Bean

Chicken, Pepper, and Bean "Mexitalian" Casserole

by:
January 22, 2017
4
1 Ratings
Chicken, Pepper, and Bean "Mexitalian" Casserole
Photo by Brian Coppola
  • Serves 8-16
Author Notes

I am constantly adapting and reinventing low carb recipes according to tastes and ingredients that I like. I got to tell you, this is delicious, and I am loathe to say that too often. I even thought for a moment that I was coining the term "mexitalian," but 60,000 hits on Google is convincing that I was not the first one there.

This recipe was inspired by:
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2014/01/green-chile-chicken-mock-enchilada-casserole.html#more AND
http://www.lowcarbmaven.com/easy-low-carb-red-enchilada-sauce/

I am listing amounts here, but I also admit this is mostly a post hoc estimation of what I used.
—Brian Coppola

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Red Sauce
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 large jalapeno pepper, quartered with seeds left in
  • 1/8 cup currants
  • 12 ounces lower sodium tomato paste
  • 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • Chicken, Pepper, and Bean Casserole
  • 2 cups red sauce (above)
  • 1.5 pounds boneless-skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips, boiled in water for 15 minutes, cooled and shredded
  • 24 ounces roasted red peppers, drained
  • 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 16 ounces refried black beans
  • 2 cups Mexican cheese mix
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Directions
  1. RED SAUCE: In a quart saucepan, mix a little water with the starch to make a slurry.
  2. RED SAUCE: Then add all of the other ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
  3. RED SAUCE: Strain and discard the solids. Before it is done cooling, blend in the cream cheese and sour cream. Refrigerate until needed.
  4. NOTE: Prepare the chicken and red sauce ahead of time. At the time of preparation, combine the beans with the refried beans.
  5. In each of two 9x9 baking dishes, layer half of each, in order: (Bottom) red peppers, chicken, red sauce, Mexican cheese mix, bean mixture, mozzarella (top)
  6. Bake uncovered at 375F for 40 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before serving (tent with foil for the first 20 minutes to prevent the top layer of cheese from getting too toasty unless, of course, you like toasty cheese)
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