Looking for a dish that is sure to keep them coming back for more?  I was going to make this one with light cheese fat-free blah blah blah blah but I decided to forget it since it’s all homemade ingredients.  Does that count?  My tummy says it does.

Time from start to finish: about an hour.  So give yourself a little time. 🙂 I wish I had taken more pictures but I kept getting distracted and forgot.  This truly is one of the best dishes for a family. It’s a crowd pleaser!

Step One: Cook your chicken. I get my chicken in bulk from Zaycon and dice it up before I freeze it.  I highly recommend this time saving trick.

I sprinkled Penzey’s Chipotle seasoning on the chicken.  YUM.  That’s all I have to say about that.

Now,

1. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, corn, crushed red pepper, cream cheese, salt and pepper to chicken; toss to combine.
2. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 garlic cloves or 1 TB of diced garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add onion mixture to chicken mixture; stir to combine.  Set aside.
3. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups onion, remaining 3 garlic cloves, broth, salsa, 1/4 cup water, 3 chipotle peppers and/or jalapeño in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Carefully pour mixture into a blender or food processor; add 2 tablespoons cilantro. Process until smooth. This is your sauce.

AND THE SAUCE IS THE BOSS.  Just sayin’.

Here’s where I wish I had more pictures.  🙁  Now it’s time to cook your corn tortillas. I used coconut oil (just a few tablespoons) and I cook them on each side until they are crispy and yummmmy.  In fact, I made an extra one to munch on.  It’s like having your own freshly made tortilla chips.  Ridiculously good.

Now, the LAYERING can begin.  Man, my mouth is watering.

Spray your pan and put some sauce down, Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.  Layer your tortilla quarters on top. Then, spoon your chicken on top of the chips.  Then, more sauce, more tortillas, more chicken.   Big pan, one layer. Small pan, more layers.  You get the idea.

Once you have your last layer of sauce and chips, just sprinkle cheese and bake.  Your family will think you need your own cooking show. 🙂

Here’s the quickie version.  Let me know how it turns out!

INGREDIENTS:

• Cooking spray
• 4-6 skinless chicken breasts
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (you will use this in thirds)  Dried cilantro is okay but fresh is much better.
• 2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/2 cup low-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 chipotle peppers
• 1.5  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or more, to taste
• 2 large chopped onion
• 3 T minced garlic  (I use the kind in a jar when I’m in a hurry.)
• 2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup of your favorite salsa verde
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeño pepper
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• shredded sharp cheddar cheese for topping

Here’s how you do it

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Cook previously diced chicken with a bit of chipotle seasoning or cumin and a little salt.
3.  Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, corn, crushed red pepper, cream cheese, salt and pepper to chicken; toss to combine.
4. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 garlic cloves or 1 TB of diced garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add onion mixture to chicken mixture; stir to combine.  Set aside.
5. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups onion, remaining 3 garlic cloves, broth, salsa, 1/4 cup water, 3 chipotle peppers and/or jalapeño in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Carefully pour mixture into a blender or food processor; add 2 tablespoons cilantro. Process until smooth. This is your sauce.
6. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tortillas; cook in coconut oil if you have it, 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove tortillas from pan; repeat procedure with remaining tortillas. Cut tortillas into quarters.
7. Pour a small amount of your sauce into the bottom of an 9×12 glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover with tortilla quarters over sauce.
8. Spoon half of chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Pour remaining salsa mixture over tortillas; sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Top with remaining cilantro

The flavors of this dish will amaze you—sweet and savory, spicy and refreshing.  Our kids all loved it!