Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Bake

Oh Mexico, how I miss you! From your beautiful beaches to your authentic flavors, I think you have found a permanent place in my heart.

Me gusta mucho la comida de Mexico! Haha! Who knows if that sentence made any sense. Ben and I were only in Puerto Vallarta for a week this past week and I only took a few years of high school Spanish, so that's the best I can do. We celebrated our 10 year anniversary a few months late by going on an all expense paid for vacation by none other than the BEST in-laws in town. Seriously my in-laws are amazing. Who could ask for a better anniversary celebration than zip lining through the jungle, snorkeling along the coast and watching baby humpback whales playing in the ocean. Yeah, not much compares.

Another thing that just doesn't compare is authentic Mexican food. I'm talking about the fresh limes, roasted chiles and handmade maize (corn) tortillas. You just can't beat those flavor combos. I don't think I've squeezed more limes in my 30 years than I did this past week. I've discovered that limes are pretty much amazing on anything and everything! 

So, in tribute to the flavors of Mexico I thought I would share this authentically flavorful Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Bake. It layers white corn tortillas, fresh roasted tomatillo and cilantro chile verde sauce and fiesta blend cheeses to create a perfectly balanced "Mexican lasagna". And once again, it is gluten free without lacking in any flavor.  

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Bake

Ingredients:

6 tomatillos

1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1/4"wedges

2 jalapenos

3 garlic cloves

1 small can diced green chiles (4 oz.)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoon lime juice

1 cup packed cilantro

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup sour cream

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

1 can rinsed and drained black beans

2-3 cups fiesta blend cheese

15-18 white corn tortillas

1 small can sliced olives

2 limes cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and rinse tomatillos. Cut a small slit in each to avoid bursting in the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place tomatillos, onion wedges, whole jalapenos and whole garlic cloves on foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast in oven for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender, turning halfway through. Once cool, remove stem and seeds from jalapenos.

2. Remove skins from garlic cloves and put garlic paste into food processor. Place remaining roasted vegetables in food processor. Add green chiles, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, lime juice and cilantro. Puree mixture until smooth. Set sauce aside.

3. In a small saucepan combine milk, cornstarch, chicken boullion, granulated garlic, dried oregano and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Heat over medium heat until it begins to boil. Stir at a low boil for 1 minute to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Add shredded chicken (I boiled two small chicken breasts for 12 minutes and shredded). Add rinsed and drained black beans. I also added some fresh spinach I had in the fridge and it tasted great. Set aside.

4. Use either one 9 X 13 or two 8 X 8 casserole dishes for layering. (I like to assemble two: one for cooking and one for freezying) Following instructions will be for one 9 X 13 dish. Lightly grease pan with cooking spray. Put a small amount of tomatillo sauce in bottom of pan and spread around to barely coat the bottom, about two tablespoons. Arrange four corn tortillas plus one more split in half on bottom of the pan. Drizzle tops of tortillas with 1/3 remaining tomatillo sauce.

5. Spread 1/2 of the chicken mixture on top.

6. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese on top. Continue layering by wetting bottom of the next layer of tortillas with the tomatillo mixture and layering them on top of the cheese. Spread 1/2 of remaining tomatillo sauce on top of tortillas. Spread remaining chicken mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle 1/2 of remaining cheese on top.

7. Begin last layer by wetting bottoms of remaining layer of tortillas with tomatillo sauce and layering them over the cheese. Cover tortillas with last of the tomatillo sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and place olives on top.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes covered or until heated through. (8 X 8 pan takes 35 minutes) Let stand for 10 minutes and serve with lime wedges. This also pairs well with my Creamy Cilantro Ranch sauce found here.

Serves 10-12



Prosciutto and Provolone Chicken Roll-Ups with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Chicken...check. Cheese...check. Sliced deli meat...check. There are so many varieties of chicken roll-ups that you can make with these ingredient combinations, the most famous being chicken cordon bleu. I do love this dish. In fact I have my own version of Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu that I make quite often. But since you have the freedom to, why not get a little creative with varying flavor combos? You could do a roast beef, cheddar and mushroom chicken roll-up with au jus. Or how about a turkey, cranberry and brie chicken roll-up with gravy? So many possibilities, it makes me want to get cooking this instant!

It just so happened that I had deli ham and provolone in my fridge. Scanning around for more ingredients to build upon, I realized I still had half a jar of spaghetti sauce left. Knowing that I also had some fresh basil and sundried tomatoes, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. (Although I only had ham, prosciutto would probably be the premium choice for the flavor profile I was going for. But stick with ham if that's all you've got.)

So a few chicken beatings, poundings and rollings later...I was ready to bake up my Prosciutto and Provolone Chicken Roll-Ups and get my Creamy Tomato Sauce cooking. Served over quinoa, this turns out to be a surprisingly light but filling main course.

 

 

Seeing the insides of the chicken when they are done baking is like opening a present on Christmas morning. Even though you know what's supposed to be inside (let's face it, us grown ups either request or buy our own presents!) it always seems like a surprise when it's all there, baked nice and pretty. You think to yourself, "Did I just make that?!" Yes, yes you did!

