Friday, June 4, 2010

The Squirrel Can Cook – Chicken Taco Bake

Casseroles are a staple of American cooking. They’re convenient for busy families, and they’re highly portable, making them standard fare at potluck dinners, family reunions, birthday parties and other informal gatherings. I’ve got several cookbooks that were published by churches and all of them are dominated by casseroles.

This recipe is not from one of those cookbooks.

This is my version of a casserole that my mother got from a friend in Georgia. With multiple layers of ingredients, it looks fancy and complex, but it's actually pretty easy.

We will need:

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
1 package of taco seasoning (or enough to season 1 pound of meat, if you buy it in bulk)
1 16-ounce can refried beans
1 16-ounce can black olives, sliced
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies (or, for a spicier version, 1 can chopped jalapenos)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
4 10-inch flour tortillas


Combine the diced tomatoes, the chopped green chilies, the taco seasoning, and the shredded chicken in a skillet. (Do not drain the tomatoes or the chilies.) Mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.


Coat the inside of a 9x13 inch with butter and line the bottom with two of the flour tortillas. Spread the can of refried beans evenly over the tortillas.


Now spread the cup of sour cream on top of the refried beans, evenly distribute the black olives and ½ cup of the cheddar cheese on top of that.


Now it’s another layer of tortillas…


Topped with the chicken, tomato, & chilies mixture and the remaining 1 ½ cups of cheese.


Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let rest for five minutes before cutting.


Serves 8. Enjoy!


The Squirrel shall not live by bread NUTS alone!

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