Exceptional Aging

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Did you know that eating spicy foods can help prevent overeating? Adding a bit of extra spice may also help boost your metabolism.

This Mexican Chicken Casserole is great for so many reasons. It’s easy to make, you can cut carbs by not using giant flour tortillas, it tastes great, and you can add spice to taste.

Some people like to use this recipe with beef but I find ground chicken just adds so much more flavor.

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Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken (beef or turkey would be okay too)
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/4 – 1/3 cup sliced canned jalapenos (if you don’t like spicy food, use canned green chilies)
2 cups chopped fresh Roma tomatoes
1 can of corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 package of your favorite taco seasoning
8 corn tortillas (these are smaller than the flour tortillas most people use)
3/4 cup sour cream
1 small can chopped olives, drained
1/3 cup shredded cheese (most prefer Mexican blend but I like pepper jack best)
Chopped fresh cilantro to taste

Directions

  1. Grab a frying pan and add the chopped onion and ground chicken.
  2. Brown the chicken until it’s cooked thoroughly.
  3. Pour the mixture into a colander and rinse to remove more fat.
  4. Return to the pan.
  5. Add the jalapenos, corn, tomatoes, and black beans.
  6. Mix in the taco seasoning and let simmer on low heat for five minutes, stirring off and on.
  7. Get your 12×8 baking pan and spray the bottom with non-stick spray.
  8. Cut each tortilla in half. Place 8 tortilla halves in the bottom of the baking pan. They’ll overlap a little bit.
  9. Pour half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and spread it out evenly.
  10. Spoon the sour cream on top of the chicken and spread it around as evenly as you can.
  11. Layer the rest of the tortillas on top of the sour cream.
  12. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F and then remove from the oven.
  13. Sprinkle olives, cheese, and cilantro on top
  14. Let it sit covered for 5 minutes to cool and let the cheese melt and then serve!

You can also freeze it for later. Just stop after step 7, cover, and pop it in the freezer. When you want to make it be sure to pull it out in the morning so it can thaw before dinner time. You may need to add 5-10 minutes to the cook time depending on how long it had to thaw.