Lunch / Dinner
Chicken Posole Casserole
Posole [poh-ZOH-leh] is a thick Mexican soup, traditionally served on special occasions. Here, the name indicates one thing — big, bold flavor.
Typically a soup made with pork, hominy, dried chiles, and assertive seasonings, posole is a dish whose ritual significance dates back centuries. This casserole takes all the classic components of the soup and amps them up with bold Mexican oregano, sweet fennel seed, and crumbled corn chips on top for crunch. Just as in the soup, hominy plays a big role here, giving the casserole a hearty, chewy texture.
Mexican oregano is different than the more common Mediterranean variety, which is the oregano you’ll find on spice racks. The two should generally not be switched, as only certain dishes can tolerate the stronger flavor of Mexican oregano. But this casserole is up to the challenge, so definitely use it if you can. Look for it in Latin markets, or the Mexican section of your supermarket.
Ingredients
DREDGE:
SAUTÉ:
DEGLAZE:
COMBINE:
SPRINKLE:
Test Kitchen Tip
Rotel is a canned mixture of tomatoes and green chiles. If you like more heat, they offer a “hot” version, made with habañeros instead of the milder chiles.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 2-qt. baking dish with nonstick spray.
Dredge chicken in flour and sauté in 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until nearly cooked through, 2–3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Sauté onion in remaining 1 Tbsp. oil until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, cumin, fennel, salt, and pepper; cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in hominy and chicken.
Deglaze pan with lime juice, then stir in cream cheese until melted. Remove pan from heat.
Combine Rotel, ½ cup cilantro, and jalapeño in a small bowl.
Transfer chicken mixture to prepared dish; spread Rotel mixture evenly over chicken.
Sprinkle Cheddar and corn chips over casserole.
Bake casserole, uncovered, until topping is slightly browned and cheese melts, 10–15 minutes. Garnish casserole with cilantro.
For extra color, texture, and flavor in the casserole, toss the chicken in flour before browning it.
So the cream cheese melts faster and is easier to distribute, cut it into cubes before adding it to the skillet.
Combine Rotel with cilantro and jalapeño, then layer the mixture evenly over the chicken.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 376
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 86mg 28%
Sodium 1097mg 45%
Carbs 22g 7%
Fiber 4g 16%
Protein 25g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.