Mexican Chicken Manicotti without Salt – a Quick Recipe

The hurdle of creating a good Chicken Manicotti recipe is stuffing the cooked Manicotti shell. If you do the stuffing wrong, you’ll doom the Stuffed Manicotti recipe to oblivion. While each of us who prepare such a delicacy has devised ways and techniques for stuffing those dams, hot, delicate shells, most cooks bypass the recipes altogether. I am writing this recipe to make it easy for the newly-minted cook to prepare a delicious dish, quickly and without too much hassle. I will also show you a variation on a taco seasoning mix that reduces the problems with package taco seasonings – too much salt.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Chicken Breasts
• 1 cup of water
• 1.25 oz Homemade Taco Seasoning mix
• 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch dissolved in one cup of water.
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 cups Green Tomatillo Salsa
• 2 oz can Enchilada sauce
• 7 ounce can ORTEGA
• Whole Green Chiles, halved 10 (8 inches) soft taco-size flour tortillas
• 2 Green Onions, chopped

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees F.
2. Cook Chicken Breasts in a large skillet, occasionally stirring, until golden brown. 
3. Add cornstarch, water, and seasoning mix; cook, occasionally stirring until mixture is thickened.
4. Mix 1 cup of ricotta cheese and Monterey Jack cheese in a small bowl. 
5. Spread cup green salsa and cup of enchilada sauce onto bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
6. Fill each tortilla evenly with chicken breast mixture, cheese mixture, and one green chile half; roll-up. 
7. Put it in a baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce, green salsa, and remaining Monterey Jack Cheese; cover.
8. Bake for 40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cut green onions before serving.

Homemade Taco Seasonings mix 

This recipe eliminates the apparent problem with frozen package mixes – they have too much salt. This recipe uses no salt and does it without destroying the uniquely distinctive taste.

Ingredients

• 10 tsp. dark chili powder
• 4 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground oregano 
• 2 tsp. Crushed red pepper 
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar 
• 1/2 tsp. paprika 
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder.

Procedure

In a small bowl, dark chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, paprika, oregano, salt, cumin, and pepper. Store in an airtight container.