Fiesta Chicken with Monterey Cheese Sauce

Saturday, April 03, 2010

A few weeks ago, on my cruise (that's just fun to say..and a little bit obnoxious, I never claim to be anything less than a little obnoxious) I had a chicken dish I loved to the seventh power of food love. I could tell it had a tortilla chip coating (only because it came from the "Mexico" food station-the theme at the International cuisine section that day). There was also a thin layer of melted cheese inside the chicken. It was soooo good. I have been searching through recipes since my return to the world without mint laden pillows, and towel animals. I drew from about 4,000,0007 different suggestions online for dishes that sounded similar, and came up with this combo, which turned out really...OK. I tossed a few things in that weren't called for, threw a few things out that frightened me, but am always open for suggestions. In this particular dish, the cheese goes on top of the chicken (or to the side for dipping extra chips). The cheese sauce is a lot more subtle than most melted cheese combos I've made in the past, but good. My three warnings are to make sure you pound your chicken pretty thin, keep the pieces small (for lots of 'coating opportunities'), and don't make your cheese sauce until you are almost ready to eat....it got really lumpy quickly when I underestimated my chicken cooking time. And above all, don't take my advice on anything. I'm the person that just gave you three warnings before telling you to try a dish. It really is tasty, minus all those tips that probably aren't necessary for people that actually know what they are doing when they enter a kitchen. I'm not one of those people, but I try to be. ;o)
FOR THE CHICKEN:
•1 envelope (1 oz.) Taco Seasoning
•¼ cups Flour
•4 whole Boneless Chicken Pieces
•⅓ cups Butter, Melted
•½ cups Tortilla Chips, Finely Crushed
•FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE:
•1 Tablespoon Butter
•2 Tablespoons White Onion, Diced
•¼ teaspoons Salt
•3 Tablespoons Flour
•12 ounces, fluid Evaporated Milk
•½ teaspoons Tabasco Sauce
•1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded)
To prepare the chicken:
1. Mix flour and taco seasoning in a bowl. Dredge chicken in the flour mix, coat well.
2. Melt butter in a second bowl, and dip flour-coated chicken in the butter.
3. Crush chips and place them in a third bowl. Dredge butter-coated chicken through the chips. Cover completely.
4. Placed chicken on a pan. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 50 minutes.
To prepare the cheese sauce (do not begin sauce until chicken is almost finished):
5. Saute onions in butter until soft.
6. Add flour, and salt, and blend well.
7. Add evaporated milk and Tabasco sauce. Stir until sauce thickens and begins to bubble.
8. Add shredded cheese and lemon juice.
9. Pour over the chicken and serve.
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6 comments

Shane and Laine said...

Sounds yummy:) I love the scrap book...a little annoyed you talking about your fun cruise, but happy you got to go:) blah, blah

Unknown said...

ooohh - that looks yummy!
Thank you for participating in the P K Glitz blog hop. The winner of the prizes will be announced on Tuesday :)

Christy said...

@ Laine...I know, it's annoying, but it's how God made me. ;o) Sarah and Jen J just booked the same cruise. I think we should do a school wide cruise next Spring Break!

Tree said...

That looks SOOOO good!! My kiddos would love this.....especially with the cheese and nacho chip crust. Mmmmm... I'd have to make some without the cheese for the hubby....he doesn't like cheese...he's weird. :)

I'm a bit jealous of the cruise too...showoff! LOL The hubby and I are planning one in a few years hopefully!

Thanks for linking up for my Tasty Tuesday meme too! :) Great recipe!

Chubskulit Rose said...

That looks sumptuous! Thanks for the recipe, I may try it one day!

My first time joining Tasty Tuesday.

Now following your blog.

Shamrocks and Shenanigans said...

oh those cruises are the death of my cute figure! And it has never returned lol. I think a gained a boatload on our last one (like the pun?)
This looks great! I make cheese sauces a lot so I think I will skip the evaporated milk and start with a cheese sauce and add all the other ingredients.

Shamrocks and Shenanigans