Chicken Chili Tortilla Casserole

This chicken chili tortilla casserole is like enchiladas made easier by layering the “filling” with corn tortillas and topping each layer with cheese. It is assembled, with apologies to all Italians: lasagna style. 

We love enchiladas at our house so I’ve been known to make ones with beef, chicken with chorizo and even a mix of chicken and black beans. If you need a vegetarian version, I can highly recommend my cheesy bean enchilada recipe made with pintos and vegetarian refried beans. Topped with jalapeños and black olives it is as pretty as it is tasty. You won’t even miss the meat, I promise. 

The only reason I don’t make enchiladas more is the messy hassle of saucing the tortillas to soften and then filling them. This casserole avoids that whole palaver.

That said, the chicken chili is also delicious on its own. :) 

Chicken Chili Tortilla Casserole

In the US, unlike in most of the world where chili powder is literally just ground chili peppers, chili powder is a spice mix made with (at least in the McCormick brand powder) toasted whole ripe chili peppers, cumin, oregano, garlic and salt. To make it clear, I’m going to call it chili (seasoning) powder in the ingredients list below. 

Ingredients

1 lb or 450g trimmed chicken breasts

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons canola or other light oil, plus extra for the baking dish

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 green pepper, finely chopped

1-2 fresh jalapeños, finely chopped

3 tablespoons chili (seasoning) powder (see note above)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 can (14.5 oz or 411g) small dice tomatoes with green chili peppers

1 tablespoon tomato paste

14 fresh corn tortillas

8 oz or 225g extra sharp cheddar or a blend of cheeses, grated

Optional garnish:

sliced fresh jalapeños

Method

Cut the chicken into small pieces. I like to put my hand on the breasts and cut them in two through the middle so the pieces are thinner, then cut them into small cubes. You can just kinda chop it up with a sharp knife, if you prefer. 

Season the chicken pieces with a good sprinkle of salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper. 

Warm the oil in a large pot and then sautéed the chopped vegetables in the oil until softened, about five minutes. 

Add in the chili powder, cumin and paprika and give the whole thing a good stir. Cook for another two minutes, then add in the chicken. Stir well to coat the chicken with the seasonings. 

Cook for another few minutes then add in the canned tomatoes and the tomato paste then using the tomato can as a measuring vessel, add a full can of water. 

Bring to a slow boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, covered. 

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. 

Grease the bottom of a casserole dish with a little oil and cover it with a layer of corn tortillas, cutting them to make them fit. I chose this ridiculously shaped pan so it got a little more complicated than necessary. (Another wedding gift from 25 years ago, it matches the quiche dish.) 

Spoon over 1/3 third of the chicken chili and sprinkle on 1/3 of the cheese. 

Cover this with another layer of corn tortillas, another 1/3 of the chicken chili and 1/3 of the cheese. 

Repeat with another layer of tortillas, the balance of the chicken and the balance of the cheese. Rip a couple of tortillas into pieces and strew them decoratively over the casserole. (This step is not strictly necessary but I like the crunch that they add to the top.)

Cover with foil and bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the top is browned. 

Leave to cool for about 10 minutes before garnishing with sliced fresh jalapeños, if using, and cutting the casserole into squares to serve. 

Enjoy!

Today I’m joining my Baking Blogger friends who are sharing Mexican recipes. Check them out below. I know mine isn’t in any way authentically Mexican but I hope it is close enough to qualify. Many thanks to our host and organizer, Sue from Palatable Pastime. 

• Baked Pork Enchilada Salsa Verde Casserole from Sneha's Recipe
• Bolillos from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Capirotada de Leche from Palatable Pastime
• Cheesy Corn Dip from Magical Ingredients
• Chicken Chili Tortilla Casserole from Food Lust People Love
• Creamy Caramel Flan from Making Miracles
• Mexican Chicken Bake (DASH Friendly) from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tacos De Jocoqui (Sour Cream Tacos) from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Telera Rolls from Karen's Kitchen Stories

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

Pin this Chicken Chili Tortilla Casserole!

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Coca-Cola Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

This Coca-Cola Bundt Cake is moist and delicious, a bit of Southern tradition in the shape of a Bundt, perfect for your next get-together, family celebration or picnic. 

The traditional Southern Coca-Cola cake is usually baked in a 9x12 in or 23x31mm rectangular pan, and is very similar to a Texas Sheet Cake. For this month’s Bundt Bakers theme of caffeinated cakes, I decided to make one in a Bundt pan instead.

I did debate with myself about the wisdom of such a move because Coca-Cola cake is normally served straight out of the pan it’s baked in. I did wonder if it would turn out of a Bundt. Turns out that my fears were justified.

