Chicken a la Salsa Verde (Olé!)

Chicken a la Salsa. A quick, hearty and healthy weeknight or apres ski meal. Via The Entertaining House.

It doesn't get any easier than this. Nor does it get more delicious. Really. You can have dinner prepped, cooked and served in about 30 minutes or less. I saw a version of this on Facebook yesterday. A white oven-safe dish, some raw chicken breasts, a jar of salsa verde, some cheese and voila - I was inspired. But I had to doctor things up slightly - I always do. I added fresh salsa - the kind that's mostly vegetable - to the green, and I grilled my chicken ahead of time because I NEED those grill marks and because nothing turns me off more than a plain white chicken breast. Somewhere along the way I was scarred by such. So what we have is a variation of grilled/baked chicken that's infused with incredible flavor (all out of a jar!) and topped with ooey gooey cheese. I served mine on rice. I would have preferred brown but we didn't have enough. If you prefer to have yours carb-free, just skip the rice as I did. It was still beyond!

I made this in a pinch last night knowing that my kids would be coming home after a long day on the slopes. I wanted something filling and yet healthy. This is also a great weeknight dinner.

So here's what you'll need:

1 container of traditional mostly vegetable salsa, such as Stop & Shop's Natures Own
1 container of green salsa - go ahead and use the jarred or use the fresh
1 package (about 2 lbs for 4 people) of chicken breasts, trimmed into chicken "fingers" 
1 package of shredded cheese, Cheddar, Jack or Mexican
Olive oil, to season pan
Salt and pepper
Rice, as much as you'll need for 4 people. Follow cooking directions on the packaging. 

And this is what you'll do:

If you have a non-stick grill pan use it! 
Or any oven-safe pan, dish, skillet will do.
Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the pan over high heat. Place chicken in the pan. It's ok to jam them in - the chicken will shrink as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper and after 2-3 minutes, once browned, flip the chicken over and season the other side. Sauté until brown and reduce the heat. At this point add both salsas and cover the chicken as best as you can. Take a piece of tinfoil - large enough to cover the pan, and turn a corner up, allowing the steam to escape. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. If it's too soupy, remove the tinfoil and let more of the liquid evaporate until you have your desired consistency. Cover again when you do.
While the chicken is simmering prepare your rice. 
5 minutes prior to serving turn your broiler on. 
Add generous amounts of cheese to the top of the chicken (1 - 2 cups)
Place the pan under the broiler for 2-3 minutes allow the cheese to fully melt.
Remove from oven (DON'T FORGET YOUR OVEN MITT.... THE HANDLE WILL GET HOT!)
In large bowls spoon the rice, and place the chicken over the rice. Be sure to scrape up all the yummy salsa and cheese.

You can thank me tomorrow! 

The soup is shown in Williams-Sonoma Pacifica Soup Bowls and the napkin is vintage Ralph Lauren.