DECEMBER 1996
Recipe of the month

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1¼  pounds skinned, boned chicken breast
1½  C chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
½  C beer
¼  to ½  tsp ground red pepper
1 can (28oz) whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
½  C thinly sliced green onions
1 can (2¼ oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 cans (4½ oz) chopped green chiles, drained
5 T all-purpose flour
½  tsp salt
½  tsp ground cumin
¼  tsp ground coriander
2 C 1% low-fat milk
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
¾  C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¾  C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 6inch corn tortillas, cut in half
½  C fat-free sour cream
½  C salsa

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot.
Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet;
let cool. Shred chicken with 2 forks; set aside.

Recoat skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 
5 minutes or until tender. Add shredded chicken, beer, red pepper and tomatoes; cook 10
minutes or until most of liquid evaporates. Remove from heat. Reserve 1 T each of the
green onions and olives for garnish. Stir remaining green onions, remaining olives and
chiles into chicken mixture; set aside.

Combine flour, salt, cumin and coriander in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk,
stirring with a whisk until blended. Place over medium heat; cook 7 minutes or until thick,
stirring constantly. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg whites, stirring constantly with
whisk. Set aside.

Place cheeses in a bowl; toss well. Set aside.

Spread ½ C white sauce in bottom of a 2½ quart round casserole or souffle dish
coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 tortilla halves over sauce; top with 2 C chicken
mixture, ½  C white sauce and ½  C cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with
sauce. Set remaining ½  C cheese mixture aside.

Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 40 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining ½l  C
cheese mixture, reserved green onions, and reserved olives; bake an additional 5 minutes.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and salsa. Serves 8.

NOTES: Casserole can be assembled ahead of time: covered and chilled in refrigerator
overnight (or frozen, then thawed 24 hours in refrigerator), then baked at 350°F for 1 hour
or until bubbly.
Thanksgiving turkey leftovers can be substituted for chicken (as long as the turkey wasn't roasted with strong spices, such as sage), and the meat cooking step omitted.
If you use tomatoes canned in purèe it strengthens the flavor of the chicken mixture, but it will take 2-3 times longer to reduce.
I substituted skim milk for the 1% low-fat milk to reduce fat content further.
The 2 beaten egg whites can be replaced by 6 T egg substitute.

Nutritional Info (original recipe):
CALORIES 309; FAT 9.7g; CHOL 63mg; SODIUM 753mg

Source: Cooking Light Magazine October 1996


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