 

 

Prosciutto and Provolone Chicken Roll-Ups with a Creamy Tomato Sauce

 

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

4 slices provolone

4 slices prosciutto (or deli ham)

4 large basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil

3 tablespoons sundried tomatoes (I use not packed in oil, but either is fine)

2 tablespoons butter

1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup milk (I used skim)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup favorite red spaghetti sauce

1 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free because I accidentally bought it)

1/4 teaspoon salt

pepper

3 cups cooked quinoa

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 X 8 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Trim fat off chicken breasts. On a meat designated cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and pound into about 1/4" thickness.

 

 

2. Arrange ingredients for roll-up fillings. Generously salt and pepper tops of chicken breasts. Layer two pieces of cheese on top of each chicken, staggered, not completely overlapping. Repeat with two pieces prosciutto. Repeat with two basil leaves. Evenly arrange sundried tomatoes on top.

 

3. Starting from one end, tightly roll chicken, tucking ingredients in as you roll. Secure each breast with 2-3 toothpicks.

 

4. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet on medium-medium high heat. Add minced garlic. Lay breasts in skillet and cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side, making sure to stir garlic around so it doesn't burn. (The shapes of the rolls are a bit triangular so you will probably end up searing 3 sides as opposed to 4)

 

5. Remove pan from heat and immediately transfer chicken breasts to 8 X 8 casserole pan and cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Begin cooking quinoa according to package directions. Stir 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 1 cup of cold milk until completely dissolved. Return pan with garlic to medium heat. Pour in milk mixture. Stir until bubbling. Continue to stir for 2 more minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and dash of pepper.

 

6. Add 1 cup spaghetti sauce and 1 oz. cream cheese to saucepan. Stir until cream cheese is completely dissolved. Transfer sauce mixture to blender and blend until completely smooth. If you would like a chunkier sauce, you can skip this step. I prefer the smoothness. Salt and pepper to taste. Set cooked quinoa aside.

 

7. Remove chicken from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

 

8. Slice breasts into half inch slices. Arrange on top of quinoa and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with chopped basil and grated Parmesan cheese, optional.

 

Serves 4



Creamy Rosemary Chicken and Broccoli Bake

All TV shows, commercials and movies portray this idea that kids do not like broccoli. So how is it that my child, who is one of the pickiest eaters I know, loves broccoli? By the way, just because she is picky doesn't mean she gets away with it. I make her try everything! I figure one day she'll thank me.

On the broccoli note, Braelyn loves a good old chicken and broccoli casserole. Here's my beef with the traditional chicken and broccoli casserole recipes: mayonnaise and condensed soup mixed together. Hmmm...doesn't sound too fresh to me. Although, don't get me wrong, it tastes great. I just prefer my cooking to come more from me than a factory where preservatives are packed in to give it the longest shelf life possible. Sorry, soapbox there. So, I make adaptations where I can. Plus, by omitting the condensed soup, I have now made Braelyn's favorite meal gluten free. Viola!

 

I also decided to forego the mayonnaise and it yielded a "much better version" according to Ben. You get a thicker topping by adding mayonnaise which Ben doesn't quite prefer. Who wants a glob of cream in their mouth anyway? Without the mayonnaise, the topping is thick enough to stay on top of the chicken, but allows some of the sauce to drip down into the broccoli giving the naked layer of veggies more flavor. Yum-O!

 

Creamy Rosemary Chicken and Broccoli Bake

 

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (use my favorite cooking method  for chicken found here)

2 small heads of broccoli, roughly chopped (about 3 heaping cups)

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon rosemary leaves, finely chopped* or 3/4 teaspoon dried

1 cup milk (I used 2%. If using lighter, increase cornstarch to 2 1/2-3 teaspoons)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, or one cube

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free because I accidentally bought it. Worked great though!)

2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 cups cooked brown rice

 

Directions:

1. Begin cooking rice according to package directions. Tip: I always cook my rice in chicken or vegetable broth to give it more flavor. Begin cooking chicken. The flavor is amazing if you cook it the way I prepared it for this Healthified Chicken Alfredo. Otherwise use a shredded rotisserie chicken or boil the breasts for 12 minutes. (If you choose boiling, salt and pepper the chicken after shredding to add more taste.)

 

2. Prepare ingredients by mincing garlic and rosemary. *Rosemary leaves should equal 1 tablespoon before chopping. After chopping it should yield about 1 1/2 teaspoons. Wash and roughly chop mushrooms. Finely chop onion. Wash and roughly chop broccoli heads.

 

3. Melt butter in medium size saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir frequently during all these additions.

 

4. In a bowl mix cold milk with cornstarch. Stir to dissolve. Add mixture to onion and mushroom mixture. Add rosemary, chicken bouillon, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil and cook for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and add cream cheese. Stir until fully melted. Salt and pepper sauce to taste. Remove from heat.

 

5. Place broccoli in a microwave safe container with 4 tablespoons of water. Cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Drain. Lightly grease an 8 X 8 casserole dish. Distribute broccoli evenly in dish.

 

6. Shred chicken and layer evenly on top of broccoli.

 

7. Pour sauce to cover all chicken. Spread evenly. Bake in oven at 350 degrees uncovered for 25 minutes.

 

8. Remove from oven and layer with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Return to oven for additional 10 minutes. Remove casserole from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff rice before serving.

 

9. Serve each bowl with 1/2 cup of rice and broccoli casserole on top. I like to garnish mine with toasted chopped pecans. Oh, and this tastes almost better the next day! No complaining for leftovers.

 

Serves 6