Chicken Zucchini Enchilada Bake
The original recipe: Low Carb Chicken Zucchini Enchilada Bake by ambitious kitchen
See my added NOTES below!
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
For the assembly:
3 large zucchinis (results in leftover zucchini - see Note #1 below)
341mL can of whole kernel corn
medium red bell pepper, chopped
398mL can of spicy refried beans
3/4 medium white onion
2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks (see Note #2 below)
3/4 cup tex-mex shredded cheese
For the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2.5 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
15oz tomato sauce
2 heaping tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
DIRECTIONS
For the sauce:
1. In a pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil to medium heat and add the garlic and onions, cooking until the onions are softened and translucent (approx. 8 minutes).
2. Add in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Increase heat to medium high and add in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, broth, and vinegar and mix. Bring mixture to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. While simmering, preheat oven to 350F.
Assembly:
6. Wash the zucchini, and slice lengthwise into thin slices. Use paper towel to pat the slices dry.
*We used a mandolin, see Note #1 below.
7. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray (or lightly grease with butter/olive oil) and add half of the sauce.
8. Add one layer of zucchini slices, then use an offset spatula to spread the refried beans in an even layer before topping with half the chicken, half the corn, half the red bell pepper, and half the cheese.
9. Repeat the layer in step 8.
10. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and top with additional cheese, if desired.
11. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
12. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
My Changes & Notes:
1. Size Matters.
Pictured below are the three large zucchini meant for this recipe (1/2 teaspoon for scale). We used our (brand new) mandolin on its thickest setting to slice the zucchini. It was my first time using a mandolin and I admit to being a bit scared that I would lose a finger, but it ended up being very user friendly and it sliced the zucchini in no time at all. Just remember to ALWAYS USE THE SAFETY GUARD to help prevent potential accidents.
After slicing the zucchini, I laid them out on paper towel and patted them dry before assembling on the bottom of my casserole dish. The dish I used was 9"x12" and approximately 3" deep. Even after assembling the entire dish, I found myself leftover with a LOT of zucchini; instead of letting it go to waste, I decided to make Zucchini Parmesan Crisps.
Leftover zucchini
2. Lay it on me!
For the various "filling" ingredients for layering, I used:
1x 341mL can of whole kernel corn
1x medium red bell pepper chopped
1x 398mL can of spicy refried beans (Western Family) - used an offset spatula to spread
2x boneless, skinless chicken breasts (seasoned with salt & pepper) baked at 375F for 30 min then cut into large chunks
3/4 cup of tex-mex shredded cheese (per layer, plus extra on top)
For the tomato sauce, I just used good ol' Hunts.
We let the dish cool for at least 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven. The sauce became pretty watery from all the zucchini (a common problem I have with zucchini/zoodles); instead of simply patting them dry, next time I might lay some paper towel and place a weight on top for an hour to let more of the water drain out. As you can see below, it didn't hold its shape very well once plated.
The first night we had some leftover sour cream in the fridge which went really well with this. Next time I'm going to make sure there's sour cream for every serving, plus add some chopped jalapenos.
