This chicken taco bowl recipe uses the underside of a muffin tin as a mold to bake cute little homemade "tortilla bowls." The "tortilla bowls" are filled with a zesty chicken filling and topped like nachos. If you have two large muffin tins, you can make all eight "bowls" at once. Bake them in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, rotating top to bottom about halfway through baking.

Chicken Taco Bowls

Servings: 4

Serving Size: 2 "bowls"

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Equipment: Muffin tin with 12 (1/2-cup) cups

8 6-inch corn tortillas

Canola oil cooking spray

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup prepared green salsa

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 cup thinly sliced lettuce

1 medium tomato, chopped

2 tablespoons sliced ripe black olives

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Heat tortillas until warm. Coat each side of 4 tortillas with cooking spray. (Keep the remaining 4 tortillas covered.) Turn a 12-cup muffin tin upside down. Nestle a tortilla in the space between 4 cups to form a "bowl". Repeat with 3 more tortillas, making 4 bowls total. Bake until firm and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining 4 tortillas.

Meanwhile, toss chicken with garlic powder and salt in a bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until it is no longer pink on the outside, about 3 minutes. Add salsa and cook, stirring, until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle, about 3 minutes more. Cover and remove from the heat.

Fill each tortilla bowl with about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture. Top with 1 tablespoon each cheese and sour cream, 2 tablespoons each lettuce and tomato and a few olives.

Recipe notes: Warming tortillas prevents them from cracking and breaking. Here are three ways to warm your tortillas:

1. In the oven: Wrap stacks of 8 tortillas in foil; place in a 375 F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. On the stove: Turn a gas or electric burner on high. Using tongs, slide one tortilla at a time over the burner for a few seconds, alternating sides, until it's softened and beginning to char. Cover tortillas to keep warm.

3. In the microwave: Wrap a stack of 8 tortillas in a barely damp, clean kitchen towel (or paper towel); microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds.

Recipe nutrition: Per serving: 401 calories; 21 g fat (7 g sat, 9 g mono); 74 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 3 g total sugars; 25 g protein; 4 g fiber; 707 mg sodium; 395 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (35 percent daily value), Calcium & Vitamin C (20 percent dv), Magnesium (16 percent dv)

2 Carbohydrate Serving(s)

Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 1/2 lean meat, 1/2 medium-fat meat, 1 1/2 fat

(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)