Chicken Taco Casserole

When I started dating my husband, I shared a casserole with him at his house.  His mother often sent him home with casseroles and cookies and I was so happy to learn that he liked casseroles as much as I did.  After James and I got married I asked my mother in law for her recipe for chicken fajita casserole and I made it.  I must say, it was pretty good.  But I can't leave any recipe alone.  I change every recipe I read to make it suit my personal taste.  The original recipe had no vegetables other than the canned chilies, so I added lots of fresh salsa.  The original also called for canned chicken.  I was astonished to discover that chicken even came in a can!  Did you know this?  Canned chicken?  Like tuna?  Needless to say I used her recipe to inspire this recipe and I changed the name to one that more suits the ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed           4.27
24 oz chunky salsa medium                        5.22
7oz can chopped green chilies                      .88
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (not pictured)             .25
2 cans reduced fat cream of chicken soup   2.50
8 oz light sour cream                                     .99
2 packages taco seasoning                             .92
12 ten inch tortillas (corn or flour)              3.72
8 oz block of sharp cheddar                         2.14
8 oz block of pepper jack cheese                 2.28

Directions:

 

Pour the salsa and green chilies into a colander and stir well to get rid of any extra liquid.  This will keep your dish from getting soggy.

In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped chicken, drained salsa & chilies, 2 cans of reduced fat cream of chicken soup, 8 oz light sour cream, 2 packages taco seasoning and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves.  Stir well.

Shred the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses onto a large plate.  Take out 12 tortillas and slice them in half.  Now you are ready to assemble.

Place three 8x8" pans side by side and spread a small scoop of chicken mixture in the bottom.  This will prevent the tortillas from sticking.

Place two halves of tortilla in each pan with the strait side out and the curved side to the middle. 

Now layer two more halves over top so all the edges are covered. 

Now spread a large scoop of chicken mixture in each pan.

Sprinkle each pan with about 1/6 of the cheeses.

Repeat the layers one more time.  Tortillas, chicken then cheese.  Label 3 pieces of foil and cover each pan. 

Place one pan in the fridge for tonight and two pans in the freezer for later.  Please thaw in the fridge for two days before baking.  When you are prepared, bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. 

My husband likes his with pickled jalapenos.  I like mine with a scoop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro.  This would also be good with a can of black beans added to the filling.  I was able to make 3 pans of chicken taco casserole for $7.72 each. 

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza