Chicken Enchilada Casserole

How not original of me...after promising some recipes that didn't come from Cooking Light, I went back to one of my Cooking Light cookbooks. Whatever, I like it. Cooking Light has great recipes that I don't feel guilty about after eating. The original recipe called for a 1/4 cup beer, but I didn't have any (read the paragraph below for an explanation). I felt like it turned out fine without it and will post the recipe without.

This one is a very time intensive project. I had originally intended to make this dish on Sunday. However, I was wiped out from the previous evening. We were up sooooo late. Saturday evening started off innocently enough with burritos from Anna's Taqueria. A full posting must be dedicated to the deliciousness that is Anna's, perhaps a guest blogger Browning or her husband who asked to be named as Tonto on the blog could write it? I would be honored if they did...Anyhow back to Saturday, we had burritos for dinner. The husband opened up a bottle of wine. Then we opened another bottle of wine, then another, a few beers, then I dragged the neighbors upstairs (we all know what can happen then). The next thing I knew, we were in the early morning hours of Sunday watching Browning Moonwalk.

While I felt completely fine on Sunday, due to drinking a lot of water with my wine and cutting myself off early, I was wiped out. I didn't feel like making dinner. I was going to opt out of this dish completely and do something else with the chicken. However, as I got home from the gym on Monday, the husband had already started to prep the recipe. It took a long time, but it was worth it. I love enchiladas but lack the skill of wrapping them well. A casserole is a great solution.

1.25 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1.5 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 (2.25 oz sliced olives)
5 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cups milk (the original recipe calls for 2%, I used skim and it was fine)
6 tablespoons egg substitute (or 2 large egg whites)
1.5 cups shredded Mexican cheese mix
6 (6 inch) corn tortillas cut in half
Sour cream and salsa to top

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
   
2. Brown chicken in a skillet. Cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; cool. Shred chicken with 2 forks (something I lack the patience for after the gym when I am hungry).
3. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan saute 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken, red pepper, and tomatoes. Cook until liquid from tomatoes almost evaporates. Reserve 1 tablespoon green onions and 1 tablespoon olives for garnish. Stir in remaining green onions and olives into chicken mixture.
   
4. Combine flour, salt, cumin, and coriander in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Place over medium heat; cook 7 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Gradually add milk mixture to egg whites, stirring constantly with a whisk.
   
5. Spread 1/2 cup white sauce in bottom of a 2.5 quart round casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 tortillas halves over sauce; top with 2 cups chicken mixture, 1/2 cup white sauce, and 1/2 cup cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with sauce. Set remaining cheese mixture aside.
6. Bake uncovered, at 350F for 40 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, reserved olives and green onions; bake an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes to cool. Top with salsa, sour cream, and in my case jalapeno pepper slices (I omitted the green chili peppers for the husband).