So, a little word of advice: Do not skimp on the buttering and flouring of the pan for this cake or you might struggle to turn it out nicely. Mine stuck a little bit but I managed to get it successfully unstuck with a thin rubber spatula. 

Since we are still isolating for the most part, I made a small cake in my favorite 6-cup Nordic Ware anniversary pan. Feel free to double the batter for a 12-cup pan (and, of course, increase the baking time) if you have a large family. 

Coca-Cola Bundt Cake

Because this is cake, after all, don’t even think about using diet or zero Coke. It would also be sacrilegious to use Pepsi. As my daughters would say, fight me. 

Ingredients

For the cake batter:

1 cup or 200g granulated sugar

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour, plus extra for the pan

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 can (6 oz or 177ml) regular Coca-Cola (not Diet or Coke Zero)

1/4 cup or 57g unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan

1/4 cup or 30g unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1/4 cup or 60ml buttermilk

1 large egg, at room temperature

For the Coca-Cola glaze:

1 cup or 125g confectioners' sugar, sifted 

2 to 3 tablespoons Coca-Cola 

Optional for decorating:

Haribo cola bottle sweets

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C, butter and flour a 6-cup Bundt pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. 

In a small saucepan over a low heat, melt the butter with the Coke and cocoa. Bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the butter is melted and the mixture is completely combined and warm. 

Fold the warm mixture into the flour/sugar mix, until just combined. If there's still a little flouring showing, that's just fine. 

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and buttermilk until blended. Quickly whisk a couple of tablespoons of the thick batter into the eggs. Add two more tablespoons, still whisking briskly. 

Now add the egg mixture to the batter and whisk to combine.

Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan.

 Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean.

Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for about 15-20 minutes. Run your clean wooden skewer around the sides of the pan and then invert it on a serving plate. 

Leave to cool completely before drizzling on the glaze. 

To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl to remove any lumps. Add Coca-Cola a tablespoon at a time until you get a good pouring or drizzling consistency, depending on how thick you like it. You may not use all of the Coke. (Guzzle the rest of the can - baker's privilege.)

Once the cake is completely cooled, pour or drizzle the glaze over it. I like to use a piping bag with a small tip to make the drizzle more controllable but that’s not essential. Decorate with Haribo cola bottle sweets, if using. 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, this month’s Bundt Bakers theme is caffeinated cakes. Many thanks to our host, Rebekah of Making Miracles for her behind-the-scenes work and the fun theme. Check out the other caffeinated Bundts below: 

• 7 Up Bundtlets by Sweet Sensations
• Caramel Macchiato Mini Bundts by Magical Ingredients
• Coca-Cola Bundt Cake by Food Lust People Love
• Coffee and Baileys Individual Bundts by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Coffee Chocolate Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Dirty Chai Mini Bundts by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Espresso Chocolate Bundt Cake by Patyco Candybar
• Ginger & Lemon Green Tea Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze by Patty's Cake
• Marble Coffee Bundt by Sneha's Recipe
• Vietnamese Coffee Bundt Cake by All That's Left Are The Crumbs

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

Pin this Coca-Cola Bundt Cake! 

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Bourbon Raisin Butterscotch Pear Bread Pudding

This Bourbon Raisin Butterscotch Pear Bread Pudding is a decadent and delicious adult treat. Make it kid-friendly by subbing apple juice.

When I was growing up, and thinking about it reasonably it’s probably still true today, cakes in South American all seemed to have liquor or liqueurs as flavoring. Even cakes made for a child’s birthday party were soaked in it! Young me hated them. 

Now I see the allure. As long as it’s not overdone, the alcohol adds a little punch of flavor, not unlike adding vanilla but more grown up. One of my favorite ways to add alcohol to a bake is by soaking raisins in it.

If you agree, you might want to bake my rum raisin banana muffins, my whiskey raisin oatmeal bars, or my rum raisin butter Bundt with rum honey glaze.

Once again, this is not a sponsored post but my key ingredient, the butterscotch pears, were a gift from Melissa’s Produce as part of a promotion for their Family Baking Challenge. Lots of great prizes to win including a KitchenAid mixer! You can find all the details on their website! 

Bourbon Raisin Butterscotch Pear Bread Pudding

I used our favorite bourbon – Bulleit - to soak my golden raisins but if you are not a bourbon fan, substitute your favorite tipple. If you need to keep this kid-friendly, use apple juice instead. As you will see in the photos, I used Sara Lee brioche. Substitute your favorite loaf. This recipe is adapted from one on the Melissa’s Produce website. 

Ingredients 

For the bread pudding:

1 cup, loosely packed, or 120g golden raisins

1/2 cup or 120ml bourbon 

2 large Butterscotch Pears (approx. weight = 780g)

Zest 1 small lemon 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup or 57g butter, plus extra for the pan

3/4 cup or 150g granulated sugar, divided

6 cups or about 265g cubed stale brioche bread (This was 9 slices of the Sara Lee.)

