Mexiffesion

Anyone who has had the pleasure of planning on going out to eat with me has heard me utter the phrase, "I don't eat Mexican". When deciding on which restaurant to pick I always throw that caveat out to ensure we don't end up at an establishment where I am wearing a sombrero and raising a flag for seconds. To be truthful it isn't that I don't eat Mexican cuisine - what is not to love about cheese, chiles and tortillas. My problem with Mexican restaurants is that inevitably the appetizer is going to be chips and salsa and the sides of any dish you order are going to be beans and rice. And you might not think that sounds so bad but I hate salsa, I hate Mexican rice, and I HATE beans! In my opinion, it isn't worth going to a restaurant when I dislike so many of the main ingredients.

So although I never patronize a Mexican establishment, I do cook several Mexican inspired dishes in my home as long as the recipe doesn't call for one of the above ingredients or I can eliminate it without altering the dish too drastically. When I came across the following recipe I knew I would enjoy it and it would be fun to create and it was!

Chicken Chilaquiles
Cooking Light July 2007

Ingredients
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers, divided
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (11-ounce) can tomatillos, drained (I couldn't find this so I used canned Salsa Verde)
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine chicken, green onions, 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, Parmesan, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

Place milk and next 3 ingredients (through chiles) in a food processor or blender;

process until smooth.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Pour 1/3 cup tomatillo mixture into bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 corn tortillas in dish, and top with half of chicken mixture.

Repeat layer with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture, ending with tortillas. Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups tomatillo mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

This meal was so easy since it required you to use an already cooked Rotisserie Chicken. It was basically just assembling the ingredients in an orderly fashion. Both Forrest and I really enjoyed this dish. It was very flavorful and very spicy!