Chicken enchilada cassarole

Yes, it's time for yet another yummy recipe. You might have noticed that I like Mexican food since my last recipe involved refried beans and salsa. You'll be happy to know that today's recipe has neither one in it. I actually created this from two different recipes. The first recipe was a brown rice Mexican casserole that I got off the Weight Watchers web site and the second recipe was an enchilada casserole that I got off the back of a package of corn tortillas. Both casserole recipes are OK, but neither one was particularly stellar so I took what I liked from one and added it to what I liked to the other and came up with a really yummy and easy to make supper. It is also a great way to use leftover chicken.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2 cooked chicken breasts
1 cup instant brown rice
1 can enchilada sauce (large size)
1 package tortillas
1 package shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1 can of black olives (optional)
1 can of green chilies (optional)
cilantro (optional)

• In a microwave safe container, make up the brown rice. Remember 1 cup uncooked rice equals 2 cups cooked. Set aside.
• While rice is cooking, shred the chicken and tear up at least 4-6 tortillas.
• Spray the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cover the bottom of the baking dish with the pieces of tortillas, it's OK to have gaps.
• Pour a small amount of enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Spread with a spoon.
• In a separate bowl combine the chicken and rice. If using green chili's or cilantro, add them too. Pour the majority of enchilada sauce in and mix thoroughly. You should have a little sauce left.
• Spread half the chicken and rice mixture over the tortillas.
• Cover with cheese.
• Take the remaining tortillas and place them on top of the cheese and pour the remaining sauce over them.
• Spread the remaining chicken and rice mixture over top.
• Cover with shredded cheese. You can also put the black olives on top.
• Bake covered at 350 for about 25-30 minutes.

If you really want to spice things up, try using hotter cheese. I'm not sure of the name but there is a brand of shredded cheese that has hot peppers in it. Poor Matthew had a really hard time eating this when I used this cheese. Needless to say, I use the milder cheese. You can also skip the tortillas or use ground beef instead of chicken. If you want a stronger enchilada taste, mix the chicken with the sauce and then add the rice.