Chicken Frito Pie

I ripped this recipe from the paper with The Dad in mind.  It had his name written all over it and I figured, for me, it would be just all right.  It was good.  You literally make up a pot of chili, layer it in a baking dish with Fritos and cheese, and then bake it.  Yum!  You could use any chili recipe with it, too.  Chicken, beef, turkey, veggie.  We always serve Fritos on top my favorite chili recipe anyway, so this was just takin' it to the next level.

Here's the recipe with my notes:

Chicken Frito Pie 

12 Tbsp vegetable oil (I have no idea why you would need this much - I just used a couple)
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 Tbsp chili powder
*I also added about 1 Tbsp of cumin
2 C low-sodium chicken broth
7 oz can chopped fire-roasted green chiles
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (you could use kidney, black, etc.)
2 1/2 C Fritos (I used a whole 10 oz bag of low-sodium)
2 C grated Monterey Jack Cheese (I threw some cheddar in too)

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-heat.  

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then brown.  

Remove.

Add onion, garlic, and chili powder to pot, stirring; saute until tender, about 4 minutes.

Return chicken to pot; stir in broth, green chiles, and beans.

Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add half of Fritos to a 2-quart baking dish.

(I put some cheese on top of the first layer of Fritos)

 Top with chili, remaining Fritos, and cheese.

 

Bake 15 minutes.

Serve with cilantro, avocado, and sour cream, if desired.

We had ours with a big green salad.

Here's dinner in my bowl:

When I was prepping the toppings, The Girl wanted to help scoop out the avocado.

AKA, lick the inside of the peel.

The Kid got wind of what was goin' down and came in to "help".

 Her shirt's the appropriate color, don'tcha think?