Chicken and Roasted Poblano Casserole

This spicy casserole gives you great leftovers to make a tasty stew.

Here's another one of my favorites: Chicken and Roasted Poblano Casserole

It's perfect to make on the weekend because it does take a little extra time

But...the beauty of this recipe is that you end up with leftovers to transform into a yummy soup.

And I loooove turning leftovers into something that isn't just a reheated form of what you ate last night. {See here for other cook once eat twice meals}

Plus it is perfectly spicy and is filled with cheesy, saucy goodness with a crunch layer of tortillas on top.

So that extra time it takes to prepare this meal...yeah, it's worth it.

Trust me

Chicken and Roasted Poblano Casserole

This spicy casserole gives you great leftovers to make a tasty stew.

Print Rate

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Meme

Ingredients

• ▢ 5 whole poblano peppers
• ▢ 1 teaspoon oil avocado or olive
• ▢ 1.25 lb chicken breasts or tenders
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 limes
• ▢ 2 onions diced
• ▢ 28 ounce can Green Enchilada Sauce
• ▢ 12 oz Mexican-style beer {like Corona or Pacifico}
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
• ▢ 6 small corn tortillas cut in half
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 5 oz., divided

Instructions

Make the sauce

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Put the whole poblano peppers on the prepared baking sheet, and roast in preheated oven for 5-6 minutes per side {total of 10-12 minutes}.
• Remove from oven, and wrap the foil around the peppers. Set aside. {This helps the peels come off easier}. Reduced oven temperature to 350°F.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or very large skillet. Add the chicken. Sprinkle salt over chicken and squeeze 1 lime over chicken. Depending on the size of your chicken pieces, it will take 5-10 minutes per side {more for large chicken breasts, less for chicken tenders}.
• Add in the onions while the chicken is cooking. Stir occasionally. {The lime juice and the onions will caramelize in the pan, making it turn brown. But this is a good thing & gives great flavor to the dish}
• When the chicken is done, remove from pan & set aside to cool.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add in enchilada sauce and beer. Scrape up any bits of chicken or onion that have caramelized in the pan.
• While that simmers, carefully open up the foil wrapped peppers. Peel them {as best as you can; not all of the peels will come off that easily}, and chop them. Shred the chicken.
• Add the chopped poblano peppers and shredded chicken to the enchilada sauce mixture.
• Simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Then, stir in juice from the remaining lime, cumin, and chopped cilantro. Remove from heat.
• Reserve 4 cups of the chicken-pepper sauce for the leftover recipe {Chicken & Roasted Poblano Stew}.

Assemble to casserole

• Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with non-stick spray. Line it with 4 tortilla halves {with the flat halves lining the dish}. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese over the tortilla halves.
• Put about 2 cups sauce in the dish over the tortillas & cheese.
• Top with 4 tortilla halves {with the flat halves lining the dish}. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over tortillas.
• Spoon the remaining sauce over cheese. Top with 4 more tortilla halves, as directed above and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
• Bake in 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is browned and the casserole is bubbly.
• Serve with avocado, fresh cilantro, and plain yogurt if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

*Be sure to reserve 4 cups of the chicken-pepper sauce for the leftover recipe {Chicken & Roasted Poblano Stew}.
*Based on a recipe from Amy Myrdal presented at the 2008 Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives Conference

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

This recipe was shared on 

Tomorrow, I'll have the leftover recipe for the Chicken & Roasted Poblano Stew plus top 10 favorite recipes from the year

Oh and I need help deciding between Pizza Casserole or Chili Cheese Fries! Which recipe would you rather me post? Click here to go to Facebook & vote. The winning recipe will be posted on Thursday

Meme