Mexican Chicken Casserole with Charred Tomato Salsa

This was good. I made it as written. It was filling and tasty for a low calorie count. My husband liked it. The drawback was the clean up from so many preparation containers. I even had the chicken cooked and shredded ahead of time. Maybe next time I can be more efficient or perhaps buy some fire-roasted salsa to cut down on clean up and time. But I would not want to change the flavor too much. I noticed someone saying the tomatoes and onion burned before cooking time was up. Mine did as well but flavor was still good. I would either lower my rack so they wouldn't cook so hot or use low broil instead of high. They were definitely charred! So many reviews tell what they thought of the recipe and then proceed to tell how they changed it and I think that is humorous but also annoying. I stuck to the recipe and this is my evaluation.

Glad that it had enough 'hidden' veggies in it so my kids wouldn't really notice. I was short on time, so I used Joe T. Garcia's medium salsa - instead of making my own - and a combo of Colby Jack with peppers and mild cheddar, because I don't like feta. I thought it was definitely good enough to make on a weeknight!

WOW!!!! I absolutely love this recipe. As with each recipe I do, I always want to try it the way it is written then tweak it to my liking. I did omit the zucchini and changed the feta to cheddar. I understand those changes would increase the caloric intake but it was so delish. Superb. This is my "go to" recipe for a quick dinner for the family or party entree for a crowd because I can make it the night before so all the flavors meld into each layer. Another winner to add into my recipe box.

I really like that recipe. It does need a good time for the chopping part but I think it worthy. I used 3 different cheese and I cooked the chicken within an extra condiments to give more flavor to it. Works really well. Really nice recipe

This was just ok. Other reviewers said it needed more heat, so I added a habanero to the salsa, and another to the chicken mixture along with hot chili powder, but it could still use a little more flavor. This was my first cooking light recipe, and I wasn't too impressed. The chilaquiles casserole recipe from eating well is similar, easier, and tastier! Oh, I also used a vegetarian chicken substitute as I'm a vegetarian.

The roasted tomato sauce was brilliant. My proportions of everything were a bit different due to what I had, and using a tomatillo based green sauce instead of green enchilada sauce. I used fewer tortillas and less chicken but more 2% Mexican cheese. Lots of veggies and flavor!

Good but nothing special. My husband approved so that's a plus. I used rotisserie chicken to save on time and added black beans & a small chipotle pepper because it just seemed to belong. I also increased the Monterey Jack cheese to 8 oz. in addition to the 4 oz. feta cheese called for in the recipe, which I thought was a nice addition. Some of the salsa burned before I realized I had an issue going on in the oven, so I was a little short on the salsa but didn't try to make it up anywhere. It was fine but the jarred fire roasted salsa sounds like a good idea. It makes a lot. So if there's only 2 or 3 of you in the family, you might want to bake it in 2 smaller casseroles and save one for later.

This is a great tasting dish! It's a lot of work, but so worth it. There's a lot of chopping, so it helps if you have someone to assist. I would say it takes more like 2 hours to prepare - start to finish. Again, totally worth it!

Made as directed apart from using flour instead of corn tortillas; the whole family loved it!

This is my new favorite casserole recipe. After reading the other reviews, I felt like I was embarking on a real challenge, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it's not a difficult or involving recipe at all--just a bit time consuming. But that's well worth it when you have this many fresh veggies and this many different flavors going on. Effort:result ratio was still an impressive one, in my book. Only change--I added black beans to the chicken mixture, and I'd strongly recommend that you do too.

I am giving this 2 stars overall. The taste was fairly good, the recipe itself was done poorly. I agree with 'texassheila' the garlic, onions and jalapeño burned long before the tomatoes showed any sign of charring. The hands on time and the total time, are no where near correct unless you have 4 hands. A half cup of the salsa in the bottom of a 13"X9" dish does not cover enough, make an additional 50% of salsa. And be prepared to wash several dishes (cutting board, baking sheet, food processor, skillet, assorted measuring cups, baking dish, assorted utensils, and don't forget the dishes too! If you are working the kitchen by yourself, plan on investing two and half to three hours including clean-up time. Basically this is a lot of work for a so-so tex-mex dish, I've seen CL do much better!

My husband and I love this recipe! The addition of the Feta Cheese is marvelous! The feta gives it a bit of a "bite" that makes the whole recipe full of flavor..I haven't made the salsa because of time constraints so I only use very good bottled salsa..

Really good. I had cojita and some other miscellaneous cheeses. It was quite sweet. Was that the corn or the charred tomatoes? Even though it took a bit of time, this was an easy recipe. I enjoyed making this.

This was one of the best CL recipes I've tried this year! I made a vegetarian version with black beans and corn and added some extra veggies. Used flour instead of corn tortillas and store bought salsa to save time. Will definitely make this again, probably for years to come! Our whole family loved it!

This dish is awsome! I've made it twice now. Making the salsa was a little intimidating the first time but it's really a snap to make and makes the dish taste authentic mexican. DeLISH!

Extremely easy to assemble and flavorful. I really had fun making the salsa. I will definitely include this in my weekly menus going forward. If you have thought about making this one, give it a try, you won't be sorry!

Certainly a healthy recipe but the combination of ethnic cuisines and flavors was odd. Go either Mexican or Italian, but combining both didn't work for me. I thought the charred sauce was too much trouble for the outcome. Next time I would stick to a Mexican version and swap out the charred sauce with purchased fire roasted salsa, as other raters indicated. Also sub out the cheeses used here for Mexican blend or cheddar, Monterey Jack jalapeno and/or asiago cheeses.

Have to agree that it was kind of "blah" Would not make it again.

This was okay, but definitely nothing special. Kind of blah. I wouldn't make again.

