Mexican Chicken Casserole with Charred Tomato Salsa from Cooking Light Magazine, January/February 2011

Tucked near the back of Cooking Light Magazine is a section called "The Enlightened Cook." These couple of pages attempt to take a recipe that lends itself to high amounts of fat, calories and sodium and re-create that dish with less of all those things; while hopefully not sacrificing flavor. Did it work? Does it ever?

I am a salt-oholic. I admit it freely. I think the world tastes better because of salt and I don't ever intend to give it up fully. While I was impressed with the numbers in this dish; calories hacked from 1,084 in the original version to 331 in this one and 28 grams of saturated fat brought down to 6.1; I was most impressed with the decrease in sodium, from 2,075 milligrams to 535. That's not shabby at all.

It all works because of the charred tomato salsa. Not only does it add the moisture to the dish, but it takes the place of any tomato-based sauce. The salsa is created by broiling plum tomatoes, garlic, onion and jalapeño pepper in the oven, then blending them with cilantro, lime juice and black pepper. No salt.

While the salsa sits and cools a bit, the rest of the dish comes together in a skillet. The vegetables, which replace refried beans, include onion, corn, zucchini and red bell pepper. They get sauteed until tender and are then joined by cooked, shredded chicken, minced garlic, spices, green chile enchilada sauce (almost 100 mg less sodium than the red variety) and chopped green chiles. Again, no salt added.

The salsa and filling are layered with corn tortillas and Monterey Jack and feta cheesees. A short aside; corn tortillas make me gag. I don't know why, but I can't stand the taste of them. I went into this meal knowing that but hoping that the flavors of the dish would cover up those of the tortillas and that cooking them between the layers would render the texture a non-issue. Aside over, a very thin layer of salsa goes on the bottom, followed by a layer of tortillas. The filling is put on top of the tortillas, then more salsa, then cheese. Repeat, starting with tortillas and ending with cheese. Then bake until bubbly.

I confess. I used more Monterey Jack than I was supposed to. I didn't have any feta in the house and so just doubled up on the Jack. I would have enjoyed it, but I can assure you that including feta would have influenced Hubby and Dudette negatively. Personally, I like more cheese.

I enjoyed this. I can't say that I was bowled over, but I did think it was good. I've always been fond of chicken enchiladas so it wasn't a sacrifice for me. For the most part, the corn tortilla flavor didn't come through at all, and the few times that it did, it didn't bother me. As I was eating I kept thinking about what could have been added to make it better, though I know that would have just pushed up numbers that the recipe creators were trying to hold down. A can of black beans would have been great. Double the amount of salsa definitely would have added.

Salt was a necessity. Hubby said the casserole was "ok" but lacked flavor; not heat, flavor. He added salt (which he generally never does), which helped some, but in his eyes, not enough. It would have been good for me to season the dish while it was cooking in order to really enhance the flavors. Unfortunately, Dudette gagged on two bites. She really disliked it.

Bottom line, if you're thinking about making this, I think it's worth it. If you're used to any level of salt in your food, I suggest adding a little while cooking. All in all though, this is a very healthy, tasty meal.

Mexican Chicken Casserole with Charred Tomato Salsa
from Cooking Light Magazine


Salsa:
8  plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
3  garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1  small onion, peeled and chopped
1  seeded jalapeño pepper, quartered
Cooking spray
1/3  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
3  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
1/8  teaspoon  black pepper

Casserole:
1  cup  chopped onion
1  cup  fresh or frozen corn kernels
1  cup  diced zucchini
1  cup  chopped red bell pepper
3  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast
1  tablespoon  minced garlic
2  teaspoons  chili powder
1  teaspoon  ground cumin
1  (10-ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
1  (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
12  (6-inch) corn tortillas
1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1  cup  (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preheat broiler with the rack in the upper third position of the oven.

Prepare the salsa by combining the tomatoes,garlic, onion, and jalapeño pepper on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes or until charred, stirring carefully once midway through broiling. Remove from oven and cool for a minute or two. Place all the vegetables in a blender and add the rest of the salsa ingredients. Process until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and lightly coat with cooking spray. Add the onion, corn, zucchini, and bell pepper. Sauté for 6 minutes or until tender. Add chicken, garlic, chili powder, cumin, green chile enchilada sauce and chopped green chiles. Sauté for 2 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling and hot. Remove from heat.

To prepare the casserole, spread 1/2 cup salsa on the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Lay half of tortillas over salsa. Spread 2 cups of the chicken mixture evenly over tortillas. Top with 3/4 cup salsa. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of each cheese. Repeat layers, starting with remaining tortillas and ending with remaining cheeses. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes until bubbly.