C is for Chicken Salsa Bake

I'm not a casserole queen, but sometimes I need an all-in-one dish meal like "salsa chicken."  Chicken smothered in chunky salsa, beans, cheese, and tortilla chips...can you object?  In college Peter and I regularly made all-in-one dishes like creamy chicken, chicken divan, or chicken broccoli and rice.  It was a great, cheap option when we were feeding a pack of hungry undergraduate wolves boys in his apartment, but now that it's just the two of us, I stray away from condensed soup and rice meals in favor of healthier ingredients.  This one slipped through the cracks because I'm a sucker for Mexican flavors.  I never think casseroles look very good on your plate, but they sure taste good and they're nice to take to school as leftovers for my lunch.  A hot lunch is a nice break from my ordinary turkey sandwich.              

This recipe came from the magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray, and in general I'm not a Rachael Ray fan.  She doesn't offend me, but I tire of the 30-minute meal mantra and most of her recipes don't make it into my my keep file.  This one did.

I used shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken, but you could certainly cook a few pounds of boneless chicken breasts and cut up the meat to use in this dish.  I added jalapeno, corn, garlic, and cilantro.  I lessened the amount of sour cream and cheese.  You could certainly use fewer tortilla chips; just use thin layers and only crush a cup at a time to see how far it can go.  Rachael Ray didn't cook the onion before adding it to the casserole, and I think this is a mistake.  The onions lose their potency when cooked in a skillet first with a touch of oil and it's worth the time.  An overly oniony casserole doesn't go over well with anyone.  If you wanted to make this a vegetarian dish, omit the chicken and use two extra cans of beans.  I'd suggest black beans or pinto beans.

  

Chicken Salsa Bake
adapted from Rachael Ray

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. corn kernels 

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 lbs. shredded chicken
2 16 oz. jars salsa (try salsa verde or your favorite variety)
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. sour cream
3 c. crushed tortilla chips
1 1/2 c. shredded Mexican-style cheese
cilantro for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  In a large skillet, heat a tsp. of oil.  Add the onion until it becomes transparent.  Toss the corn, garlic, and jalapeno into the skillet for a couple minutes to gently brown on medium heat.  In a large bowl, shred your chicken meat and add salsa, kidney beans, and the onion corn mixture.  Gently stir in the sour cream.  Spray a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick spray and scatter a layer of tortilla chips on the bottom.  Top with half of the chicken mixture and a layer of cheese.  Repeat the layers and then top with some chips and cheese.  Bake for about 30 minutes, watching that the cheese doesn't burn.  Enjoy!