Santa Fe Chicken Lentil Casserole
Try this Santa Fe Chicken Lentil Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Santa Fe Chicken Lentil Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 large onion diced
- cooking spray (i use misto)
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 + 1/2 cup green lentils rinsed & drained
- 3 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 2 lbs boneless & skinless chicken breasts diced
- 5 large garlic cloves crushed
- 2 large bell peppers diced
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups corn frozen & unthawed
- 2 cups (6.5 oz) tex mex or colby jacks cheese shredded & divided
- 2 tbsp jalapeã±o peppers seeded & minced (or to taste)
- 1 cup cilantro chopped & divided
- Carbohydrate 71.1583161438149 g
- Cholesterol 3286.1671492 mg
- Fat 568.107146912872 g
- Fiber 17.2652848702467 g
- Protein 906.615364228851 g
- Saturated Fat 162.125595764368 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (5628g)
- Sodium 3217.23587965559 mg
- Sugar 53.8930312735682 g
- Trans Fat 50.7300394320001 g
- Calories 9229 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium pot, combine lentils, chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil on high, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 35 minutes. Do not drain excess liquid. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, preheat large skillet on high and spray with cooking spray. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and draining any liquid if necessary. Add cumin, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and cook for another 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Return skillet to medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add onion, garlic, bell peppers, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper and cook for 7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer to the bowl with chicken along with cooked lentils, diced tomatoes, corn, 1 cup cheese, jalapeño peppers, garlic powder, cumin and 1/2 cup cilantro. Mix gently with spatula enough to combine. You may want to taste and adjust the spiciness/salt of the dish with extra cayenne/jalapeño peppers/salt.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 oven proof baking dish and level/press gently with spatula. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 50 mins. Remove casserole from the oven, cover with foil and let stand for half an hour before serving. Garnish with remaining cilantro, cut into 8 slices and serve hot.
Green lentils anchor this entire bake, absorbing the low-sodium chicken broth completely during their thirty-five-minute simmer without turning into mush. Unlike red varieties that break down into a puree, green lentils retain structural integrity under heat, providing a firm, nutty bite that contrasts against the tender, diced chicken breasts. Keeping the residual cooking liquid in the pot ensures the legumes remain hydrated before they enter the oven, preventing a dry interior texture.
Managing Swaps and Substitutions
Tex-Mex and Colby Jack cheeses melt easily due to their high fat content, but sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack function as direct one-to-one replacements if those varieties are unavailable. Fresh jalapeños bring direct capsaicin heat, yet serrano peppers substitute cleanly at a half-ratio if a sharper, brighter burn is desired. Frozen corn requires no prior thawing before mixing, as excess moisture escapes efficiently during the fifty-minute uncovered bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Substituting canned black beans for lentils demands caution; rinse them thoroughly to remove canning starches that might otherwise gummy up the dish.
- Let the finished casserole rest under aluminum foil for thirty minutes before slicing to allow the starches to set and firm up individual portions.
- Store extra portions in airtight glass containers in the refrigerator for up to four days, where reheating actually deepens the cumin and garlic aromatics.
