Salsa Chicken Bake With Brown Sugar

Tomato or fruit-based salsas, such as mango salsa, pair well with cuts of chicken and provide extra nutrients like vitamins A and C, fiber and antioxidants. The chicken itself provides the essential amino acids, iron, niacin, B6, phosphorus and selenium. The addition of brown sugar provides sweetness, binds the salsa ingredients and helps it stick to the chicken.

Breasts

Chicken breasts have the lowest amount of fat content compared to legs, thighs and wings. You can prepare a low-fat meal with halved chicken breasts, prepared tomato salsa, brown sugar and fresh cilantro, simmered in a pan that's been coated with olive oil. You can also make this recipe in the oven in a shallow baking dish. Another option is to use picante sauce, which is pureed tomatoes and spices instead of chunky like salsa. Serve salsa and brown sugar-baked chicken over tortilla chips or a bed of long grain rice.

Fryers

Cook whole fryer chickens 3/4 of the way before coating with a blend of tomato salsa, brown sugar, crushed garlic cloves and pepper. Put the whole fryer back in the oven and finish cooking until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 F. Another idea is to bake a whole fryer chicken with a rub of paprika, oregano, rosemary and dried mustard. Serve the fryer on a platter surrounded by cooked rice mixed with mango salsa, brown sugar, fresh parsley and roasted almonds.

Wings

Chicken wings are easy to bake, grill or prepare in a slow cooker. Wash and pat dry the wings first before coating with a mix of salsa, brown sugar, dry mustard and sesame seeds. If grilling, add the salsa and brown sugar mix to the wings near the end of the grilling time. Because wings are so small, place a chunky salsa mixture in a blender or food processor first before coating the chicken. Or, make your own salsa by mixing cut tomatoes, onions, crushed garlic, fresh cilantro and lime juice.

Fingers

Cut chicken breasts into wide strips, coat with bread crumbs and bake. Halfway through baking, pour a blend of tomato salsa, brown sugar and a little flour over the strips and place them back in the oven tender. In a large pan coated with peanut oil, simmer chicken strips with mango salsa, brown sugar and the juice from a fresh lime. Add fiber and nutrients by serving the chicken fingers with a fresh green salad and toasted, whole wheat rolls. Or, place chicken fingers in a flour tortilla with slices of avocado, fresh cilantro and fresh squeezed, lime juice.