Tomato and Salsa Chicken Thighs

Hello! Today is a great day….for the reason that: if you choose to make these tomato and salsa chicken thighs you will have a wonderful dinner, and be trying a very new recipe. I created this recipe one night when I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to have for dinner but had a general idea of the flavors (and the ingredients in my fridge/cupboard) that would taste good.

Yesterday, I found my little scratch pad that I had quickly jotted notes on for it and decided to try the recipe again. Turns out, this recipe is a keeper and one that should be shared for all to enjoy! And, I think it can go on the healthy list.

Tomato and Salsa Chicken Thighs

4                                 chicken thighs

796 mL (28fl oz)        canned tomatoes

1 ¼ cup                      salsa (any kind you like, spicy…chunky, your choice!)

6                                 cloves of garlic (pressed)

1 ¼ tsp                       cayenne pepper

¼ cup or so                parmesan cheese

1 swirl/glug                olive oil

a handful of                cilantro (chopped)

a bit of                        salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to about 375°F

The convenience of this dinner is that you can make it all right in the dish that its going to be cooked in. And, as per my style of cooking, all of the measurements are approximates and to be used as a guideline. I am always straying from the recipe when I use cookbooks...so estimates seem good to me!

Using a medium sized casserole dish, put half of the canned tomatoes, salsa, and garlic (pressed) into the pan. Then add all of cayenne pepper and half of the chopped cilantro and mix the sauce together. Place the chicken thighs on top of the tomatoes et al. (side note: much more than 4 chicken thighs can be made, just used a little more of the ingredients than listed and a bigger pan). Now add a swirl of olive oil over the chicken.

Continue by adding the remaining canned tomatoes, salsa, garlic, and cilantro on top of the chicken. Add a bit of salt (not too much) and pepper as well as the parmesan cheese. Spoon some tomato sauce over top to wet the parmesan and mix in the salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 37-40 minutes at  375°F or until juices run clear.

Serve and enjoy….p.s. your house will now smell like a fancy restaurant.