So, in an effort to be fully supportive of MBP Sr. Contributor Jess Harris' Road to a Healthier Jess, I am trying to find new recipes to try and share that are actually not terrible for you. We really love chicken and Mexican food is one of those foods we could eat every night of the week, so when I ran across a Mexican Chicken Bake recipe that had a healthy stamp on it, I knew I'd want to give it a try!

You will need...

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

 1 teaspoon ground cumin

 1 teaspoon garlic powder

 salt and ground black pepper to taste

 4 ounces shredded Mexican cheese blend

 1 cup salsa

Directions...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season one side of chicken breasts with half the cumin, half the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper; arrange chicken breasts with seasoned sides down in the hot oil. Fry until chicken is lightly browned on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes.

Season the top of each chicken breast with the remaining cumin, remaining garlic powder, salt, and black pepper; flip chicken and cook until other side is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. If the skillet gets dry, pour in just enough juice from the salsa to keep it from burning.

Transfer chicken breasts to a 9x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend. Loosen all the drippings from the skillet with a little more juice from the salsa and pour on top of chicken breasts. Spoon salsa over cheese layer.

You could leave the cheese off, if you'd rather...

Bake chicken breasts until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Rice and beans on the side... Mmm!

You can serve this dish with brown rice and black beans, or refried beans on the side. This recipe serves 4. You can top the chicken with low fat sour cream, cilantro leaves, or even green onions for added flavor. Maybe even throw in a slice or two of avocado on the side! Yum! We're having this for dinner this week, and we can't wait to see what you think of it!