Chicken Ranchero

Rule #352: Cleaning one dish is better than cleaning more than one dish.

This little number was inspired by one of our favorite local hangouts: Willie’s Grill & Icehouse. They have a delicious dish called Chicken Ranchero that’s made up of the same basic things in this recipe. This is a perfect meal for a weeknight because it only uses 1 pot and 7 ingredients! It’s also a great dinner to serve to a crowd because it takes very minimal effort to prepare and is a total show stopper.

Here’s what we need to make this little number:

chicken breast, EVOO, 1 white onion, 2 jars of salsa, S&P, and a few slices of cheese

Plus a little cilantro if you’re hoping for a good ole garnish.

Here’s how we make this easy one-pot-wonder:

Heat some olive oil until shimmering over medium-high heat.

Sauté onion until cooked through (about 8 minutes).

Meanwhile, liberally sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.

Once the onion is nice and softened with a little brown color…

… move the onion to the sides of the pan. Place the chicken breasts in the center and brown (about 4 minutes per side).

Then, cover the chicken with the onions,

pour on two jars of your favorite salsa,

and top with some slices of cheese. We love to use Monterey Jack, but Swiss works great, too.

Cover and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Ta-daa! There’s one easy, delicious dinner for you. And you’ve only got to clean the one pot! Hello, happy weeknight.

We like to have our Chicken Ranchero with this Easy Peasy Mexican Rice and some canned black beans with a little seasoning added. We also will sometimes pair this with a Mexican Veggie Medley.

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Chicken Ranchero

2 tbs. EVOO
1 white onion, sliced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 jars of your favorite salsa
Monterey Jack cheese slices (Swiss works well, too)

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a large Dutch oven or oven-proof skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until softened (about 8 minutes). Liberally sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

Move the cooked onions to the side of the pan, and place the chicken breasts in the center. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides (about 4 minutes per side). Move the onions back on top of the chicken breasts, pour the salsa all over, and cover with cheese slices.

Bake, covered, at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Click Here for Printable Recipe: Chicken Ranchero