Nacho Chicken Casserole

I don’t know about you, but I love the idea of casseroles. Everything you’ll want all piled in a single dish. Maybe add a side of salad or some warm rolls, and there you go – dinner in a snap. And just about anything can be transformed into a delicious casserole.

When my guys saw me cutting chicken breasts into little cubes, they seemed puzzled. It was Tuesday. That mean something Mexican. So what was up with the cubes of raw chicken? Certainly not Chicken Tacos. So what was up?

Delicious – that was happening. I will admit, I wondered about “Nachos” made with corn and rice, with not a bean in sight. I even went so far as to say, with this dish our usual Margaritas weren’t a good mix. I was so sure that we weren’t having Margaritas that I didn’t even bother to chill the glasses.

Boy, was I wrong. My guys took one look at the Nacho Casserole as it came out of the oven and insisted this was the perfect dish with Margaritas. They were right. It was hot, spicy and perfectly delicious.

Nacho Chicken Casserole
2 Chicken Breasts
Mesquite Seasoning to taste
1 (14 oz) can Mexican Diced Tomatoes with Jalapenos
1 (10 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup
1 (11 oz) Mexican Corn with Peppers
1 (4oz) can Diced Green Chilies
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Instant Rice (Minute-Rice)
1-1/2 cups shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
2 cups broken Tortilla Chips

Optional for Serving
Sour Cream as desired
Salsa as desired
Guacamole as desired

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray, set aside.

Cut chicken breast into bite-size cubes. Season well with Mesquite Seasoning. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, saute until meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes or so, stirring often. Pull from heat and set aside.

Drain tomatoes, place in a large mixing bowl. Add soup, corn, green chilies, taco seasoning and stock. Stir, taste mixture. If desired, add more taco seasoning. Stir in rice, chicken and 1 cup of cheese.

Cover; bake about 40 minutes or until rice is tender and mixture is heated through.

Break tortilla chips into large pieces, top casserole with broken chips; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake about 10 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Great with Margaritas!

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