Denver Green Chili

Recipe of the Week - 2/15/09 California Chicken Enchilada Casserole (more easy comfort food!)

Chili IV Art Print Corbin, Delphine

Easy, good, but not diet ... this is a variation on the stacked
chicken enchilada. I use ranch dressing here rather than
sour cream. It adds a wonderful tanginess to the flavor.
When I made this, I mixed the salsa with the ranch dressing,
and I ended up with ... can you guess??? I basically ended
up with a casserole that was pink. That's right - pink. Too
bad Valentine's Day had already passed. It was really
tasty, but I'm not sure everyone goes for pink casseroles.

Then when it comes to not just appearance, but also flavor,
I found I much preferred hitting pockets of ranch and pockets
of beans or salsa or whatever. Variation adds interest to
casseroles.

Another thing about this casserole is that I loved it as a
leftover. It's one of those dishes where the flavors and
textures blend as it sits and it gets better a day or two later.
Plus I really like it cold. It also sets up and is not so soupy.

This is one of those dishes you can't mess up and you can
always experiment with it. Try flour tortillas, add broccoli,
olives would be really good, whatever.


California Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

6 to 8 corn tortillas
1 lb boneless chicken breasts (about 2), diced
4-5 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 15-oz can refried beans
1 cup salsa
1 cup diced green chiles
1/2 cup light ranch dressing
1/2 tsp salt (about)
1/2 tsp pepper (about)
2 cups grated cheese
2 cups shredded lettuce
optional: diced tomatoes, diced avocadoes,
sliced black olives, chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

1. Sautee chicken and garlic in the olive oil until chicken is browned,
lightly sprinking the salt and pepper over (to taste) .
2. Lightly grease a small casserole dish and mix the salsa and
green chiles together.
3. Layer as follows: Spread a tortilla with a thin layer of refried beans
and place in casserole dish. Spread a thin layer of salsa-green chile
mixture on top. Place next tortilla on top and spread with a thin layer
of ranch dressing (2-3 tbsps) and sprinkle 1/3 of chicken over. Then
cover with a layer of grated cheese.
4. Repeat this layering twice, then top with another tortilla and spread
another layer of salsa and cheese on top.
5. Microwave on high for about 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbling
and casserole is thoroughly heated.
7. Serve with shredded lettuce, olives, avocado, tomatoes, whatever
strikes your fancy.

Preparation time: about 30 minutes
Serves: 4
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California Chicken Enchilada Casserole



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