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Aztec chicken

Ingredients

  • 6 large flour tortillas (wraps)
  • 150 g (5½ oz) plain low-fat yogurt
  • 90 ml (3 fl oz) soured cream
  • 75 g (2½ oz) mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
  • Mexican chicken filling
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large Spanish onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 200 g (7 oz) baby corn, chopped
  • 1 fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped
  • 2 cans chopped tomatoes, about 400 g each
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 good-quality chicken stock cube or 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
  • 300 g (10½ oz) cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast (fillet), diced
  • 1 can red kidney beans, about 410 g, drained and rinsed
  • 6 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • salt and pepper

Preparation method

  1. First make the filling. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook for 10 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic, green pepper, corn and chilli, and cook for 5 more minutes.
  2. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the ground coriander, cumin, sugar and stock cube or bouillon. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in the chicken, beans and half the fresh coriander. Heat through gently for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6).
  4. Lightly oil a large china flan dish, measuring about 28 cm (11 in) in diameter and 5 cm (2 in) deep. Place a tortilla on the bottom and spoon over one-fifth of the filling. Cover with a second tortilla, then spread over another fifth of the filling. Continue layering, finishing with the last tortilla on top. The stack will be slightly higher than the side of the dish.
  5. Mix the yogurt with the soured cream, 50 g (1¾ oz) of the cheese and 2 tbsp of the remaining coriander. Spoon over the top of the pie. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden. Sprinkle with the rest of the coriander and serve hot, cut into wedges.

Copyright

Copyright by The Readers Digest Association, Inc. 2004

Some more ideas

As an alternative topping, mix 200 g (7 oz) fromage frais with 85 g (3 oz) finely grated Manchego cheese and the 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander. * To make a borlotti bean tortilla pie, soften the onion, then add the crushed garlic, 1 seeded and chopped yellow pepper, 250 g (8½ oz) chopped courgettes and 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) chopped bulb fennel. Cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes, ground coriander, sugar, stock cube or bouillon and seasoning to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add 2 cans borlotti beans, about 410 g each, drained and rinsed, and heat through. Layer the bean mixture with the flour tortillas, top with the yogurt mixture or the fromage frais mixture and bake as in the main recipe.

Plus points

Tortillas, whether made from masa harina, a type of cornmeal, or wheat, are a good source of starchy carbohydrates. * There is little nutritional difference between canned red kidney beans and cooked dried ones, and canned beans are certainly a lot more convenient. * Chicken is an excellent source of protein and a good source of many of the B vitamins, particularly B1 and niacin. Eaten without the skin, it is low in fat and the fat that is present in the meat is mainly the more beneficial unsaturated type.
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