Chicken Tamale Casserole

This was seriously good, definitely a recipe that I will make again. Sometimes it's really nice to have recipes where I can come home, mix stuff together, and then read the mail or talk to Joe while it bakes, and that is exactly what I did last night. Plus, it was pretty chilly yesterday, and neither Joe nor I are quite used to the cold, so this was a good reminder of our time in Texas. And on a chilly day, who doesn't want a casserole or stew or chili?

I chopped up a fresh jalapeno in addition to the green chiles for the cornbread, and next time I might do too. It certainly wasn't bland, but a little more heat would not be unwelcome. I was going to serve this with some sauteed corn and salsa, but I had less corn than I thought. A corn and black bean salad or some pinto beans would go perfectly alongside this.

Chicken Tamale Casserole
(source: Cooking Light via Elizabeth's Edible Experience)
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute (I used one egg.)
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn (I used normal corn.)
  
• 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White) (Or Jiffy! Joe and I had a long conversation about Jiffy corn muffin mix. It's been around since the '30s!)
  
• 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

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. 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.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; 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.

Calories: 354 (36% from fat)

Fat: 14.1g (sat 7.1g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.2g)

Protein: 18.9g

Carbohydrate: 36.3g

Fiber: 2.5g

Cholesterol: 58mg

Iron: 1.7mg

Sodium: 620mg

Calcium: 179mg