With the relative success of my garden this year, I was fortunate to have a large amount of tomatoes and peppers. After canning a couple cases of tomatoes, I decided to make up some spicy salsa. It was nothing too out of the ordinary, just some tomatoes, red/green/yellow bell peppers, garlic and a couple handfuls of chopped jalapenos. Before I canned it, I took a little taste and it was pretty hot.

My wife and kids are not much for hot tasting foods. In fact, they think Dijon mustard is spicy, so I figured this salsa would be around for a while except for giving away a pint here and there.

Well, after seeing a few salsa chicken recipes I decided to throw this one together. I have only made it twice, but both times it was a hit. The cooking process took much of the heat out so even the kids had no trouble with the remaining flavor.

This recipe can be made with any salsa, even store bought, but let me recommend that you go for one of the more spicier versions as it will lose some of the heat during cooking. I would also recommend you find a salsa that is low in sodium. Ideally, you would want to use your own home made salsa.

• 4-5 chicken thighs and 4-5 chicken drumsticks.
• About a cup of flour.
• Salt and pepper.
• Vegetable oil.
• 8-10 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded.
• Chicken stock, about 1/4 cup.
• 1 pint of salsa.
• 2 medium bell peppers, sliced into strips (red or green).

Preheat oven to 375.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper on both sides.

Dust the chicken with flour. Either put the flour in a large resealable plastic baggy and shake the chicken in it, or do it on a plate.

In a large skillet (I use my cast iron), bring the heat up to medium high. Add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom. Place the chicken skin side down and sear both sides of the chicken, about 4-5 minutes per side. Chicken should be golden brown.

Remove chicken from the skillet and quickly drain out the oil and fat. Don’t go overboard, you want some of the oil/fat left behind, just a quick drain of most of it. Try to keep the bits of flour in the skillet.

Add the chicken stock until the bottom of the pan is covered about 1/2 inch and cook on medium high while scraping the pan, getting the bits off the pan. Bring to a boil and then add the chicken back to the pan, skin side up. Remove from heat.

Arrange the slices of peppers over the chicken pieces. Pour the salsa over each piece of chicken and lightly press down with a fork.

Cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the cheese all over. Return to the oven and cook another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Serve.