Chicken Tortilla Chip Casserole

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Chicken Tortilla Chip Casserole is a fun and yummy recipe for the family – let the kids crush the tortilla chips; they’ll get a kick out of that! The first time I made it for my family, my boys looked at me with looks on their faces like, “You’re making what?” The looks on their faces were very different once they tried it and, with surprise in their voices, announced their hearty approval of the dish. Don’t you love it when you get a reaction like that?

This recipe calls for approximately 3 cups of cooked chicken. You can put some of that all-purpose crockpot chicken to use, shred a rotisserie chicken from the store, use left over chicken from another recipe, or you can simmer a couple of chicken breasts in a saucepan of seasoned water for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through (5 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, thyme is what I usually use). Whichever works for you.

 

To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Dice a half cup each of onion and green bell pepper.

 

In a skillet, sauté the onion and pepper with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until it is tender.

 

When it is tender, add in a teaspoon of grated garlic. Cook that for just a minute.

 

Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.

 

Stir it into the mixture.

 

Pour in 1/2 cup of chicken broth and a cup of milk. Cook this on medium heat until it begins to bubble and thickens. Stir continually.

Add in 1/2 teaspoon each of ground roasted coriander, ancho chile powder and black pepper, and a teaspoon of cumin. Stir these all together. I do not add salt to this recipe because of the salty tortilla chips that are added later.

 

Add in 1/3 cup of Neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese. Stir it around until it is melted. Turn off the heat.

 

Spread a half cup of the creamy mixture in the bottom of a 9×13 or so baking dish.

 

Layer in a 14 ounce can of black beans that have been rinsed and drained. Over those, layer on 1 1/2 cup of the diced, cooked chicken.

 

Next, layer on 2 ounces  (a couple big handfuls) of tortilla chips that you have crushed in your hands.

 

Over this, drizzle half of the creamy mixture. Repeat the layers of chicken, another 2 ounces of crushed tortilla chips, and your remaining creamy sauce.

 

Drizzle 15 ounces of enchilada sauce (green chile sauce) all over the top.

 

Top this with 3 ounces of shredded cheese. I am using sharp cheddar, but you can also use Colby-jack, Monterey-jack, pepper jack, or whatever you like.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let it rest for a couple minutes before serving.

 

Serve with some sour cream and top it with sliced green onions if you like.

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