Pace Picante Sauce: Spicy Baked Chicken 'Unchiladas'

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program - I received two jars of Pace Picante Sauce.



Honestly? I'd never used/tasted it before. It's not a huge surprise. I make Mexican food occasionally but not too often. Sometimes though I really crave it.

(And yes. I know. This is very Americanized Mexican food. :) Whatever. I'm Irish. It's amazing I've ever tasted a pepper let alone a jalepeno.)

So....anyway. I had some leftover tortilla chips from NYE and decided to use them in this dish.

OK. I admit it. The name might be stupid but it tastes divine.

If I do say so myself. :)

Please feel free to suggest a better name. (I'm looking at you Kay!)


You know what? Enough chatting. Let me just show you.

Spicy Baked Chicken Unchiladas (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 large (or 2 small) boneless skinless chicken breast - sliced into 4 tenders

For the breading:

2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp chili powder

To coat the chicken:

1/2 cup Light Sour Cream + 1/4 cup skim milk whisked together

Canola Cooking Spray

3/4 jar Pace Picante Sauce - Medium
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or pepperjack cheese (I used a combo of both)

Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 375.



In a food processor grind tortilla chips and spices together until the are the texture of fine breadcrumbs.







Did I mention I got a food processor for Christmas?? Well - I did!



Slice chicken into tenders - dunk in the sour cream mixture then coat with the crushed tortilla chips.





Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Also spray tops of the chicken to make them crispy while baking.





Bake for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime shred cheese and chop garnish.



I gotta say - shredding cheese is much more fun when you have a doll that doubles as a grater.

After all that work - take time out for a little snack.



As you know - I'm big into portion control. If you haven't ever tried it - votive candle holders make excellent snack cups.

Just saying. :)

When the chicken is done remove from oven. In a small casserole dish pour 1/2 jar of Pace Picante Sauce. Place chicken on top. Top with more sauce and grated cheese and garnish.



Place in oven for an additional 20 min or until cheese is bubbly.



Serve with a spoonful of sour cream.





(PS: After tonight I'm stopping the 'wine with dinner' thing. Baaad habit to get back into.)

These - to me - taste very much like enchiladas (hence the hokey name). Some of the breading fell away while baking so it's the closest thing I could think of to describe the taste.

And other than the cheese and sour cream there's nothing too fattening involved here!!

Also? The picante sauce was a good fit. Thinner than salsa, spicy enough in the medium version. I liked it a lot.

I'm off to clean the kitchen and watch The Biggest Loser. That fact alone is keeping me from personally emptying the whole casserole dish onto my plate.

Sleep well. Catch you in the AM!!