Healthier Low Fat Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Hello everyone. It has been a while since I put up anything new. That crazy thing called real life does tend to get in the way. The good news is that I am back with a great tasty new recipe for you all to enjoy. When you hear the word casserole you do not immediately think of the word healthy and you usually don’t think of Mexican food either, which is why I set out to come up with a healthier alternative to a timeless classic. If you enjoy a good plate of chicken enchiladas but are looking for something healthier and a bit easier than rolling them all out yourself this will be a nice alternative for you.
What you need:
Large casserole dish
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts
1 medium sweet onion (thinly sliced)
1 medium bell pepper (thinly sliced)
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 large tomato (cut into 1/4 inch slices)
1 jalapeno (chopped)
1/4 cup of green onion (chopped)
2 cans of green chili enchilada sauce ( I used Hatch brand)
12 small corn tortillas
1 can of black beans (drained)
8 oz fat free cream cheese
2 tablespoons of olive oil
8 oz of Kraft 2% Mexican blend shredded cheese
8 oz of fat free shredded cheddar
Spices: Salt, Black Pepper, Chili Powder, Cumin, Smoked Paprika
Cooking
In a non stick pan heat the olive oil and saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno until the onions start to turn clear. Now place them in a bowl and stir in the fat free cream cheese until it is all mixed together. Now place the chicken in the pan and season the top side with a little of all of the spices above. You want a nice coating of the spices on the top of the chicken. Cook on one side for about 5 minutes (Medium high heat) then turn over and season the other side and cook for another 5 minutes. Set chicken to the side to rest for a few minutes. After it has rested for about 5 minutes cut all of the chicken into small chunks and set aside.
Assembling the casserole.
Line the casserole dish with aluminum foil and coat it with non stick spray or just coat it really good with non stick spray if you don’t have aluminum foil. Now put a thin layer of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish (about 1/4 of the can). Just enough to cover the bottom. Now place 6 corn tortillas on the bottom covering it completely (yes they can overlap if needed). Use another 1/4 of the enchilada sauce to cover those. Now spoon on all of the onion, bell pepper and cream cheese mixture into a nice even layer over the tortillas. Once that is done make another layer using half of the shredded cheddar and half of Mexican blend. Add the next layer using the tomato slices. You will want to make a nice even layer across the entire dish. Now add another 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce on top. Make the next layer using all of the chicken in a nice even layer and then add the rest of the black beans. Cover that with the last quarter of the can of enchilada sauce. Now use the last 6 tortillas to cover the top and then pour entire second can of sauce on top of them. Now make a layer using the rest of the cheeses and add the chopped green onion to the top of it and then add a few shakes of chili powder to the top. It is now time to bake the casserole. Put this in a preheated to 350 degrees oven for 35 to 45 minutes. When the cheese is all melted and starting to brown up it is ready. Take it out and let it cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
You have now just made a healthier version of enchilada casserole. All that is left to do is sit back and enjoy it.
Thanks for reading,
JMW
SA Dining 