Mexican Chicken Casserole

One of my husband's favorite meals is a chicken casserole. One of my favorite meals to prepare is a chicken casserole. Why? That's easy. Preparing a casserole is a great way to serve a hearty, filling meal any night of the week. In just a matter of minutes and just a few simple ingredients, you can have a filling and comforting dish that your family and friends will love.

When it comes to preparing a casserole, don't be afraid to mix and match flavors. The most important part is that you stick to the basics:

• One main ingredient (usually protein)
• One second ingredient (usually vegetable)
• One starch
• One binder (milk or water to make it creamy)
• One topping

If you stick to this basic formula, you can put together a casserole in minutes that will be enough to feed the whole family...and you might just have leftovers to enjoy for lunch the following day.

Last night, I knew that I had a Southwest Salad Kit in my refrigerator that I had to serve for fear of it being tossed in a matter of days. In sticking with the theme of the salad, I decided to prepare this Mexican Chicken Casserole. The salad paired with this casserole was a match made in heaven. The casserole was very creamy but the corn tortillas and tortilla topping made a nice crunch and gave the overall dish a great texture.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 can chopped green chiles, divided
• 1 fully cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1 (8 ounces) jar enchilada sauce
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• Handful of crushed tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour broth and 1 can of chiles in a saute pan and bring to a boil. Add shredded chicken; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken from the liquid. Leave the cooking liquid in the pan.
3. Heat oil in a separate skillet and add 1 can of chiles and onion. Saute for 2 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add chopped garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
4. Add onion, chiles and garlic mixture into the saute pan filled with the reserve cooking liquid. Add evaporated milk, Monterey Jack cheese, cream cheese and enchilada sauce. Cook for two minutes.
5. Stir in shredded chicken and cook for 2 minutes then remove from heat.
6. Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray.
7. Spoon 2 cups of chicken mixture over the tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with the chicken mixture.
8. Sprinkle cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips over the top and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Serve warm.

* Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

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