QUESO BLANCO CHICKEN

QUESO BLANCO CHICKEN
2 large chicken breasts, cubed (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded, divided
4 ounce can chopped green chiles
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Arrange the chicken cubes in a greased 8x8" baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the remaining ingredients, except for 6 ounces of the Monterey jack cheese, in a small bowl; spread over the chicken. Bake at 350?for about 30-35 minutes until bubbly, a little browned and the chicken is fully cooked. Top with the remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes until melted.

Makes 4 servings

Per Serving: 608 Calories; 45g Fat; 47g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs

I got the idea for this recipe from the 1993 Southern Living Annual, page 322. It was meant to be served as a dip but I thought it would be nice with chicken added as a main dish. Rather than just serving the dip over grilled chicken, I decided to use Dotty's method for making her Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole.

As you can see, it came out very oily but it does taste pretty good. The original recipe only called for 2 ounces of the Monterey jack cheese. However, after I saw how ugly it looked after baking it, I went ahead and smothered it with the remaining 6 ounces of cheese in the package and baked it another 5 minutes to melt the cheese. I expected the sauce to be quite salty from all the cheese and mayo but it wasn't. I suggest generously seasoning the chicken cubes before topping with the sauce. I think it might also be improved by seasoning the chicken with some taco seasoning.

I'm not sure if I'd make this again but it was very quick and easy to make and it doesn't taste bad at all. I don't mind how it looks but I wouldn't serve it to company. Click the photo to see a close-up.

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