4 eggs

1 cup or 240ml whipping cream 

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch salt

For serving: 

Whipping cream

Method

Warm the bourbon slightly in a microwave or small pot on the stove and then pour it over the raisins in a small bowl. Cover with cling film and set aside. 

Preheat your oven to 325°F or 163°C. The original recipe uses an 8x8 in or 20x20cm baking dish but you will see from the photos, I decided to use disposable aluminum pans to make sharing this delicious pudding easier, which means that I was effectively using an 8x10 in or 20x25cm pan. The bread pudding turns out slightly less deep but still wonderful. Butter whichever pan or pans you decide to use and set aside. 

Core and peel the pears then toss them in a large bowl with the lemon juice to stop them from turning brown.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add a 1/2 cup or 100g of the sugar and stir until combined. Add the pear slices in an even layer. 

Cook, without stirring for 8 minutes until the sugar and fruit begin to caramelize. 

Flip the slices and cook for a further 5-8 minutes until both the fruit and the caramel are golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat. 

Meanwhile, prepare the custard by whisking the eggs in a large bowl, then adding the remaining 1/4 cup or 50g sugar, cream, milk, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon and salt.  Whisk again to combine. 

Drain the raisins and reserve the bourbon that wasn’t soaked up. Set aside a small handful for topping.

Spread half of the bread cubes into the prepared pan. Top with half of the raisins. Add a second layer with the rest of the bread cubes and top with the rest of the raisins.

Pour the custard mixture over the bread. Press down to make sure all cubes are soaked.  

Layer pear slices evenly over the top of the bread mixture. Top with remaining caramel from the skillet and the handful of reserved raisins.  

Bake for 55-65 minutes until fully set. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes. 

Pour the reserved bourbon over the top, if desired, and leave it to soak in. 

At our house bread pudding is always accompanied by a generous pour of whipping cream. 

Enjoy! 

Pin this Bourbon Raisin Butterscotch Pear Bread Pudding! 

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Cinnamon Brown Butter Sourdough Muffins #MuffinMonday

These cinnamon brown butter sourdough muffins are fluffy and tender, lightly sweetened and flavorful, perfect for breakfast or snack time. 

I’m trying to learn how to downsize. Even with giving baked goods away, we still seem to have more than we can eat since none of my immediate family is a big sweet eater. To that end, I now own a six-cup muffin pan. 

Or I should say, I again own a six-cup muffin pan. The two I had in Dubai went in the shipment to the Channel Islands and I was planning to pick one of them up this summer and bring it back to Houston. 

As we all know, that trip was canceled, along with everyone else’s summer holidays. Best laid plans, and all that. 

This recipe makes six large muffins. Since my new muffin pan is for normal sized muffins, I used oversized muffin pan liners, which work great for this purpose. If you don’t happen to have deep liners, you can easily make some out of baking parchment.

Cinnamon Brown Butter Sourdough Muffins

The brown butter lends such a lovely background flavor to these muffins but if you can’t be bothered (do bother, it takes mere minutes!) use about 1 tablespoon less than the full half cup of butter and just melt it and leave it to cool before proceeding with the recipe. The sourdough starter can be discard or fed. 

Ingredients

For the muffins:

1/2 cup or 120g butter

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour

1/2 cup or 100g light brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup or 130g sourdough starter - stir down the bubbles before measuring

1/4 cup or 60ml milk

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Method

Heat the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. It will melt and then white foam will form on top. Continue cooking until milk solids start turning brown and the butter is a lovely caramel color. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. In lieu of process photos, I offer you this link to see The Cooking Actress make brown butter. Kayle is my brown butter guru and her recipes are legend. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a six-cup muffin pan with tall muffin liners. In a small bowl, mix together the topping of cinnamon and sugar. Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla, brown butter, and sourdough starter until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until just combined. This will be a fluffy dough rather than a batter. 

Divide the dough evenly between the six muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with the cinnamon sugar. 

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are nicely browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool. 

Enjoy! 

It’s the last Monday in October, which means it’s Muffin Monday again. Check out all the tasty muffins my friends are sharing!

• Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins from Making Miracles
• Cinnamon Brown Butter Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Date, Prune, and Dried Cherry Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Savory Zucchini Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page. 

Pin these Brown Butter Cinnamon Muffins!

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Spiked Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt #BundtBakers

This spiked pumpkin gingerbread Bundt combines your favorite pumpkin cake with your favorite gingerbread, brushed with a rum butter glaze, a fabulous treat for autumn. 

This month I’m hosting our Bundt Bakers event and I chose the ingredient/theme pumpkin because as much as I object to pumpkin flavored things while it’s still summer, come October, I’m ready! 

