Light king ranch chicken casserole
GEHA | March 4, 2021
This kid-friendly heart-healthy dish can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 lb. boneless, skinless, uncooked chicken breast cutlets OR 4 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast
10.75 oz. canned, low-sodium, condensed Cream of Mushroom soup (1 can 25% less sodium)
14.5 oz. no-salt-added, diced tomatoes (1 can)
15.25 oz. canned, no-salt-added corn kernels (1 can), drained, rinsed
1 Tbsp. no-salt-added chili powder
14.4 oz. packaged, frozen pepper stir-fry (onions and peppers), thawed and drained of any liquid (1 bag)
8 6-inch corn tortillas (cut into 1-inch strips)
1/2 cup shredded, fat-free cheddar cheese
4 oz. canned, diced green chiles (1 can), drained, rinsed, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat a large nonstick pan with cooking spray and warm to medium-high heat. Add chicken cutlets and sauté until fully-cooked, about 7 to 8 minutes per side depending on thickness. Transfer chicken to a plate and cut chicken into a few pieces to cool quickly. When able to handle, cut chicken into cubes.
- In a large bowl, add condensed soup. In the bowl, add drained tomatoes, drained corn, and chile powder, along with thawed stir-fry vegetables (and drained green chiles if using). Add cooked chicken and use a spoon to stir mixture until combined.
- Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cut the corn tortillas into 1-inch strips. Pour 1/3 chicken mixture on the bottom of the dish, using a spatula to make into an even layer. Layer half the tortillas strips on top of chicken mixture. Repeat once more with 1/3 chicken mixture in an even layer and remaining tortilla strips. Then, top with remaining 1/3 chicken mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Bake in oven until warmed through and bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. Then, cut and serve.
Tips
- Turn this recipe into a healthy dip for gatherings by omitting the tortillas from the recipe. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients except cheese, plus 1 or 2 chopped fresh jalapenos (if you like it spicy) and 1 can rinsed and drained low-sodium black beans or pinto beans. Pour into the greased 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes. Top with avocado chunks and serve with whole-grain pita chips.
- If you don’t have time to thaw the bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables, put them in a colander and rinse with cold water for a few minutes until thawed. Then, press vegetables down against the colander to squeeze liquid from them to use in recipe.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutritional values per serving:
| 401 | calories |
| 8.8 g | total fat |
| 1.3 g | saturated fat |
| 38 g | carbohydrate |
| 41 g |
protein |
| 573 mg |
sodium |
Reprinted on March 4, 2021, courtesy of the American Heart Association. For more, visit recipes.heart.org.