Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I've been having a green chile craving lately, so I was trying to think of a good way to satisfy it.  I've never made a green chile chicken casserole before, mainly because Brian usually won't eat green chile.  But I thought I'd try making one and just trick him into trying it.  When the sauce is all mixed together, you can't really see the green chile, unless you're trying to figure out what's in it.  I just told him it was chicken casserole.  And, sure enough, he started eating it -- and loved it -- before he realized it had green chile in there.  Score one for me!

I use 505 Southwest brand green chile sauce (Albuquerque based).  This sauce has a creamy look and texture which I love, but there's no cream in it.  If you can't find that, then use your favorite jar green chile sauce.  (El Pinto is my second favorite brand and Kroger's / Fry's carries it).  Also, you'll want to use the amount of sauce to make it to your taste.  505 Southwest is a little bit hot -- although, I don't think it's at all bad (I can eat this stuff with a spoon, straight from the jar).  Brian is not a big heat fan, so I have to tone it down a bit for him.  However, I did use the whole jar in this and he thought it was perfect.

Also, I use the little mini tortillas that we buy straight from a tortilla factory here.  If you can't find those, you can certainly just use regular corn tortillas.  It won't change anything -- I just used the mini ones because I had them already thawed out in the fridge.

Finally, as I'm watching caloric intake somewhat, I made this with the Healthy Request/reduced fat soup, low fat sour cream, and skim milk.  I had regular Mexican cheese in the fridge, so I used that.  Next time I make this specifically, I'll buy the reduced fat version and give that a try.  If you're less concerned about calories, you can use the regular versions of the ingredients.

Finally, finally . . . I actually made this in advance, up to just before topping with the cheese, covered it with foil, and stuck it in the fridge.  When I got home from the gym, I put the cheese on and baked it while I was in the shower.  Came out great!  So, if you need something you can make and refrigerate, this works very well.

Okay, enough of that.  Here's the good stuff:

1 package of mini corn tortillas (about 18)

2 lbs chicken breast – cooked and cubed or shredded

1 jar of green chile sauce (505 Southwest is the best) OR green chile sauce to taste

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used Campbell’s Healthy Request reduced-fat)

½  to ¾ C. low-fat sour cream

1 C. skim milk

2 C. cooked white rice

2 C. roasted corn kernels (I use frozen roasted corn kernels, but you can use regular)

1 to 2 C. chicken stock (to desired consistency)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 t. cumin

8 oz. shredded Mexican cheese blend (reduced fat version, if you want to reduce fat and calories)

Black olives, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a saucepan, mix together the green chile sauce, soup, sour cream, ½ cup of the chicken stock, salt, pepper, and cumin, and cook over medium heat until thoroughly mixed and heated through.  Add more chicken stock until the mix is the desired consistency.  You may want to make the sauce a little thinner than you think you want it, because the tortillas and rice will soak up some of the liquid.

Add the rice and corn and stir until well mixed into the sauce.  Remove from heat.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Add a small amount of sauce to the bottom of the dish.  Then layer tortillas, chicken, and ½ the remaining sauce..  Add a final layer of the tortillas on top, then pour the rest of the sauce over the tortillas, making sure each tortilla is covered with sauce (to prevent drying out while baking).  Top with the shredded cheese and black olives.

Bake about 30 minutes, until bubbly and heated through.