Chicken Enchilada Casserole with a Creamy Green Chile Sauce

The other day, I was halfway through a recipe when I discovered that I was missing a few key ingredients.  Rather than stop what I was doing and make a grocery store run, I decided to get creative and make my own recipe.  What I ended up creating was a Chicken Enchilada Casserole with a Creamy Green Chile Sauce.  It was super easy to put together, and turned out gooey, flavorful, and delicious.  It's also under 500 calories and low carb, though it seriously doesn't taste like it should be either!  I love it when a potential kitchen conflict turns into something beautiful.   

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

With a Creamy Green Chile Sauce

Serves 5-6 

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Crushed Tortilla Chips

1 lb of Chicken Breasts, cooked & diced

11 oz of Chopped or Diced Green Chiles

1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder

1/4 tsp Onion Powder

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper, to taste

28 oz Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

8 oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature, divided

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 x 8 baking dish (a 9 x 13 works well too, but cooking time might need to be shortened).

2.  In a medium bowl, cream together 2 oz of the cream cheese, the green chiles, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper.  Stir in the diced chicken and set aside.

3.  Meanwhile, pour the green chile enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, allowing it to cook down some.  Add in the rest of the cream cheese (6 oz) and sour cream and stir until smooth, and then remove from heat.

4.  Layer the crushed tortilla chips evenly on bottom of the greased baking dish.  Spoon the chicken-green chile mixture on top of the chips, and then pour the creamy enchilada sauce over the top of everything.  Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until bubbly and starting to turn golden.  Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size:  1/6th of Dish

Calories:  409

Fat:  26

Carbs:  18

Protein:  25