As many of you know we just moved to the Northeast from my home town of LA, CA. Being a bred a So Cal girl, anytime I’m back east I immediately begin to crave some good ol’ Mexican food. Oh, yes, I love me some spicy hometown grub. Sadly, since we now live here year round that means I’m usually out of luck. Now if you’re familiar with the East then you know, it’s really really hard to find good authentic Mexican food here. Even the Tex-Mex is suspect. Here in CT, the options are downright bleak.
See I love the good ol’ fashioned, hole in the wall, homemade salsa so spicy you’ll have heartburn for a week but it’s worth it, kind of places. All I have here is a Taco Bell, and a bunch of terrible places with names like Caliente Rico’s or the like. Needless to say, I’m dying. So what do the kids and I do when we’ve already had Fitz Family Taco Night three times this month and we don’t feel like another run for the border??? We switch things up to a fabulous Chicken Ole Casserole!
Here’s what you’ll need.
3 chicken breasts cooked and chopped
3 whole wheat tortillas
2 cups tortilla chips
1 onion chopped
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 T cumin
1/2 T corriander
1/2 T chili powder
1/4 T cayenne pepper
1/2 T dried oregano
S&P
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 can olives
1 can diced green chiles
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat your oven to 375. In a large bowl combine chicken, sour cream, mayonnaise, cumin, corriander, chili powder, cayenne pepper, S&P and oregano. Mix well. Line the bottom of a baking dish with tortillas. Add a layer of your chicken mixture, next a layer of half of your green chiles and half your olives. Sprinkle with cheese. Add a layer of half of your tortilla chips. Repeat the layer process with the remaining ingredients. Pour the enchilada sauce on top.
Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional five minutes. Remove from oven and serve with sour cream, diced scallion and tomato.
This does the trick and takes care of our cravings for the southwest. Sometime you just have to take matters into your own hands…Ole!
Are there any foods that you can’t find in your area that you really miss?
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Hello! I’m so glad I found your blog from Tuesady Tag Along!!! I’m a Mexican food junkie and love it when I find new recipes….the family gets a little tired of the same old thing all the time
I hope you have a great week and I can’t wait to check out more of your recipes!!
That recipe sounds like something we’d like!! My husband LOVES hot!!! Gotta make that one. I think the only food I miss, and only had once, YEARS ago in Bolivia, was salteñas. They were wonderful and we had them often. I think it’s part of a cuisine peculiar to Bolivia.
that looks so good! We have a place in town that is “fancy” mexican. meaning trying too hard. We like to go there for drinks and they treat us well. The place next door is more authentic mexican but not hole in the wall like you are talking about.
I think if we ever moved I would miss fresh seafood (if we moved inland) and access to awesome Thai. hole in the wall places are best in that genre as well.
That looks fantastic! I also miss me some good Mexican food in TX.
I understand good authentic Mexican food…I live in AZ and the tiny little whole in the wall places are definitely the best kept secrets! This casserole sounds decadently good!!
My mouth is watering!! This is going on the meal plan for next week!!
Ohhhh I know what you are talking about! I am from San Diego and now I live in Wisconsin and there are NO mexican restaurants that satisfy my craving for food back home.
Remember all the “bertos” taco stands? Rigobertos, Gilbertos, Robertos? Albertos was the BEST! I loved their rolled tacos heaping with guac and cheese! Mmmmm.
A little late but wanted to say thanks for visiting my blog and I am following you right back from Follow Friday!
Have a great day!
When we lived in NYC we found everything, but really good Mexican, so I’m feeling your pain! This casserole looks really good, Alex. I will try it soon. Thanks you so much.
Fortunately, I like authentic Mexican food as well as Taco Bell! And all points in between. This recipe looks incredible.
I don’t remember if I said I was following you from Tuesday Tag-Along or not! I hope you’ll come by and visit. Loved your one-arm cooking show, making Hawaiian Pizza! Very helpful for young moms, and encouraging, love your upbeatness!
Blessings,
Wendy
Faith’s Firm Foundation
http://www.wendygunn.net
P.S. I submitted my Mexican Lasagna above!
That sounds delicious! A friend of mine from high school went to college in CA and then stayed with me for a visit when I still lived up north. When he arrived, I asked him what he wanted for dinner and he said, “Can we just get a pizza? I haven’t had a decent pizza in years. I’ll never in mexican on the east coast again, but darn it, those west-coasters just don’t get pizza!” So, you’re not the only one….
I am so happy to be following your blog! I am always looking for new ideas for dinner!! Following from FMBT!
Emily
http://www.familyandlifeinlasvegas.blogspot.com
I hope you will stop by!
I’m a new follower! This recipe looks delicious!
I have noticed that about the East Coast when I visit. I grew up in Phoenix and live in Colorado so I have always had good access to good Mexican food! Mmm! Here’s something I like to do:
Crock pot tacos (put frozen corn, can of black beans, chicken breasts, and a jar of salsa in crock pot on low all day) Then, set out tortillas and cheese and toppings and viola! THEN, for leftovers, you can use the crockpot mixture – mix it with cream soups a little milk, some green chilies and layer it with tortillas, top with cheese, and cook on 325 for about 1 1/2 hours and you have a delicious tortilla casserole! THEN! We had leftovers from that and the hubs just ate it for lunch and dipped Fritos in it.
I love all things Mexican and Tex Mex.
I love mexican too…most in the NW are very americanized, just like chinese. That dish looks really yummy and I think my kids would love it. (they haven’t been too keen on casserole type meals).
Mmmmmm. Num-yummy. I’m a Texas and SoCal girl living in Louisiana. How odd is it that this close to Mexico and I can’t get some good food?! Ugh! But this looks fabulous!
omg…this looks soooo good! I’m going to have to try this out!
Now this is what I’m talking about – although I think it’d be easier if you stirred in the first ingredients without the chicken – and then include it or was that what you meant? Anyway, who cares, this is a great recipe and I know what to do. Thank you!!
I’d make it, but I live in SoCal, so I just need to get in the car (natch!) and drive a few minutes to find some good authentic mexican food!
I love good Mexican food and believe me, Maryland isn’t any better about availability. Your casserole sounds really good and I know my family will devour it!
Oh YUM. I completely agree with you on the Mexican Tex/Mex issue as well. Believe me, moving from Texas I’m hurting pretty bad here in the ol’ NC. If you find good South of the border food here on the East Coast please let me know. Until then, I’ll be relying on your chicken ole!
I love chicken dishes. Thanks for sharing. Im also a new follower from Tuesday Tag-Along! Love if you’d stop by my website and become a blog friend.
Are you available for hire? I hate cooking but love drooling at your pictures!
This is SO going on my list of dinners for next week (or possibly the end of this week if I can get my ass to the store!) YUMMY!!! I can’t believe you did the CA to CT!! I did that too- lasted 3 years in CT and now we are back in CA for GOOD!! You and I are like 2 peas in a pod!!
Having grown up here in the east, thinking of “real” mexican gives me heartburn. I don’t even thing I’d try to eat it!
Mexican food is my fave! This recipe sounds absolutely scrumptious, too! Saving it..
Looks great. Can’t think of any foods – since I’m boring & pretty much have lived in the same area all my life – lol.
Have you ever had king ranch chicken?
I faced the same problema when we moved to DC from Texas. You really have to fend for yourself! Your recipe does resemble King Ranch Chicken, with a decidedly CA twist. OLE!