Hot Tamales

Is it Friday yet?  I've already put in almost 24 hours at the office this week and it's only Tuesday!  Hello, busy recruiting season. 

I promised a certain somebody I would post one of my favorite healthy(er) Mexican recipes -- the Chicken Tamale Casserole I first made a couple months back.  I love (and I mean looooove) Mexican food, but after discovering that traditional tamales are made with some not-so-healthy ingredients, I started looking for substitute options that would still satisfy.  This is a great option, and super easy to prepare!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (I used chili powder instead -- either works)
• 1 can (14.75 oz) cream-style corn
• 1 box (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix
• 1 can (4 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 can (10 oz.) red enchilada sauce (or verde)
• 2 cups boiled, shredded chicken breast (approximately .75 lbs of chicken)
• Reduced fat free sour cream (optional)
• Ranch-style black beans (optional)

Directions:

Step 1 - Boil the chicken breasts for approximately 15 minutes, until cooked through and no longer pink.

 Looks gross, but boiling chicken is really healthy and makes the meat easy to shred.

Shredded.

Step 2 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine 1/4 cup of cheese and next 8 ingredients (through green chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist.  Pour mixture into a 13 x 9 baking dish (coated with cooking spray).

The corn muffin and cream-style corn mix help duplicate the tamale taste, minus the lard ;)

Step 3 - Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until mixture is firm (note: original recipe calls for 15-20 minutes, but mine needed closer to 25 minutes -- I recommend just keeping an eye on it).  Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork, and pour enchilada sauce over top.  Top with chicken and remaining cheese. 

Saucy!

Step 4 - Bake at 400 degrees for another 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Remove from oven, let stand for 5 minutes.

I like to add some black beans, and a bit of reduced fat sour cream.  Heaven...

Enjoy :)

xoxo,

Olivia