Chipotle Salsa Baked Chicken

From Simply recipes

INGREDIENTS

·       1 15-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes (or canned whole or crushed tomatoes if fire roasted are not available)

·       1/4 cup chopped red onion

·       1 clove garlic, chopped

·       1/2 cup, packed, chopped fresh cilantro

·       2 chipotle chili peppers in adobo, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (less or more to taste)

·       1 teaspoon lime juice

·       1 teaspoon kosher salt

·       1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 3-inch wide pieces

·       4 ounces grated or sliced Monterey jack cheese

Serve with or over

·       Avocados

·       More chopped cilantro

·       Sour cream

·       Corn or flour tortillas

·       Rice

·       Pasta

METHOD

1 Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, chipotle peppers and adobo, lime juice and salt in a blender or food processor.  Pulse a few times so there are no more large chunks of anything, but not so much so that the salsa is completely smooth.

2 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chicken pieces in a casserole dish, just large enough to fit them all in a single layer (about 8x10-inches).  Spread the chipotle salsa over the chicken pieces, turning the chicken pieces to coat them all over with the salsa.

3 Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes (30 minutes for thighs). Remove the foil, and sprinkle or layer the cheese over the chicken. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes more.

Serve over rice, pasta, or with tortillas on the side, along with chopped avocado, more cilantro, crema fresca or sour cream.

Variation: This is a bake-in-the-oven recipe. You could easily adapt the recipe to the stovetop this way:  sear the chicken pieces first in a little olive oil, remove the chicken, add the onions to the pan, cook them till soft, add the garlic and chiles, cook a little longer, add the tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, and salt, then add the chicken, coat the chicken with the sauce, bring to a low simmer, cover, cook for 25 minutes, sprinkle with cheese, cover and cook for a few more minutes until the cheese is melted

Notes from Jill's Kitchen: I made this like three weeks after Bean was born, so I remember liking it and...that's about it. Oh, I used chicken thighs and it took SO LONG to bake. We were over at Summer and Carl's to make dinner for them right after Graham was born and we all just had to sit there, waiting for this chicken to cook. So, beware: thighs take forever.