Monday, February 28, 2011

A Fiesta!


Well, a fiesta for your mouth I guess. I made this over the weekend and it turned out great so I thought I'd share. I took a note from Ina Garten and used roasted chicken instead of poached - more flavor! Moister! Yummier!


Chicken Fiesta


1 large onion, chopped

1 T olive oil

3 chicken breasts, roasted and chopped into bite sized pieces (or an equal amount of various leftover rotisserie chicken)

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bag frozen corn, thawed

2-14 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained

1 8-oz block neufchatel, room temperature

1 tsp dried cilantro (or to taste)

1 tsp cayenne (or to taste)

4 oz shredded cheddar (more if you want)


You could also add chopped spinach or any other favorite veggie. Or salt, but I usually let the diner add their own.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pan, and add the onions. Saute until translucent. Add the chicken and cook until warmed through. Add in the black beans, corn and tomatoes. Cook through til warm, about 5 minutes. Add in the neufchatel, cilantro and cayenne then stir, stir, stir until it all melts. This is the sauce for the whole shebang, and its really luscious.


Once the cheese is melted, pour all into a 13x9" baking pan and cover with shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.


Note: this can be used for enchilada or soft taco filling if you don't want to do the baking step. If you do bake it, you can serve alongside a nice salad or just dip into it with tortilla chips.

No comments: