Easy Chicken Salsa Recipe | Pan-Seared Chicken with Fresh Salsa Cruda
Chicken Salsa is a healthy and satisfying salad-like main dish featuring savory, crispy-grilled chicken thigh steak topped with plenty of refreshing salsa dressing.
Recipe Tips & Points
- Substitutions: Since fresh jalapeños can be hard to find in Japan, green chili peppers are used as a substitute. If green chili peppers are also out of season, adding Tabasco will help sharpen the flavor. Likewise, since fresh limes aren’t used as frequently in everyday Japanese cooking, lemon juice works just as well.
- Creative Motivation: Finding fresh green chili peppers or limes at the market always makes you want to cook this dish!
- Zero Waste & Variations:
- Salsa Roja: Cook any leftover red onion and green chili pepper to make Salsa Roja, which lasts a bit longer in the fridge. Use it for dishes like tacos!
- Guacamole: Combine leftover avocado to make guacamole, perfect as a dip for chips.
- Adding these ideas to your menu repertoire brings great variety to everyday meals.
- Cooking Note: On a personal note, the chicken gives off quite a bit of smoke when sizzled with enthusiasm—don’t forget to turn on the exhaust fan so you don’t set off the fire alarm! (Once when making chicken teriyaki, the alarm went off and a security officer actually came by to check on things! 😅)
- Oven Option: Instead of using a frying pan, you can also bake the chicken in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F) for about 30 minutes.
Types of Salsa
Salsa simply means “sauce” in Spanish.
- Salsa Cruda: A well-known salsa in Japan made with finely diced raw tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and cilantro mixed with lime juice and salt. It is practically synonymous with Pico de Gallo.
- Beyond Cruda, there are many other varieties such as Roja, Verde, Ranchera, and Guacamole.
Nutrition Facts
- Total (Serves 3):
- Calories: approx. 985 kcal
- Protein: 69.1 g
- Fat: 72.2 g
- Carbs: 12.2 g
- Salt Equivalent: 4.0 g
- Per Serving (1/3 of total):
- Calories: approx. 328 kcal
- Protein: 23.0 g
- Fat: 24.1 g
- Carbs: 4.1 g
- Salt Equivalent: approx. 1.3 g
Ingredients (Serves 3)
- Chicken thighs: 1 piece (approx. 400g / 14 oz)
- Salt: 2g
- Black pepper: To taste
- Olive oil: 4g
【Salsa Dressing】
- Avocado: 1/2 piece (60g)
- Tomato: 50g
- Red onion: 50g
- Green chili pepper: 6g
- Cilantro (Pakuchi): 6g
- Salt: 2g
- Black pepper: To taste
- Lime: 1/4 piece
【Cooking Trivia: Pakuchi, Coriander, and Cilantro】
Pakuchi (Thai) and Coriander (English) refer to the exact same plant (known as 香菜 in Chinese). Generally, fresh green leaves are called Cilantro, while dried leaves or seeds (spice) are called Coriander.
Cooking Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Trim excess fat from the chicken thigh. Season thoroughly by rubbing in salt and black pepper.
- Sear the chicken: Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Place the chicken skin-side down and cook for 6 minutes. Place a weight on top of the chicken to ensure a crisp, even sear.
- Flip and finish: Wipe off any excess oil from the pan with paper towels. Flip the chicken over and cook for an additional 6 minutes until fully cooked.
- Prep the salsa:
- Dice the avocado, red onion, and tomato into small cubes.
- Wash the cilantro, wrap it in paper towels, and gently pat dry. Fine-chop the cilantro using kitchen shears.
- Finely chop the green chili pepper. (Tip: Wear plastic gloves when chopping chili peppers, and strictly avoid touching your eyes afterwards to prevent severe irritation!)
- Assemble & serve: Slice the cooked chicken steak into bite-sized pieces and arrange on a plate. In a bowl, toss the prepared diced vegetables with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and fresh lime juice. Spoon the salsa sauce generously over the chicken steak.
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