Food Friday--Cream Cheese Salsa Chicken

It's early.  My cat decided it would be fun to wake me up at 4:30 this morning by kneading my butt and then meowing in my ear several times.  When that didn't work, she started playing with the coat hanger on the closet doorknob.  That did it, so now I am awake and pondering food, and she is happily curled up on my desk sound asleep.

I decided to post this recipe for a couple of reasons.  Chicken is about the only meat my son will actually eat, and this stuff is pretty good.  Also, I am considering making it for dinner tonight so I can post pictures of it later on.

This chicken mixture is good served over rice (or your favorite grain) and it is also good wrapped up in flour tortillas like enchiladas, which is what the recipe originally was.  I have used boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts for this, whichever one I can find on sale, but I only use boneless, skinless because if it has bones or skin I get completely grossed out and can't even touch it (also, I don't have much money and I don't want to pay for bones).

I feel the need to add here that this is one dish that my meat hating son will almost beg me to make.

Also, I'm sorry about all the "to taste" notations you find in my recipes.  I often don't actually measure stuff when I cook, I just add until it looks right.

Cream Cheese Salsa Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, either cut in strips or bite sized chunks
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced (or less if you don't like garlic)
1 to 1.5 packages reduced fat cream cheese, or to taste
1 to 2 cups of your favorite salsa, to taste
2 tablespoons Olive oil or some non-stick cooking spray
Rice or other grain to serve over,
OR
10-12 soft taco sized flour tortillas and some yummy cheese to top them with

If serving rice, get that started.

Heat the olive oil (or pan coated with non-stick spray) over medium heat until the oil shimmers.  Add in your onion and bell peppers and saute until the veggies are starting to get soft.  Toss in the garlic and chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through.  Add your cream cheese and salsa and stir until the cheese is melted and the salsa is incorporated and everything is nicely coated with the sauce that forms.  Remove from heat.  Serve over rice OR wrap about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture in each flour tortilla, place in a baking dish coated with non-stick spray, and bake for about 10 minutes at 350.  When you take them out of the oven, sprinkle a little cheese over the enchiladas and serve.


I prefer this served over rice, but my son prefers it in flour tortillas and then topped with Tostitos Salsa Con Queso.  We made it topped with melted Velveeta once, but that was kind of gross and I won't do it again.

The red and yellow bell peppers can be swapped out for green bell peppers if you would like as the green ones are generally cheaper.  The red and yellow are prettier and in my opinion they taste better than the green ones.  Also, to make this vegetarian, instead of chicken, a couple pounds of mixed, sliced mushrooms would probably be good.