Mexican Chicken Chile Casserole

Published:  04/05/2017

You can make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate it until you are ready to assemble it and bake.
And to make it easy for you, I entered the recipe on My Fitness Pal. When adding to your journal search for “Maria Faires Mexican Chicken Chile Casserole” (from website not phone app) and you can easily add it to your journal.
Maria Faires' Mexican Chicken Chile Casserole

3/4 cup fat-free chicken broth

2 (4-ounce) cans chopped mild green chiles, divided

1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts (I used 3 large Foster Farms boneless, skinless frozen chicken breasts from Costco, thawed)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

4 ounces light cream cheese

1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce (1¼ cup) Note: I have used Herdez Green Chile Verede Enchilada sauce and like it best. If you want a spicier version use Las Palmas Enchiladas sauce. (Red)

15 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut in half

4 ounces, 1 cup shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack or Mexican Blend cheese

Spray Cooking Oil

Chopped cilantro for garnish if desired

Salsa to serve on the side

Combine broth, 1 can of chiles and chicken in a large skillet and cover; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15-17 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid; cool chicken. Chop chicken, place in a large bowl and set aside.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft. Add cream cheese and heat over low-medium to soften and stir to blend with onions.

To large mixing bowl with chicken, add the sautéed onions with softened cream cheese, 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, 1 can of chiles and Monterey Jack cheese, and 1 ¼ cup enchilada sauce; stir well.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: At this point you can cover and refrigerate the chicken mixture until ready to assemble casserole.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a 13 x 9inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with tortillas halves in one layer. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar or Mexican blend cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings. Garnish with cilantro and salsa if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Calories	342	Sodium	683 mg
Total Fat	15 g	Potassium	458 mg
Saturated	7 g	Total Carbs	43 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	8 g
Monounsaturated	1 g	Sugars	4 g
Trans	1 g	Protein	13 g
Cholesterol	34 mg
Vitamin A	72%	Calcium	26%
Vitamin C	53%	Iron	10%