MEXICAN CHICKEN STRATA

MEXICAN CHICKEN STRATA image

Categories Chicken Vegetable Bake Low Fat

Yield 10 to 12 servings (leftovers freeze well)

Number Of Ingredients 37

Ingredients

Roasted chicken
1 Tb olive oil
1 Tb fine herbs or poultry seasoning
1Tb dried rosemary
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided use
1 large (3- to 5-lb) roasting chicken, rinsed and patted dry
Fresh ground pepper
1 orange, halved
1/2 c OJ
1 cup Swanson chicken broth
Filling
3 Tb olive oil
2 medium diced onions
1 large diced red pepper
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
S & P to taste
3 Tb chili powder (to taste)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 or 2 (to taste) medium chipotle chile (canned in adobo sauce), chopped
1 small can (4 oz) chopped black olives, drained
1 small can (8 oz) corn, drained
1 small can (4 oz) chopped green mild chilies
1 c prepared medium salsa
4 to 6 dashes hot pepper sauce to taste
Additional Swanson's chicken broth as needed
Defatted roasting pan juices
Sauce
1 can mild or medium (to taste) red enchilada sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
1 can green enchilada sauce
Hot pepper sauce to taste (optional)
About 18 round corn tortillas
2 cups shredded light cheddar (Cabot 50% light cheddar is excellent, or 2% milk sharp cheddar)
Cooking spray
1 cup Dannon plain yogurt for 1 Tb garnish per serving (optional)

Steps:

Roasted chicken Preheat oven to 350°. Mix 1st 5 ingredients in small bowl. Loosen chicken skin on breast and rub seasonings into meat. Season cavity with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper; insert 1/2 orange. Place bird on low metal rack in pan that just fits. Pour water and juice over bird. Roast about 20 minutes per pound, basting every 20 minutes, until juices run clear. Remove from oven and let stand to cool slightly. Discard skin, orange, and bones. Chop or shred roasted chicken. Collect and reserve any drippings from cutting board and all pan juices; refrigerate in small bowl. Refrigerate chicken. Strata In a large skillet (12 inch), heat oil and sauté veggies, beginning with onions and peppers until softened and browned slightly, adding mushrooms and garlic toward end. Add chili powder and cumin, S & P, to taste. Discard top layer of fat from chilled pan juices. Add chicken and defatted juice to sautéed vegetables. Add green chilies, salsa, corn, olives. Add additional chicken broth as needed until 1 inch of juice is in pan with mixture. Heat until just warm, cover, and set aside. Combine all sauce ingredients in large, shallow bowl. Season with hot pepper sauce to taste. Spray large baking dish (13 × 11 × 3 inch) with cooking spray. Layer 1 cup sauce in bottom. Dip 6 tortillas in bowl of sauce, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Layer tortillas to cover pan. Tear dipped tortillas into pieces to fill large gaps between rounds. Cover tortillas with 1/2 chicken mixture. Sprinkle with 1/3 of cheese. Repeat 1 layer tortillas, chicken, cheese. Cover with last 6 dipped tortillas. Cover with any remaining sauce. Reserve 1/3 cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour at 350 deg. until heated through. Remove cover and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Heat uncovered until bubbling and cheese is melted (10-15 min). Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.