#1,835: Enchilada Rice Bake

I found this recipe that originally called for shredded chicken in the dish, but my family is not the biggest chicken fans.  We will eat it, but only in small amounts.  So I decided to change this up slightly and make it using ground turkey instead (you could use ground beef too!).  I pretty much just made taco meat, added some rice and picante sauce, let it cook and then baked it with cheese and chips on top.  How simple is that!?  MOST of my family loved it...everyone except for the 7 year old, but that was absolutely no surprise! 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon taco or fajita seasoning

1 14 .5-ounce can chopped tomatoes with green chiles (I pureed some mild picante sauce and snuck it in.  My family never would have eaten it with this!)

1 cup converted long-grain white rice

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (skin removed) (I used cooked ground turkey)

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (about 8 ounces)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, plus more for topping (I omitted...my family doesn't like it...I do though so add it in!!) 

Kosher salt

6 corn tortillas, cut into quarters (I used tortilla chips)

Sour cream and pickled jalapeno peppers, for topping if desired

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and taco seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic softens, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, rice and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the chicken, 1 cup cheese, the cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Arrange the tortillas on top to cover and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes. Top with sour cream, pickled jalapenos and more cilantro if desired.