la esquina mexican casserole

la esquina mexican casserole

yes, i said casserole but don't be nervous! there's no 'cream of,' anything in here. just keep reading-
it was sunday night and i was in one of those moods where i wanted to use up everything in the fridge so i could start fresh. what to do with all of the leftover salsa from la esquina?? make mexican casserole : ) the bones of this recipe came from a paula deen cookbook but don't worry, i left the butter out!

prep time: 30 mins
ingredients:

• (2) jars of leftover la esquina salsa (16 oz total)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
• 3 cups grated monterrey jack cheese
• palm of chopped cilantro
• 1 bag tortilla chips
• 1/2 sliced avocado

i cooked the chicken for this recipe on a monday night so that my prep time on tuesday would be minimal. on monday, i roasted three large bonelees chicken breasts for about 18 mins in a 400 degree oven. i had drizzled them with olive oil and salt and pepper and had slightly undercooked them since i knew they'd be doing a little more cooking in the casserole before they hit the table.

tuesday night: pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. pour chicken stock and salsa into a shallow bowl and use an emulsion blender to quickly combine. next, chop the chicken, onions and cilantro, then go to work on your casserole. grease a small-ish baking dish. line bottom with a layer of tortilla chips, half the chicken, half the salsa mixture and then sprinkle half the cheese over top. next, add another layer of chips, chicken, salsa mix and top with the remaining cheese. bake for 20-30 mins, until top has browned and juices are bubbly. top with fresh chopped cilantro and a few avocado slices.