Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

Have you heard about the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme? It has definitely been on my radar lately. I've seen the commercials, I've heard about it from friends who tried it (and loved it), and as a former participant in the Real Women of Philadelphia cooking contest, I've seen the product popping up messages regarding this year's contest (Which is going on right now!) I'm also a member of Kraft First Taste which gives me the opportunity to try (often for free) and review new products from Kraft Foods. Kraft First Taste sent me one coupon for a free tub of the new cooking creme and one for $1.50 off. The cooking creme is available in 4 flavors. I opted for the Santa Fe and the Italian varieties. I've already used both tubs and I have to say that I'm a fan! Each tub comes with 3 recipe recommendations attached to the container (which is where I found this Santa Fe Chicken Casserole) plus there are more posted HERE on their website. The cooking creme makes for a delicious base for recipes and eliminates the need for spices and seasoning (it's already in there!)

Here's how I made the Santa Fe Chicken Casserole:

First, I combined shredded chicken breast, black beans, diced tomatoes (I used a can of Rotel) and sliced green onions.

Then I scooped out 3/4 cup of the Santa Fe Cooking Creme and stirred it into the chicken mixture.

Spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture into the bottom of a pie pan.

Top with 1 tortilla, half the remaining chicken mixture and 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

Cover with the second tortilla, remaining chicken mixture, 1/4 cup shredded cheese and finally the remaining tortilla. Spread with the remaining cooking creme and sprinkle with MORE shredded cheese. This final layer of cooking creme and cheese was super yummy when I bit into the casserole!

You're supposed to cover it before baking, but I missed that step. Oops. Bake for 20 minutes covered, then 5 minutes, uncovered.

Slice it up like and pie and serve. I served mine on a bed of lettuce for a nice cool, crisp bite with the cheesy casserole. My whole family loved this! Okay, so my kindergartner DID pick out the black beans...

Santa Fe Chicken Casserole from Kraft Foods

total time: 40 min
prep: 15 min
servings: 6 servings

What You Need
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz.) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained (I used Rotel)
2 green onions, sliced
1 tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme, divided
3 flour tortillas (6 inch)
3/4 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese, divided

Make It

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

COMBINE first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add 3/4 cup cooking creme; mix lightly.

SPOON 1/3 of the chicken mixture into 9-inch pie plate; top with 1 tortilla, half the remaining chicken mixture and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Cover with second tortilla, remaining chicken mixture, 1/4 cup shredded cheese and remaining tortilla. Top with remaining cooking creme and shredded cheese; cover.

BAKE 20 min. or until heated through; uncover. Bake 5 min. or until cheese is golden brown.

Kraft Kitchens Tip:

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro just before serving.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve with a crisp mixed green salad to round out the meal.

Nutritional information per serving

Calories 370 Total fat 14 g Saturated fat 7 g Cholesterol 95 mg Sodium 680 mg Carbohydrate 26 g Dietary fiber 6 g Sugars 5 g Protein 33 g Vitamin A 20 %DV Vitamin C 8 %DV Calcium 20 %DV Iron 15 %DV