Rachel Ray's Fajita Chilaquile Casserole Recipe Review

Rachel Ray has become quite famous and has some wonderful recipes. Her Fajita Chilaquiles Casserole recipe was one of my favorites except for one little factor. It was a casserole and I'm not sure if maybe I over baked the tortilla strips when they wouldn't come out crispy following the directions, but we did not like it. We did like the flavor of the chicken and vegetables in it though and picked them all out as to not waste the entire dish. Then I came up with an idea to make this recipe a keeper.

Here's the original Rachel Ray recipe from her site. You can see step by step pictures here too at http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/fajita-chilaquiles-casserole/

Fajita Chilaquiles Casserole Ingredients

• 8 flour tortillas, cut into thin strips
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon (a palmful) onion powder
• 1 tablespoon (a palmful) garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon (a palmful) ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon (a palmful) chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sirloin steak or large shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 4 tablespoons oil, divided
• 1 bottle lager beer
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 limes, zest of 1 and juice of 2, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• Sour cream, to garnish
• Salsa, to garnish

Yields: 4 servings

Preparations

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

On a baking sheet, toss tortilla strips with some cooking spray and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Toss halfway through the cooking time so they get brown on all sides.

In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Toss your meat of choice with the spice mixture and reserve.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add the meat to the pan and sear until golden brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes. Add the bottle of beer to the pan and cook to reduce, 3-4 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, place a second large skillet over high heat with 2 turns of the pan of oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add the peppers, onions and garlic to the pan, and cook until brown around the edges and tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the zest and juice of 1 lime, chopped herbs, salt and pepper to the pan, toss to combine and reserve.

When everything is ready, toss the meat, pepper and onions, and toasted tortilla strips together into a casserole dish. Top with the cheese and melt under the broiler. Garnish with juice of remaining lime, sour cream and salsa.

If you are like my family and don't really care much for casseroles either, you can still enjoy this recipe in a non-casserole form. Make the chicken and vegetables as directed. Heat tortillas in a skillet. Maybe you would like to have a side dish of spanish rice to go with this. For an easy and tasty spanish rice recipe, you can go to http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2087705/best_spanish_rice_recipe.html?cat=22. My family and I really enjoyed the revised form of this recipe.