Mexican Chicken
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chicken pieces into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine the salsa, red bell pepper, cumin, lemon juice, chili powder, and garlic. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Place the black beans on top and cover the dish. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Serve with rice if you like.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chicken pieces into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine the salsa, red bell pepper, cumin, lemon juice, chili powder, and garlic. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Place the black beans on top and cover the dish. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Serve with rice if you like.
- Carbohydrate 3.50716583728036 g
- Cholesterol 68.44 mg
- Fat 2.23075000139087 g
- Fiber 1.24926665204742 g
- Protein 28.0598483344428 g
- Saturated Fat 0.467404000143285 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (151g)
- Sodium 94.4767500338683 mg
- Sugar 2.25789918523294 g
- Trans Fat 0.551877666885398 g
- Calories 151 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
- Arrange the chicken pieces in a 3 quart casserole dish or a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Combine the salsa, red bell pepper, cumin, lemon juice, chili powder and garlic.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken.
- Pour the black beans on top and cover.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Serve with rice if desired.
Ingredient labels omit how moisture behaves inside a sealed 9x13-inch baking dish at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Jarred salsa contains cooked tomatoes and added organic acids like citric acid, which stabilizes the pH and changes how proteins denature compared to raw, fresh tomatoes. Fresh bell peppers release free water as their cell walls break down under sustained heat. This creates an aqueous release that dilutes the concentrated aromatics of the cumin and chili powder. Whole crushed garlic releases allicin upon cell rupture, but prolonged heat above 350 degrees Fahrenheit degrades these sulfur compounds into milder, sweeter flavor notes.
Dry spices like ground cumin and chili powder require lipid or water carriers to distribute their fat-soluble compounds uniformly across the chicken breast surface. Mixing them directly into the acidic salsa medium helps suspend the fine plant particles before they coat the meat. Rinsing canned black beans removes surface starches, preventing the baking liquid from turning pasty as the starches gelatinize during the 60 to 90 minute cooking window. Covering the casserole dish traps steam, establishing a humid microclimate that keeps the lean chicken breasts from drying out before the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Adapting this method for smaller portions requires maintaining the ratio of liquid to protein so the bottom of the baking vessel does not scorch. Halving the batch means reducing the cooking duration toward the 60-minute mark to prevent overcooking the poultry. Leftovers stored in an airtight container below 40 degrees Fahrenheit remain safe for up to four days.
