This Layered Chicken Enchilada Bake is like a cross between flavorful enchiladas, a hearty casserole, and an artfully layered lasagna (with tortillas in place of pasta). The flavors and textures are fantastic. I love the sweet kernels of corn with the zippy enchilada sauce and between the chicken, tortillas and two kinds of beans, this casserole is super filling. Plus, it’s easy to make and you don’t have to roll any enchiladas – bonus!
yield: 8 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 (10 oz) cans red enchilada sauce, divided
- 9 (6 inch) yellow corn tortillas (I use Mission Extra Thin Yellow Corn Tortillas)
- 1 (16 oz) can fat free refried beans
- 4 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into small bite-sized pieces (about ½”)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup drained and rinsed canned black beans
- ¾ cup frozen corn kernels
- 6 oz 50% light sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I used Cabot)
DIRECTIONS:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Drizzle about 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce across the bottom of the dish and spread around with the back of a spoon to lightly coat the bottom of the dish. Arrange 4 ½ of the tortillas across the bottom of the dish to cover the majority of the space (my arrangement is pictured above). Use a spatula to spread the refried beans evenly across the tortillas, forming an even layer across the whole dish. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or saute pan, bring the oil to medium heat. Add the chopped chicken and diced onion and stir to coat in the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are softened (6-10 minutes). Drain the liquid from the pan if necessary. Add all the remaining enchilada sauce, the black beans and the corn and stir together. Remove from heat.
- Spoon about half of the chicken and sauce mixture evenly across the top of the refried bean layer in the casserole dish. Sprinkle about half of the cheddar cheese evenly across as well. Arrange the remaining 4 ½ tortillas in a similar style to step 1 (I did the same but flipped the layout so any small missing spots from layer 1 would be covered and vice versa). Spoon the remaining chicken and sauce mixture evenly across the newly laid tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces and serve.
WEIGHT WATCHERS SMARTPOINTS:
8 per serving (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PLUS:
8 per serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition information below)
NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING:
339 calories, 32 g carbs, 6 g sugars, 9 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 31 g protein, 6 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)
