Mexican Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Ingredients you’ll need:
1 medium sweet onion
1 small red pepper
1 medium poblano pepper
olive oil
salt and black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 [14.5 oz] can chili style tomatoes
1 [10 3/4 oz] can fiesta nacho soup
1 [10 3/4 oz] can cream of chicken with herbs soup
1/2 cup half & half
2 1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning
2 [9 3/4 oz] bags flavored tortilla chips [*see cook’s note]
3 cups roughly chopped roasted chicken
2 cups Mexican cheese blend, divided [i.e. Kraft Mexican Queso Quesadilla]
assorted toppings: sour cream, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, cilantro

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9 x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  In a medium stove top pot, saute the chopped onion, red pepper, and poblano pepper in a couple of drizzles of olive oil.  Season with salt and black pepper to your taste.  Cook until the veggies are just beginning to brown.

While the veggies are cooking, layer the tortilla chips in the baking dish.  Arrange some of the chips around the sides of the dish to create a festive border.  [Tip: I used more than one 9 3/4 oz. bag of tortilla chips, so have an extra bag on hand.]  The chip layer should fully cover the bottom and sides of the dish, overlapping, as you see in the picture below.  [see cook’s note for more information about the chips]

After the peppers and onions have begun to brown, add the minced garlic and the canned chili tomatoes to the pot.  Cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, this step usually takes around 3-5 minutes.   We love the “chunky” texture of the tomatoes in this dish.  If you prefer a finer texture, pulse the tomatoes a few times in your food processor before adding to the pot.

After the tomatoes have broken down add the chopped chicken, 1/2 cup of half and half, both cans of soup, and the taco seasoning.  Stir until well combined.  Remove from the heat and add one cup of shredded Queso Quesadilla cheese. Pour the filling evenly over the tortilla chips in the dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining one cup of shredded cheese.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with your favorite toppings.  Yield: 8-10 servings

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Mexican Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Servings 8 -10

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

• 1 medium sweet onion
• 1 small red pepper
• 1 medium poblano pepper
• olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 [14.5 oz] can chili style tomatoes
• 1 [10 3/4 oz] can fiesta nacho soup
• 1 [10 3/4 oz] can cream of chicken with herbs soup
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 2 1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning
• 2 [9 3/4 oz] bags flavored tortilla chips [*see cook's note]
• 3 cups roughly chopped roasted chicken
• 2 cups Mexican cheese blend divided [i.e. Kraft Mexican Queso Quesadilla]
• assorted toppings: sour cream shredded lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, cilantro

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9 x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a medium stove top pot, saute the chopped onion, red pepper, and poblano pepper in a couple of drizzles of olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper to your taste. Cook until the veggies are just beginning to brown.
3. While the veggies are cooking, layer the tortilla chips in the baking dish. Arrange some of the chips around the sides of the dish to create a festive border. [Tip: I used more than one 9 3/4 oz. bag of tortilla chips, so have an extra bag on hand.]
4. The chip layer should fully cover the bottom and sides of the dish, overlapping.
5. After the peppers and onions have begun to brown, add the minced garlic and the canned chili tomatoes to the pot. Cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, this step usually takes around 3-5 minutes.
6. After the tomatoes have broken down add the chopped chicken, 1/2 cup of half and half, both cans of soup, and the taco seasoning. Stir until well combined.
7. Remove from the heat and add one cup of shredded Queso Quesadilla cheese.
8. Pour the filling evenly over the tortilla chips in the dish. Sprinkle with the remaining one cup of shredded cheese.
9. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.
10. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with your favorite toppings.
11. Cook's note:
12. The flavor of tortilla chips used in this dish are Tostitos Artisan Grilled Red Pepper and Tomato Salsa. They come in various sizes, and flavors, but, the most common size is a 9 3/4 oz. bag. This wasn't quite enough for my casserole, so, have an extra bag on hand. If you're unable to find the same flavor, your favorite would work perfectly. A very good substitute would be Grandes Salsa Limon.

Recipe Notes

The flavor of tortilla chips used in this dish are Tostitos Artisan Grilled Red Pepper and Tomato Salsa. They come in various sizes, and flavors, but, the most common size is a 9 3/4 oz. bag. This wasn't quite enough for my casserole, so, have an extra bag on hand. If you're unable to find the same flavor, your favorite would work perfectly. A very good substitute would be Grandes Salsa Limon.