April 29, 2010

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This is great because the recipe uses lower-fat options, but I've included my own personal preferences in parentheses.

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I just use 1 bullion cube dissolved in a cup of boiling water)
2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles, divided
1 3/4 lb skinned, boned chicken breasts
2 tsp olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 c evaporated skim milk (I use good old 1%)
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I was out of this so I just left it out and added more cream cheese)
1/4 c tub-style light cream cheese (I use about 4 oz of regular cream cheese)
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
12 (6-in) corn tortillas (I usually only have small flour tortillas on hand, so that's what I use - I only needed about 6)
cooking spray
1/2 c shredded reduced-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese (regular cheddar for us)
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed - about 6 chips (6?! I crushed a good handful of leftover Cafe Rio chips - YUM)

Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 min or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; saute 3 min or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Jack and cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. (I used a 9" glass cake pan and layered 1 tortilla with the chicken mixture until the chicken was gone, or til I reached the top of the pan.) Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350 for 30 min or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 min before serving.

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