer. Cook for about 10minutes until the chicken is light brown on both sides, turning halfway through.
- Add reserved marinade to pan and simmer, covered, for 3-4 minutes.
- Spoon remaining 1/2 c. salsa on top of the chicken, cover, and cook for 2-3minutes, or until done. Note – total cook time will vary based on the thickness of the chicken. Cut into the thickest part of a chicken breast to check if necessary. Be sure not to overcook the chicken.
- If desired, top chicken with sour cream and snipped chives or sliced green onions and serve with sauce.
Absolutely delicious!!! We served it with fresh chopped cilantro, roasted corn, and broccoli lightly sauteed with cumin & coriander. Thanks for another winner, Cathy!!! -Kay & Jessi
I love the feedback, especially that you shared your tweaks and side dishes! Sounds like a great combo.
It looks like an easy but tasty recipe!
This looks like a delicious weekday meal that would be packed with flavor and easy to make.
Looks great, we”ll have to try this one especially the margaritas. I really like the pineapple ones. Thanks for another great recipe Cathy.
Yummy! A Pineapple Margarita sounds delicious right now.