Salsa Dancing Chicken

I am happy to have my oldest son and his beautiful bride home for the weekend. Sometimes it can be tricky to serve meals that fit everyone's tastes, diets, way of eating, etc. This is one of those recipes that most people like. Not too spicy, despite the salsa ingredient. No cheese for those that are dairy free or Paleo. Low in fat for those who may be a little fat phobic. No red meat. (I'm sorry, but I don't feed grass fed beef to someone who will turn around and eat junk at the next meal) It is inexpensive, easy on the cook, and...did I forget to mention, it tastes great? I might be feeding this to the extended family, or it might be for my school staff. We will be having dinners together for a few weeks as we prepare for a big fundraising banquet for our school. Good to have a dish that appeals to so many but doesn't get you off track.

This recipe has been in my arsenal for years. My guys always loved it. It is a Multiply Meal from the e-book. That means it will feed a family of 4 three times. Or, this time, it may feed an extra large group! The chicken is so easy to prep, bake and freeze a couple for later meals. It reheats well and goes with several different sides so you can change things up. Don't let the salsa in the ingredients list fool you. It is a sweet sauce, almost akin to a barbecue. We go with a chunky mild salsa, but if you like a little heat, by all means add some hot and spicy kick.

This recipe also works with about 5 pounds of boneless chicken thighs. Perhaps those are even better given the dancing reference. Use what you like. If your chicken has bones, just increase the baking time. Another note; I don't use liquid sucralose exclusively now as I did when I developed the Diner system. More often than not, I use stevia extract. But I use many different sweeteners, and often combine them. So use whatever sweetener you like. For this dish, I used 1/4 teaspoon E.Z. Sweetz Stevia with Monk Fruit. It tasted terrific! Oh, and this jar of salsa was just 24 ounces. Don't sweat the little details. It's all good.

From the e-book:

Salsa Dancing Chicken

12 boneless chicken breasts
26 ounce jar salsa
1/4 cup Splenda (or equivalent liquid)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Brown the chicken in a bit of oil, or on a contact grill. Do not
cook through. Combine salsa, mustard and sweetener. Place
chicken into casserole dishes and distribute the sauce over the
pieces. Be sure to coat them on both sides. Chicken can also
be diced after browning.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Eat one meal. Cool the rest. Place into freezer bags and
freeze. Thaw and reheat in microwave or low oven.

We foodie bloggers are always thinking up new recipes, and often forget to go back to older creations. I hadn't made this in a while. John and I were talking about how the web site needs some newer, better photos. My e-book photos were early on taken without a good camera. The food is great, but the photos are lacking. I promised to make some more of our old favorites so I can re-shoot them. This is probably a good idea since I am assured to be very busy with the start of our school year. Life is always a challenge! Having a prep day system saves so much time even if you don't always do it perfectly. I always tell everyone to adjust the system to fit their life. Use the best advice, and leave the rest. Whatever, don't let it make you crazy. I can promise though, that planning meals will save you over and over again. Such a wise time investment.