As I mentioned many moons ago, when I shared my gingerbread muffins with honey ginger glaze (topped with crystallized ginger because why do things halfway?) gingerbread is a seasonal favorite at our house. It is the harbinger of fall, even as the air is still way too hot and the orange- and red-hued leaves are yet to make an appearance.

Spiked Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt

This recipe is adapted from a spice cake on the NordicWare website to fit a 9-cup Bundt pan. You can certainly use a 10-cup Bundt pan also. 

Ingredients

For the batter:

2 cups or 250g flour, plus extra for the pan

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup or 200g brown sugar

1 cup or 200g sugar

1 (15 oz or 425g) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)

1/2 cup or 120ml molasses

3 eggs

1/2 cup or 113g butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for the pan

For the rum butter glaze:

1/2 cup or 113g butter

1 cup or 200g sugar

1/4 cup or 60ml dark rum

1/4 cup or 60ml water

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Prepare your 9-cup Bundt pan by greasing it liberally with butter and then coating it with flour. In case you are curious, mine is the NordicWare pan Harvest Leaves. <affiliate link.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the sugars, pumpkin puree, molasses, butter and eggs.

Using a spatula, fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture until the mixture is nearly combined. Do not overmix!

Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan and smooth out the top. 

Bake the Bundt for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean. 

Meanwhile, make the rum butter glaze. In a small saucepan combine butter, sugar, rum and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes stirring constantly. 

Remove from heat and cool slightly.

When the Bundt is done, remove it from the oven and leave in the pan to cool for about 5-7 minutes. Loosen the edges with a toothpick and turn the cake out onto a serving platter. 

Generously brush cake with the rum butter glaze. 

Put the rest of the glaze in a tiny pitcher so people can add more to their slices as desired. 

Enjoy! 

Check out all the other pumpkin Bundts my fellow Bundt Bakers are sharing today! 

• Buttermilk Pumpkin Bundt + a Browned Butter Glaze from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bundt from Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin Bundt with Caramel Icing from Palatable Pastime
• Pumpkin Chai Spiced Bundt Cake from Tartacadabra
• Pumpkin Chocolate Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pumpkin Studded Bundt from Sneha's Recipe
• Sour Cream Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes from Making Miracles
• Spiked Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt from Food Lust People Love
• The Perfect Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze from Patyco Candybar
• White Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Chai and Cardamom from Sweet Sensations

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our home page.

Pin this Spiked Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt!

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Caramel Stuffed Brownie Bites #FoodieExtravaganza

These caramel stuffed brownie bites combine the chewiest fudgy brownies with a big square of chewy caramel in the middle. 

I’m one of those kind of people: The kind that buys ingredients with no plan in mind, you know, just in case someday I might need them. A perfect example is the bag of Kraft caramel squares that I’ve been storing in the door of my freezer for going on three years now.

Sure of course they are expired by now, but they’ve been frozen all this time! And I’m pleased to tell you that frozen caramel doesn’t change texture or flavor. You are welcome. 

Caramel Stuffed Brownie Bites

Be sure to liberally oil the mini muffin pan inside the cups and on the tope between them as well. The brownie bites expand over the top and you do not want them to stick. 

Ingredients

2 cups or 400g granulated sugar

1 cup or 125g flour

1 cup or 120g Dutch process cocoa powder

3/4 cup or 94g icing sugar, sifted if lumpy

3/4 cup or 75g semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup or 180ml canola oil or other light oil, plus extra for pan

3 tablespoons full fat plain Greek style yogurt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

24 caramel squares (I used the individually wrapped Kraft ones)

Method

Preheat the oven to 325°F or 163°C. Prepare your 24-cup mini muffin pan by brushing it with oil. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and salt. Now add in the chocolate chips and stir to distribute them well. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until barely combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Don’t over mix.

Spoon half of the thick batter into the muffin pan then poke one (unwrapped!) caramel in each muffin hole.

Cover with the second half of the brownie batter. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are slightly cracked and shiny.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack for about 25-30 minutes.

Use a heat resistant silicone spatula to carefully release the brownies from the muffin pan.

You may end up deforming them slightly but you can press them back into shape. 

Place them on the wire rack to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

This month my Foodie Extravaganza friends are sharing recipes featuring caramel. Many thanks to our host, Kelley of Simply Inspired Meals. 

• Caramel & Orange Cake Pudding Trifle by Sneha's Recipe
• Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Caramel Butter Bars by Making Miracles
• Caramel Stuffed Brownie Bites by Food Lust People Love
• Disney's Caramel Shortbread by Simply Inspired Meals
• Easy Caramel Modjestkas by Palatable Pastime
• Galaxy Cake by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Hopjesvla (Dutch Coffee Custard) by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Salted Caramel Mudslide by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin these Caramel Stuffed Brownie Bites!

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