Part Deux; The Mexican-Chicken Casserole…Ole!
A follow up to my wifes Chicken Casserole dish…that drives me crazy! Mexican Chicken Casserole! What? Yeah…thats right! Mexican Chicken Casserole. Mmmmmm…Love It! Live it! Eat it! As some of my Mexican friends might say; ¡Esto es muy delicioso! All though, I doubt very seriously that they served this up in the old country. This is some sort of Yankee rip off! But then again, this is the U.S. We like to take things that are already great and make them even better!
I am not even sure, where on earth, Chicken Casserole came from in the first place but, where ever it was, I am very grateful! (Possibly…church socials…)Now we’ve gone and turned it into a Quasi-Mexican dish. Cool! I am not sure if there is any one way to prepare this, so I am going to attempt to give the basic recipe. So bear with me! Here goes;
Ingredients:
3 boneless chicken breasts (amount varies depending on the size of the casserole…duhh…I knew that…)
24 oz. of whole kernel sweet corn (no extra liquid please…)
15 oz. of prepared black beans (or canned if you are in a hurry!) You have to wash and drain them if they are canned!
1 can of cream of chicken soup (This is the secret ingredient…don’t tell anyone!)
1 ½ cups of sour cream
1 ½ cups of your favorite picante sauce (fresh is best!)
1 cup of chopped onion (try sweet Vidalia!)
3 cups of Monterey Jack cheese (or…your favorite!)
corn tortilla chips (save for topping)
Season the chicken with your favorite seasonings. We use fresh garlic, cumin, fresh chili powder, cinnamon, cilantro and if you like it hot; roasted chili’s in chipotle sauce. The list of extras is entirely up to your imagination and your culinary prowess, not to mention; your gastric fortitude! A little spice is always nice but, a lot may be too hot! So use a little bit of caution…or…not!
Brown the chicken breasts in a little bit of olive oil, until finished. Chop or dice chicken, whatever suits you…(I like it chopped!) Place in a bowl, large enough to work in and not make a mess…(like I certainly would)
Add the cream of chicken soup…(no extra liquid) and the sour cream. Mix.
Add remaining ingredients with half of the cheese and stir together.
Place in a casserole dish of suitable size and bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. Remove from oven, break up the chips and cover the top to your liking and then sprinkle on the remaining cheese! Put dish back in the oven for about another 10 minutes or until top is brown and crispy. Viola!
Prepare your taste buds for an extravaganza! A Mexican inspired extravaganza! As Julia Child would say; Bon Appétit ! (how do you say that in Spanish?)
brucester1959
