Tamale Chicken Casserole

I know this looks a little messy, but let me tell you, it is sooooo good. I love a good tamale. I loved them so much I found a good recipe so that I could make tamales myself at home... and they are always a hit. Enter the tamale casserole. All the flavor of a good tamale, but with a whole lot less prep time and work. I found this Chili Verde Chicken Tamale Casserole recipe on Pinterest, and while the originial was ok, and actually less time consuming, I think the changes I made raised it to another level. The original used canned poblanos and rotisserie chicken. In addition to cooking a spicy chicken to use, I also added jalapeños and onion to counter balance the sweetness of the corn in the original recipe... And there is so much flavor packed into this casserole... so very much flavor. It is delicious. And if you have a small family, buy some roughly 9x9 inches, almost 3 inches deep, poultry aluminum pans, and split the recipe into two servings and freeze one of them. Two birds, one stone! That's my kind of cooking!

FOR THE CHICKEN FILLING:
2.5-3 lbs chicken
Seasonings - adobo, garlic powder, cayenne, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup chile verde enchilada sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp garlic powder

FOR THE TAMALE DOUGH:
3 c. masa harina
Couple of tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 poblanos (roasted) - depending on how spicy you want it
1-2 jalapeños (roasted) - depending on how spicy they are are and how spicy you want it
1 medium onion (roasted)
2 tsp coarse kosher sea salt
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
12 tbsp unsalted butter - cold and cut into 12 pieces
3 cups frozen corn - thawed, divided
2 1/4 cups chicken broth - more if needed

OTHER:
3-4 cups grated monterey jack cheese - divided (I used more than this, especially when I divided it into two separate servings)
1 cup chile verde enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp cilantro for garnish



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat the peppers and onions in olive oil.



Roast them in a 350 degree oven until the peppers are blistered. Carefully peel off the peppers' skins. I used a fork and my fingers; just be careful not to burn yourself.



Season both sides of the chicken; cook on med-high until seared on both sides. 

Set the chicken aside on a plate to cool; set the skillet aside - you'll use this again. Once the chicken is cooled, shred it.

Now to make the masa for the tamale part of the casserole, I had to divide mine into two batches. All of the ingredients overloaded my food processor the first time I made this. In your food process (or blender) add half of the following ingredients: masa; the roasted poblanos, jalapeños and onion; salt; sugar; baking powder; black pepper; and butter, and 1 cup of corn.



Pulse until mixture is coarse and blended.



Slowly drizzle just over 1 cup of chicken broth until the mixture resembles the consistency of peanut butter.

Scrape out that portion into a bowl, and then mix up the remaining half. Blend the two portions together, and then add the remaining cup of corn and mix in. Set aside while you finish preparing the chicken.

In the skillet you cooked the chicken in, put the shredded chicken back in it. Add the chicken broth, enchilada sauce, garlic powder, and cilantro. Mix together, and then simmer until warmed through and thickened slightly.



Lightly spray your pan(s) - one 9x13 or two 8x8 or 9x9, just ensure they are between 2.5-3 inches deep - with cooking spray.

If using one pan, press half the tamale mixture into the bottom of your pan. Top with about 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Next layer the chicken filling evenly. Top with another 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Layer the remaining tamale mixture. Pour 1 cup (or a little more to get an even layer of coverage) of enchilada sauce over the tamale mixture. Top it all with 1.5-2 cups of cheese.

If using two pans, press quarter of the tamale mixture into the bottom of your pan. Top with about 1/2 cup of cheese. Next layer half the chicken filling evenly. Top with another 1/2 cup of cheese. Layer another quarter of the tamale mixture. Pour 1/2 cup (or a little more to get an even layer of coverage) of enchilada sauce over the tamale mixture. Top it all with 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Repeat for second dish.

If you used two pans and you're going to freeze one, cut a piece of plastic and lightly spray it with cooking spray. Cover the dish and freeze until solid. Then vacuum seal it. If you can't vacuum seal, then tightly wrap the dish in plastic and then cover that with aluminum foil. Before baking, thaw the dish (overnight in the fridge would work well).

To bake, cover the dish with aluminum foil (spray with cooking spray to keep the cheese from sticking). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking another 10 minutes or so until the top is bubbly and browned to your liking. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Wrap

I love spicy food. I think peppers make most meals better. Not only do the spices and peppers make this meal delicious, but it's pretty healthy too. As it's prepared below this is how a wrap stacks up: 267 calories; 9.7 grams fat; 88.7 mg cholesterol; 19.9 carbs; 35 grams protein. I like to cook up 3 or 4 chicken breasts, slice them and then eat on it all week.

