Easier than wrapping tamales

Chicken Tamale Casserole
Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009 Copyright 2008

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk I used 1%
1/4 cup egg substitute I used 1 egg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White) I used Jiffy
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast I used a bit more
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream I bought lite sour cream but I forgot to use it!

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. I poured about 3/4 of the enchilada sauce over the base, then I poured the remainder over the chicken after I added it. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Calories: 354 (36% from fat) Fat: 14.1g (sat 7.1g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.2g) Protein: 18.9g Carbohydrate:36.3g Fiber:2.5g Cholesterol:58mg Iron:1.7mg Sodium:620mg Calcium:179mg
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A couple of weeks ago I defrosted some chicken breasts to make grilled chicken but I forgot to marinate them that morning and then that evening kindergarten orientation ran longer (and was more emotionally grueling) than I had anticipated so we hit McDonald's instead. I poached the chicken and threw it in the freezer. I brought it out to make this recipe.

I did need to purchase quite a few things to make this - the corn muffin mix, the creamed corn, the enchilada sauce, the chilis, the cheese, the sour cream (which I forgot to use) but at least none of those items were expensive. It was getting boring trying not to buy any new ingredients.

I made this ahead of time and reheated it in the microwave. It turned out nice. The base was creamy and flavorful and the chicken, which I thought might be dry, wasn't since the enchilada sauce and cheese kept it moist. I was afraid the layers wouldn't mesh but they did.

Question of the Day: Do you like tamales?