Chicken Enchilada Casserole(or Mexican Lasagna as I am calling it)

Tonight was yet another new recipe. Found, once again, in the Cooking Light archives. Chicken Enchilada Casserole was so yummy. It really has nothing to do with enchilada, has no enchilada sauce and no rolled up tortillas. So that's why I'm calling it Mexican Lasagna. But be forewarned, it takes some time and there are lots of steps.


















I didn't realize how many steps were involved until I had already started making it and saw in Step 4 the word "blender" and my heart sank a little. Crap. We hand wash all our dishes, so I never get out anything other than a knife, cutting board, and mixing spoon. I don't like fancy contraptions with all those pieces parts.

My changes:
I used boiled chicken breasts instead of thighs because I had some in the freezer, and it's lower fat. So just cook some chicken any method you choose. Also, in using 3 breasts, I ended up with more meat than the recipes calls for and used a 9x13 dish. We like leftovers. I think it also made it a little drier.

I used a can of corn, which was probably more than a cup. Also, I added a can of black beans(Yes, it finally happened!! I like beans!!! And so does Matt!)

I didn't have(nor wanted to buy) salsa verde, so I just used salsa from the pantry.

I used flour tortillas because, again, that's what I had and I don't like the corn ones.

I used way more than 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Seriously?? Is that a misprint? 1/4 cup?? That's only one serving!!

...I think that's it.

We really enjoyed. Matt thought it was amazing. He loves Mexican. I love Italian. I knew he would like it.

I topped it with a dab of sour cream and a little more cilantro.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups chopped onion, divided
• 6 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2/3 cup salsa verde
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeño pepper
• 9 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side. Place skillet in oven; bake at 425° for 10 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 15 minutes. Remove meat from bones; shred. Discard bones. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, corn, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) to chicken; toss to combine.

3. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 garlic cloves; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to chicken mixture; stir to combine.

4. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups onion, remaining 3 garlic cloves, broth, salsa, 1/4 cup water, and jalapeño in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Carefully pour mixture into a blender/food processor; add 2 tablespoons cilantro. Process until smooth.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tortillas; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove tortillas from pan; repeat procedure with remaining tortillas. Cut tortillas into quarters.

6. Spread 1/2 cup salsa mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 12 tortilla quarters over salsa mixture. Spoon half of chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Pour remaining salsa mixture over tortillas; sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Top with remaining cilantro.