King Ranch Casserole

From EatingWell: September/October 1992 — Subscribe Now!

Usually made with creamy canned soups and several cups of cheese, the fat and sodium of this spicy, layered chicken casserole can be a nutritional nightmare. Our version has a tangy, creamy sauce made with nonfat milk, nonfat yogurt and reduced-sodium chicken broth, plus we use reduced-fat Cheddar. Add in lots of chopped fresh vegetables and you have a version of the Tex-Mex favorite that you can feel good about eating.

READER'S COMMENT:

"The whole family loved it. Even my husband and 3 year old! Easy and delicious. Cleanup was easy as well, being a one dish meal. I used fresh tomatoes. —Julie, Portland, OR "

6 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or parsley
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced cooked skinless chicken
10 corn tortillas, cut in quarters
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Whisk milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth. Add to the broth and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in yogurt, tomatoes, chiles, cilantro (or parsley), chili powder, oregano and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
Line the bottom of a shallow 3-quart baking dish with half the tortillas. Top with half the chicken and half the onion mixture. Spoon half of the sauce evenly over the top. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, chicken, onion mixture and sauce. Sprinkle with Cheddar. Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 301 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 44 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrates; 25 g protein; 6 g fiber; 458 mg sodium; 400 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (90% daily value), Selenium & Vitamin A (30% dv), Calcium (20% dv), Iron (15% dv).

2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1 fat