Have you ever had one of those terrible days that just won’t end? Yesterday started with the wonderful surprise that my beloved coffee machine wasn’t working. After much futzing around and ultimately going through the 5 stages of grief for my dead coffee machine, I plopped down in my office chair to try to get some work done. This was followed by a giant cracking noise. At first, I tried to ignore the sound, hoping it wasn’t a big deal. Then, almost comically, I leaned back in the chair and the ENTIRE back fell off along with half of an arm. Thankfully, I was able to borrow my boyfriend’s chair for the rest of the day but things didn’t really improve after that. I was waiting for the maintenance guy and the UPS guy and neither showed up. Add to that some annoying tech issues with my business and not feeling particularly inspired (or even awake) enough to finish a project and you have the recipe for very bad, no good, pretty terrible day.
On days like this I dread making dinner. In fact, I’d normally just give up and go my favorite Mexican restaurant to drown my bad day in a margarita. But Brandon and I have been exercising and trying to eat better so we didn’t want to undo all of our progress. Instead, I pulled out my go-to recipe for bad days. It’s cheesy and satisfying but also fairly healthy (at least compared to an actual Mexican restaurant).
This was originally a Weight Watchers recipe but I don’t recommend making their version because it is just about the blandest casserole you will ever eat. This is my version which I’ve developed over several years, adding more vegetables, more cheese and lots more spice. The filling is a mixture of shredded chicken, vegetables, spices, two kinds of cheese and sour cream which is all layered between tortillas. The whole thing is topped with more cheese and baked until it’s melted on top and crispy around the edges.
This recipe can be thrown together in a few minutes and you can even cook the chicken a day or two before to save even more time. It’s full of things that you most likely already have in your pantry, fridge and freezer. The vegetables are canned or frozen, but you can easily replace them with fresh versions. I frequently use fresh corn and tomatoes in the summer when they’re in season.
This version is not as low fat as the original, but it tastes a lot better and that’s what matters most to me. If you’re looking for something easy and satisfying after a long day, this recipe will help you end the day on a high note.
Layered Mexican Chicken Casserole
adapted from Weight Watchers
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
- 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained, or 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
- 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn (no need to thaw)
- 1 packet (about 1 oz.) taco seasoning (see recipe notes)
- 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
- 1 cup low-fat sour cream
- 3 (8-inch) flour tortillas or corn tortillas
Process
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Coat a 8 or 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
- Tip: For faster shredding, cut chicken into large chunks and transfer to the bowl your mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low until the chicken is shredded. Place chicken in a medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water to cover the chicken. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 or 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board to cool for a few minutes. Use two forks to shred chicken. You can make the chicken several days ahead and store it in an air-tight container in the fridge.
- While the chicken is cooking, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the grated cheddar and Jack cheese in a small bowl.
- Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl. Add the beans, tomatoes, green chilies, corn, taco seasoning, salt and 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Add shredded chicken. Stir in sour cream and mix well.
- Using the skillet that you cooked the onions in, place over medium-high heat. Cook one tortilla until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to baking dish. Repeat with next tortilla. While the tortilla is cooking, spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture in the baking dish. Top with the toasted tortilla and another 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat toasting remaining tortilla and top it with the remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and salsa if desired.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t have a packet of taco seasoning or would rather make it from scratch, here is an easy recipe.
Ha ha! I’m sorry, but hearing about that chair breaking on you is making me smile. I can see the whole thing happening in my mind. Sorry your day was so frustrating. Isn’t it weird how things like that all happen on the same day? It’s like the universe is just trying to annoy you. I love this recipe. It looks like it would be a favorite at our house since we almost always have all those ingredients on hand. Adding it to the weekly meal plan!
emily, this looks amazing! miss you!
Wow. That chicken casserole looks mouth watering.
I’ve made this twice now and it’s really good! My boyfriend said “One of the top 5 things I have ever cooked for him!”
I have been looking for freezer meals and was wondering if this could be put together and frozen?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze this. I googled to make sure the sour cream would be okay and everything I read said sour cream in a casserole is fine to freeze. And I know it’s okay to freeze cheese, but I would probably still freeze it without the cheese topping and just sprinkle that on right before putting it in the oven. Just seems like it might taste better with fresh cheese on top.
Great! Thanks, I will have to make two. One to try right away and one to freeze. I can’t wait to try this and many more recipes from your site! They all look so wonderful!
Always looking for new and creative ways to enjoy my chicken. Thanks a lot for the idea!
I’ve made this a few times and really love it. Couple changes I’ve made: I boil chicken tenders then dice or shred. I reconstitute dried minced onions and use those as well as jarred diced garlic. I also double the sour cream and don’t drain the tomatoes. When I did it was too try for my family’s preference. We just love this!!
Wondering if you add any “sauce” when you layer in the chicken & cheese? Not clear.
No, there’s not really any sauce in this recipe. I find the diced tomatoes and sour cream keep the chicken mixture moist enough with out needing any other sauce but you can skip draining the tomatoes, substitute the tomatoes for salsa or even add some enchilada sauce if you find the filling to be too dry. This recipe is very versatile so you can pretty much throw in whatever you like.
I loved this as did my hubby. I did use rotisserie and had enough left to use tonight for another new recipe. This will be on my “make again” list.