1-2 lbs Chicken (I prefer breast, but use your preference)
Olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder
paprika
cumin
Adobo seasoning
pepper spices (cayenne, chipotle, or any kind you prefer)
Xtreme Wellness Spinach and Herb Tortillas
Quesadilla cheese (or your preferred cheese)
Salsa Verde
Romaine lettuce (thinly sliced)

Clean and prep the chicken. Salt, pepper and apply the spices the each side of each piece of chicken. Apply the amount of spice that matches your tastebuds. Start with a light coating on each side.

Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Cook chicken on each side several minutes until browned. If your chicken pieces are thinner, ensure that the chicken is cooked through and stop here.

If the chicken pieces are thick, foil line a pan, and after browning the chicken on each side, bake in the oven 10-15 minutes until it is cooked through. Let chicken cool 10 minutes or so and then slice thinly. Prepare the wrap by adding 3-4 ounces of chicken, an ounce of cheese, a tablespoon or two of salsa verde, and an ounce of your favorite lettuce. Roll up and enjoy!

Salsa Verde

I love Mexican food, and I love spicy food. Eating out or purchasing large quantities of food just isn't a very viable option, so I figured out how to make salsa verde at home... and it is gooooooood. Nice touch of heat, but it won't make you cry. At least, it doesn't make me cry. Please use the ingredients as more of a guideline. I've made this three times now, with different amounts of ingredients each time. My latest batch made about three pint-size jars of salsa verde.

1-2.5 lbs tomatillos
1/2 to 2 large onion
3-8 peppers (I used 3 or 4 jalapeños and 1 serrano, just use what you have or like for the heat you want)
4-10 cloves of garlic, depending on how big they are and how much garlic you like
olive oil
bunch of cilantro
Splash of vinegar (I use white wine vinegar for a milder flavor)
salt
water

To roast in a pot:

Prep your items: remove the husks of the tomatillos, wash, and cut in half or quarters. Roughly dice the onion. Open, peel, and crush the garlic. Cut the tops off the peppers; remove the seeds of some of them to reduce the heat while maintaining the pepper flavors. Be careful not to touch the seeds too much and wash your hands promptly. Get all ingredients in a bowl.

In a large soup pot (if you are making a smaller amount then you can use a small pot or a large skillet), heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add tomatillos, onions, peppers, and garlic and roast until everything is softened and just beginning to fall apart. Stir often so that nothing sticks, but you do want some heat scoring. This will provide tons of flavor. This picture below is partially cooked. It went a bit longer after this.

To roast in the oven:

Peel, wash and dry the tomatillos. Halve or quarter the onions. In a large bowl, put the tomatillos, peppers, garlic and onion pieces (I halve mine). Sprinkle some olive oil over the ingredients and toss to ensure even coverage. Line everything out on a foil-covered baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with ingredients with kosher salt. Roast in a 400 degree oven until tomatillos and peppers begin to brown and break down. Tomatillos will look soupy, and peppers should be blistered and mostly blackened. Peel the skin off the peppers. This is easier to do if you put the peppers in a plastic bag as soon as you pull them from the oven for about 10 minutes. That steams them and allows the skin to loosen.

Once everything is softened, remove from heat. Allow to cool just a bit so that you don't burn yourself. Add most of the ingredients to blender, leaving enough space for rising during blending. I like to hold back on the peppers and garlic, and add more to taste. Tear off several handfuls of cilantro, to taste, and place in blender along with a heavy sprinkle of salt, also to taste, and a splash of vinegar (I probably don't use more than a 1/2 tsp or so for about 1.5 lbs of tomatillos). Remember, you can always add more, but you can't take salt or vinegar out. Pulse until desired consistency is achieved - I prefer mine smooth. Add water to thin salsa. I use about 1 cup for 1.5 lbs of tomatillos. Salsa will thicken in the fridge. Add additional salt, cilantro, peppers or garlic to taste and blend until you reach the consistency and flavor you prefer.

Pour in a jar(s) or plastic container. Allow to cool, and then store in the refrigerator. Use as a salsa or as a sauce over your favorite dishes.