This recipe was a real surprise. It was great!! it is important to use a good tasting green sauce,as the canned enchilada sauce I tried was not as good as the "Herdez Salsa Verde". It got raves. I served it with a salad and guacamole and margaritas to company for a casual dinner.

AWESOME! Great flavors! I used a rotisserie chicken for this recipe and shredded it. My husband doesn't like feta cheese so I just sprinkled some over my portion. It was great! Lovely combination of flavors; definitely a favorite.

I'm lazy and used store bought salsa and this was STILL excellent. Very filling and flavorful!

Yummy, and not too difficult. The only thing I might do differently next time is use extra-sharp cheddar on top instead of the feta, but that's just a personal preference. Will definitely make again.

We really, really enjoyed this; it was filling without making you feel too full. And with all the veggies, it was hard not to feel virtuous. I made the charred tomato salsa -- it took very little time -- and it made the dish. I guess you could make the salsa a day ahead and let all the flavors mingle until you use it. I put a jar of green salsa in with the chicken instead the enchilada sauce and it was fine. And I ran out of monterey jack so I threw in a handful of a reduced fat Mexican cheese mix. All in all, a keeper.

I served this to company and everybody loved it. I bought salsa like other reviewers, and I substituted a can of black beans for the corn. I also made the chicken mixture ahead of time and froze it, which worked very well. Next time, I will try to make the whole recipe, assemble it in two 8 inch square pans and freeze one for later.

This is a good recipe and easy to make. It has a ton of vegetables in it, and they are camoflauged by the rest of the casserole. My children loved it and so did my husband. We did let it sit for a day before eating it - don't know if this helped the flavors, but it's a good recipe. It's also good for pot lucks, etc.

Served with guacamole and we loved it! Very flavorful and filling with lots of vegies. I kicked up the heat in the salsa with more red pepper and tabasco sauce. Also more cheese than recipe states. I agree with other reviewer...shave time with prepared salsa and rotisserie chicken. It's a keeper.

We love this recipe. Used leftover Costco chicken and a fresh organic salsa from the deli section. My only complaint is that it's too good, and I keep going back for more!

Very good. Husband loved it and for only 9 WW PointsPlus, I got a large portion. I "cheated" and used jarred salsa to save time. I will definately make this again.

Was a huge hit with kids and adults alike. Makes 8 large servings. I used a can of jalapenos by accident in place of the chilis so mine packed a little heat but it was delicious!

This was just a blah dish. The majority gave it 4's so maybe it's just me and my family. I won't ever make it again.

Great recipe and very filling! Not something I would make for a dinner party but certainly worthy of sharing the recipe with your girlfriends if they are looking for something hearty and low-cal.

This is a simple, easy meal made difficult; it also suffers from clashing flavor profiles (green chile vs. smoky tomato). The charred tomato salsa is a waste of time: broiling instructions are goofy (garlic and onions burn before tomatoes char); nowhere near enough of it; tomatoes are out of season. A good store bought fire roasted salsa is fine. Skip green chile additions and add chipotle powder/smoked paprika. Add a little chicken broth to soften tortillas in lieu of canned enchilada sauce.

I tried this recipe because I was intrigued by the Charred Tomato Salsa--and I happened to have plum tomatoes on hand. I made it as directed, the only exception being the addition of a chipolte pepper with I pureed with the salsa. I was really very happy with the outcome. However,if I am in a hurry next time I make this, I won't hesitate to swap out fresh store-bought salsa to speed up prep time.

Made this last night and it was a hit. Husband doesn't like onions so I used shallots instead and less than the recipe called for. A bit too much work to make on a weeknight but definitely a good weekend meal.Will definitely make again.

Great flavors; but I couldn't get the structure together... either more tortilla chips or I didn't layer it thick enough. Also, the 13x9 in pan seemed big for the first two layers. It didn't form well enough but the end product was tasty.

Awesome recipe! I would double the salsa next time and use more vegetables. It tasted great and even my picky husband loved it.

My husband loved this! I bought fire roasted salsa and rotisserie chicken to save on time. Loved the feta, corn, and zucchini in this recipe. Will definitely make this again.

Delicious! My 9-year-old had seconds. I recommend making the salsa and prepping the chopped vegetables ahead of time, especially if you want this for a weeknight dinner.

I would like to see the original recipe. That is one thing that annoys me about Cooking Light - they never show you the original recipe so you can make your own changes.

Really delicious! I too used bottled salsa (fire roasted) due to time constraints and it tasted great. Left overs are delicious and heat up well. I took multigrain tortillas and broke them in half (similar to another reviewer) as that is what I had on hand. Will definitely make this one again.

This is a simple recipe with lots of vegetables. I used store bought salsa and saved a lot of time. Also the zucchini was not fresh, so I grabbed a chayote squash instead. I used 8, 10" whole wheat tortilla and just tear them in half. 97% lean ground turkey was BOGO, so I used that. To add some heat I chopped up 1 chipotle in adabo sauce. I will make this again. The portions are big and you can save the leftovers for lunch. I would let it stand 10 mins. before cutting because it gets runny. Make sure you really cut it through, I put my knife in the sink and then had to use another one because the tortilla was not cut through to get a piece out.

Had most of the ingredients so decided to try this one! Absolutely delicious! Changed a few things-didn't have enough tomato's so was short on the salsa. Added some picante sauce to make enough for the recipe & used fat free feta & sharp cheddar. Will try next time with the Monterey Jack but will also try leaving out the feta. Very satisfying & filling! Will definitely make again!

We saw this at work today and had all the ingredients on hand to make so we made it and it is OUTSTANDING. We were all amazed at how good it was! And the portions are very generous too. We used turkey instead of chicken, because is what he had on hand.