This is another one of those recipes that sat on my radar for quite some time before I actually decided to give it a try. And I must say, that in the process of combining all of the ingredients on the stove I was really hesitant. In my mind, chips+chicken broth= mushy mess. Boy, was I wrong! This dish is awesome. Its all of the traditional Mexican flavors that I love all combined in one easy skillet meal. I changed up the original recipe to make it more pantry-friendly, and I was really pleased with the results. I know we are all looking for ways to use up some of those Tostitos in our pantry. Pull them out and try this! It is so good, and so different than other Mexican dishes that you've tried. I promise!
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 onion, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-3/4 cups chicken broth
5 cups Tostitos, then broken into pieces
1 can Rotel, drained
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Preheat the broiler. Trim the chicken breasts of any excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook on both sides until golden-brown, 5-7 minutes total (the chicken will NOT be cooked through at this point). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining oil, onion, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the broth and scrape up any brown bits, and bring to a simmer.
Stir in half of the tortilla chips. Nestle the chicken into the broth and cook over medium low heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, and when cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces.
Return the chicken to the skillet (over low heat) with the drained Rotel, 1 cup cheese, and 1 tablespoon cilantro or parsley. Stir in the other half of the tortilla chips until they are incorporated and moistened (the mixture will be thick).
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and broil until the cheese is melted and browning, 2-3 minutes. Top with remaining cilantro or parsley and serve with refried beans or a salad.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Annie's Eats and Pink Parsley)
This recipe brings back old memories for me. The first time I had this lasagna was when I was 18 years old working as a teller at Regions Bank in college. The head teller at the branch on Dauphin Island Parkway, Mary Jo, would make this for us on special occasions. We had a little oven in the break room that got lots of action! The Curry Chicken was one of the dishes she would make us too! I love how simple this is, and it is great for company. Its a great way to stretch a buck on the ground beef. It only takes 1 pound of ground meat, but could easily feed 6 people. We had my sister-in-law and her girls over last Tuesday for dinner and she makes a great lasagna. So, I thought I'd put a new spin on lasagna and make this for her! She loved it. We served it with some leftover Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf and were full and happy :) The Apple Dumplings I had planned for dessert got pushed to later in the week because we were just too full! Oh, and don't store your tortillas in the pantry next to Cinnamon Raisin Bagels. We got little bits of cinnamon taste throughout the lasagna because the tortillas smelled like cinnamon!
**Guys- don't laugh. I remembered the lasagna being creamier than it turned out. No big deal, it was still good. Well, when I was retyping the recipe, I realized I left out the Cream of Chicken soup!! I am going to make it again and do it right. It was still good, but would have been just like I remembered had I put the soup in. Another DUH moment!!
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, mined
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can Rotel
1 can Ranch Style Beans
1 can Cream of Chicken soup :)
12 (6-inch) fajita size tortillas
3 cups shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off excess fat. Add onion and garlic and cook 2-4 minutes until the onion softens. Add taco seasoning, Rotel, Ranch Style beans, and cream of chicken soup.
Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Tear tortillas into large chunks and set aside. Spoon about 1/2 cup of meat sauce on the bottom of prepared baking dish. Line the dish with 1/2 of the tortillas, 1/2 of the meat sauce and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat the layers ending with the shredded cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Mary Jo Brierly)
