Mexican Chicken Casserole with Charred Tomato Salsa

By t1bishop

Ingredients

• Salsa:
• 8 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 seeded jalapeno pepper, quartered
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Casserole:
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (10-ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat broiler.
2. To prepare salsa, combine first 4 ingredients on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 20 minutes or until charred, stirring once. Remove
from oven; cool slightly. Place tomato mixture in a food processor; add cilantro, lime juice, and pepper.
Process until smooth. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350°.
4. To prepare casserole, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking
spray.Add 1 cup onion, corn, zucchini, and bell pepper; saute 6 minutes or until tender. Add chicken and next 5 ingredients (through green chiles); saute 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat.
5. Spread 1/2 cup salsa over the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of tortillas over salsa. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture evenly over tortillas. Top with 3/4 cup salsa. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of each cheese.
Repeat layers, starting with remaining tortillas and ending with remaining cheeses. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes until bubbly. Yield: 8 servings