So, depending on whether or not you are trying to eat healthier, you are in for a treat with this recipe (slightly modified by yours truly) from the Joyful Healthy Eats site. And in case you have never enjoyed an enchilada suizas, you probably don’t know that most of the time the key ingredients are a various combination of butter, sour cream, heavy cream, crème fraiche, half & half, and cheese. Lots of cheese. (I mean really, what’s not to like?) But in this recipe, there is nary a mention of butter, sour cream, heavy cream, crème fraiche, or half & half. There is of course cheese in this recipe, but then how could it not contain cheese, since the very definition of suizas means Swiss and alludes to its copious use of cheese and other dairy products.
But, using only non-fat Greek yogurt along with both Mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese, the total fat content in this recipe is far lower than in typical recipes for this amazing dish.
Also, layering the tortillas rather than rolling them up, reduces the amount of time it takes to prepare these enchiladas. And any time I can save time as well as calories, I say hurray to that!
So what you are left with is a delicious casserole filled with tender chicken pieces, tortillas and cheese that simply melt into the lovely green chili sauce. If it sounds delightful, you would not be wrong. This casserole is really, really amazing. And the best part. You don’t have to feel guilty eating it! Of course, it still has calories. But about half as many as most enchiladas suiza. And it’s gluten free. And isn’t that always special!
So do yourself a favor. Next time you want Mexican food, make it at home. Paired with my recent post for Mexican Black Beans, you have a healthy, nutritious, and delectable meal you can serve your family and friends that is every bit as good, if not considerably better than you can find in most Mexican restaurants.
Now, if you are the kind of person who doesn’t feel a Mexican meal is complete without rice, I have a great recipe for you to try that’s already on this site. And if you guessed that the recipe would be entitled Mexican Rice, give yourself a gold star. Just be for-warned. There are no tomatoes in my recipe. (Just throwing that out there so you won’t be surprised when you read the ingredient list.) I just don’t happen to like most tomato flavored rice recipes. So my recipe is completely different. (Pretty darn delicious too.) So give all three of these recipes a try. Throw a Mexican dinner for your family and friends. Just don’t forget the Guacamole and Margaritas. (And yes, I have recipes for them too. So make that – five new recipes to try.) But wait, there’s one more recipe you need to make for your family and friends – Tres Leche (Three Milks) Cake. (Actually there are even more Mexican recipes if you search under Mexican Food Recipes.) OK, I’m done now. You may be excused. Buen provecho.
Chicken:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. seasoned salt
freshly grated black pepper
¼ tsp. granulated garlic
¼ tsp. paprika
Place chicken breasts in an 8×8-inch baking pan. Pour on the olive oil. Using your hands, best tool in the kitchen BTW, massage the oil all over the chicken. Wash your hands and mix together the seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and paprika. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over both sides of the chicken.
Bake in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. If you use an instant read thermometer to measure the temperature at the thickest part of the breast, it should read about 170 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before dicing into small cubes. (Save the juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the pan as the chicken cools. You are going to add them to the sauce.)
Green Chili Sauce:
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 c. chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 c. (1 qt.) chicken stock
7-8 oz. canned diced green chilies
2 T. water
2 T. cornstarch
2/3 c. plain non-fat greek yogurt
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion. Sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir in the chicken stock and green chilies. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken stock has reduced a bit.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Add to the skillet along with the juices from baking the chicken, and cook until the sauce thickens. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the yogurt. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Building the Casserole:
15 small white corn tortillas or 10 regular sized
1½ c. shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
avocado chunks, opt.
diced fresh tomatoes, opt.
Spread a very small amount of the sauce on the bottom of a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking pan. Add a layer of tortillas (feel free to cut them to fit the pan), then 1/3rd of the remaining sauce, cooked chicken, and cheeses. Repeat 2 more times. Finish with the last of the shredded cheese on top. (If it looks like a little more cheese on top would be nice, you know where your grater lives!)
Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese on top is starting to brown and is nice and melted, and the sauce around the edges of the pan is bubbly. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Serve garnished with freshly diced avocado and tomatoes.