Low-Carb Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Low-Carb Chicken Enchilada Casserole
...quick, easy, and so delicious!

You know the deal. You get home from work and have that raw chicken breast staring at you. What the heck will you do with it this time? I thought this same thing on Tuesday night, and decided to try out something a little different: low-carb chicken enchilada casserole.

This was really one of those let's-see-what's-in-the-pantry-that-I-can-use type of recipe. I knew I had enchilada sauce and some low-carb tortillas. I wanted to stretch the meat in this recipe, so in addition to the chicken breast (yes, only one chicken breast needed!) I used some onions and peppers to fill it out. I think this recipe would work just as well with shredded or ground beef, so I may try that out next time. The other thing I put in this casserole that added some amazing flavor was Desert Pepper Black Bean Dip. It's a little spicy but I just dolloped a bit of it in there since I found it in the pantry.

This recipe can also be made using carbs, if that's how you and your family roll. I will put a note at the bottom on how to replace some of the items to make this more palatable if your crew won't eat low-carb food. 

Low-Carb Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

□ 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

□ 3 mini peppers or half a regular size pepper, chopped

□ 1/2 onion, chopped

□ 1 small can chopped green chilies

□ 2 cans enchilada sauce

□ 2 low-carb tortillas, cut into 1" sections (or use bean chips)

□ 1/2 cup queso blanco, heated

□ 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

□ Optional: black beans or spicy black bean dip

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and spray a square glass baking dish.

2. Sauté the chicken with 1/3 of the enchilada sauce. You shouldn't need any oil as the chicken has enough moisture in it. I just stirred it a bit as it cooked to keep from sticking. Cook about 10 minutes until cubes are cooked through.

3. Add the chopped onion, peppers, and green chilies to the pan and cook another 3-4 minutes until onions are clear. If you need more liquid at this point add in a bit more of the enchilada sauce.

4. Start layering in the baking dish. Spread enchilada sauce enough to cover the bottom of the dish, then layer: chicken mixture, small spoonfuls of black bean dip (optional), more enchilada sauce, drizzle of white queso, sprinkling of shredded cheese, then the tortilla pieces. Repeat layering one more time and top with shredded cheese.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly. If cheese starts to get too done on the top, place aluminum foil on it.

Here's the nutrition info for this recipe:

For those of you who want to replace the low-carb ingredients with carbs, you can substitute either corn chips or regular flour tortillas for the low-carb tortillas.