Load Baked Potato and Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 -10 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I leave the skin on)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 6 tablespoons hot sauce

Topping

• 2 cups fiesta Mexican blend cheese or 2 cups monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend
• 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon
• 1 cup diced green onion

Directions
Preheat oven to 500F (This is NOT a typo, 500F is correct!) .
In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder & paprika.
Add the cube potatoes and stir to coat.
Add the potatoes to a greased baking dish.
When scooping the potatoes into the baking dish, leave behind any extra olive oil/hot sauce mix.
Add the diced chicken to the “left behind” olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat all the chicken. Allow to marinate as the potatoes bake.
Roast the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and nice and crispy on the outside.
Once the potatoes are fully cooked add the marinated chicken.
Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400°F.
In a large bowl mix all the topping ingredients together.
Top the raw chicken with the topping.
Bake 15 minutes or until until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is melted and bubbly delicious.
Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.

Crisp Cucumber Salsa

Note: 1/4 cup is only 16 calories! YES!!!

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.

Easy Mexican Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
1 can Ranch Style beans
1 10-12 ounce bag tortilla chips, crushed
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 package taco seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water
sour cream and salsa for serving

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large skillet, brown meat and drain off fat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, onion, taco seasoning, soup and water. Simmer over medium-low heat until everything is well combined and heated through.

Grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Put down a layer of crushed tortilla chips, followed by a layer of the meat/bean mixture, then half of the cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream and salsa.