Easy Chicken--Southwestern Style

I know. There are an awful lot of chicken recipes on this blog. But the truth of the matter is that chicken is the least expensive protein out there and it is fast and easy to prepare.

These are two very simple southwestern style chicken dinners. For both, pair them with a side salad (perhaps with some salsa ranch or jalapeno ranch salad dressing) and you're set!


Southwestern Strudel

Thaw Time: 40 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 6

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 can (11 ounces) Mexican-style corn, drained
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 package (about 5 ounces) mixed salad greens
Sour cream

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

Stir the chicken, cheese, corn, bread crumbs and picante sauce in a medium bowl.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 16x12-inch rectangle. With the short side facing you, spoon the chicken mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry to within 1-inch of the edges. Starting at the short side, roll up like a jelly roll. Place the pastry seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Tuck the ends under to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the parsley. Cut 2-inch slits 2 inches apart in the pastry top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Slice and serve warm on the salad greens with the sour cream, if desired.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with home-style coleslaw. For dessert serve chilled key lime pie.

Source: http://www.puffpastry.com/




Chicken Tamale Casserole

Ingredients:

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork. Top with chicken and pour enchilada sauce over top; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Yield: 8 servings

CALORIES 354 (36% from fat); FAT 14.1g (sat 7.1g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.2g); IRON 1.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 179mg; CARBOHYDRATE 36.3g; SODIUM 620mg; PROTEIN 18.9g; FIBER 2.5g

Source: Cooking Light, http://www.myrecipes.com/

Notes: This dish is freezer friendly. Make the casserole in a freezer friendly casserole dish or aluminum casserole dish. After baking the cornbread mixture until it is set, top with chicken, enchilada sauce, and cheese as noted in the recipe. Allow to cool. Cover with foil and label and date it. When ready to use, defrost in fridge overnight or place frozen casserole in the oven and bake (covered) for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and nicely browned. Adjust the cooking times accordingly depending on whether you cook it from frozen or defrosted.

Here's what I did for the side salad:

Mexican Side Salad

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite size pieces
Grape tomatoes, halved
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice
Ranch dressing (favorite bottled or homemade)
Salsa

Directions:

Mix together the corn, black beans, cumin, chili powder, ground red pepper, and lime juice. Place Romaine lettuce on your plate and top with grape tomatoes, corn/black bean mixture, Ranch dressing, and salsa.

Source: This was inspired by a simple southwestern salad I found on the Kraft Recipes website. I simply embellished it by adding tomatoes, spices, and lime juice. Their recipe used sliced red peppers in place of the tomatoes.