Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Bake


This recipe is from my latest issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray and is definitely a new favorite for me! In the magazine they suggest trading out the chicken for your favorite type of beans if you want to make it meatless and I think some black or pinto beans would be just as yummy. I also think a good salsa verde makes the difference for this dish and I used a Goya one that was really good, although a little spicier than I would have preferred (hence all the avocados on my serving to help cool it down...but I'll take any reason to have extra avocados). LOVED it and LOVED it just as much for lunch today :-)!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 chicken cutlets, about 1 pound (I used 1 can chicken)
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa verde
3/4 cup ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
4 large flour tortillas, cut into wedges (I did half the dish with flour, used 3, and the other half with corn, used 9 and then used a little extra salsa on top to keep it moist)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 cups baby spinach, about 1/4 pound (I didn't measure, just put an even layer of leaves to cover dish each time)
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese (I used plain Monterey jack)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then shred the meat.
Whisk together the salsa verde and ricotta; season with salt and pepper.
In a greased 9-inch square baking dish (I used 9x13), layer one-third of the salsa mixture, tortillas, chicken, onion, spinach and pepper jack; repeat twice.
Bake until golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Other magazine suggestions:
Swap in 3 cups crushed tortilla chips for the flour tortillas for added crunch.
Try monterey jack instead of pepper jack cheese for a mild, less spicy dish. (I was definitely glad I used plain monterey jack!)
Use a 15-ounce can of your favorite beans in place of the chicken for vegetarians.

1 comments:

Karen said...

This looks so good! I'll have to try it soon.