Try this Santa Fe Chicken and Lentil Casserole recipe.
- 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.
Standard taco-spiced ground beef skillets rely on quick-cooking proteins, whereas this casserole requires deliberate management of two distinct textures: tender legumes and diced chicken breast. Lean chicken breasts dry out rapidly when exposed to prolonged heat, so browning them for precisely ten minutes total—first plain, then with spices—locks in surface moisture before the pan hits the oven. Letting the green lentils simmer undisturbed in low-sodium broth for 35 minutes prevents them from splitting into mush while absorbing enough liquid to eliminate the need for draining. Skipping that liquid retention step leaves the lentils chalky and hard at the center. Visually judge the vegetable sauté stage by looking for translucent onions and softened bell peppers with light golden edges after seven minutes of medium-high heat. Mixing the cooked components together inside a separate bowl rather than the baking dish ensures the diced tomatoes, frozen corn, and spices distribute evenly among the heavy legumes. Baking this uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes allows excess moisture to evaporate while melting the top layer of shredded cheese. Resting the finished dish covered with foil for 30 minutes before slicing firms up the starches so individual portions hold their shape on the plate rather than slumping into a bowl. Swapping the Cheddar for Monterey Jack alters the melting profile without requiring adjustments to baking times.
