Crafty Zoo with Monkeys: Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Hello All!!! Thanks for checking in on the Zoo!!! In a more organized Zoo, recipes and meals would be well planned out, with much thought put into them! Unfortunately, I can't seem to get in touch with Zoo Management as they are doing a terrible job of that!!! LOL. When it came time to cook for the Zoo, I was clueless as to what to make. I had chicken thawed, so I knew we were having chicken, but that was pretty much the extent of planning! (I really MUST get in touch with management, LOL) So here is what I came up with, using ingredients I had on hand. You can add, change, omit, or whatever you want to the recipe. It's not low calorie, but it was delicious! The recipe doesn't have all of the amounts, as I really didn't measure, just use as much or as little as you please!

If you or your Monkey's don't like things really spicy, I suggest using half a can of green chiles (you can freeze the other half in an air tight baggie) and 1 tbsp chili powder. It isn't too spicy, but it does have a bit of a kick to it!

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Corn Tortillas

Cooked Chicken, shredded

(I used ½ package! So I could get 2 meals out of 1 package! Yay!)

1 can green chiles

2 cans rotel

2 tbsp chili powder, divided

onion

bell pepper

minced garlic (about a tbsp I think)

olives

cooked rice (whatever you have on hand!)

black or kidney beans

shredded cheese

1 can cream of ???? soup

(I used mushroom which turned out great, but you could also use chicken, let me know if you try something new and how it turns out!)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion, bell pepper, garlic and 1 tbsp of chili powder until onions are translucent. Turn off heat and add green chiles and rotel. Stir until the slightly heated.

Add mixture, rice, beans and 1 tbsp chili powder to a large bowl. Stir.

Layer tortillas in a cake pan (or smaller if you want to make less).

Layer in this order:

corn tortillas

mixture

cheese

corn tortillas

mixture

cream of ??? soup

cheese

olives

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is bubbly. Could take even less if your mixture was hot when you put it in or longer if it's cold! I served with a salad to add some more nutrition, but it would be great with tortilla chips or even on it's own! Serve with a nice, cool glass of homemade Tamarindo!

And again, for the finished product:

I love the colors in this dish!!! So bright and fun! Just makes me want to smile, and eat! LOL

Tips:

This can be made ahead of time and stuck in the fridge or even frozen. Use leftover chicken, beef, or turkey. If you have the rice and beans, these make great filler so that you don't need a lot of meat!