Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Casserole

A satisfying comfort food recipe that can be made ahead, portioned and frozen for future use

Prep Time 1 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 2 10

Course casserole, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 12 servings

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoon olive oil
1-½ each jalapeño depending on the size of the jalapeño or how spicy you want it
½ cup cilantro leaves you could throw the whole sprig with the stem if you want
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
3 each dried bay leaves
1 each medium yellow onion large dice
2 19-24 ounce cans red enchilada sauce the larger cans are great if you want extra sauce

2 pounds the above recipe, cooked chicken thighs
8 ounces diced green chiles you can use canned or roast and peel your own (instructions below)
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 each salt and black pepper to taste

25 each corn tortillas white, blue, or yellow it's your choice
3-4 cups cooking liquid from the above chicken recipe
10 ounces shredded cheddar cheese you can add more if you want to
1 can pan release spray it makes it easier to get the casserole out of the pan, as well as easier to clean

season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt, black pepper, oregano, chili powder, and cumin
heat the 6-8 quart sauce pan, add the olive oil
add the chicken 3 pieces at a time, as to not crowd the pan
sear the chicken, controlling the heat so you don't burn it, turn over creating a brown delicious crust on both sides
remove the first 3 pieces add place on a plate to rest, repeat the process with the remaining chicken
reduce the heat and add the onion, jalapeño, and cilantro to the pan
season to taste with salt and black pepper
return the chicken to the pan with any juices that have developed on the plate
add the 2 cans of enchilada sauce and stir
reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes

place 3 Anaheim fresh green chilis (or hatch New Mexico chilis, Colorado Pueblo green chilis) in a bowl with about a teaspoon of cooking oil, rub them with the oil
turn on your gas burner ( if you have electric you could place the chilis onto a roasting pan into a 400℉ oven until the skin begins to char and loosen) using kitchen tongs carefully place the chili onto direct flame moving until charred evenly on all sides
place the charred chilis into a heat safe bowl, and cover with plastic wrap
place the bowl in the refrigerator until cool
remove the chilis and use you hands to peel the skins off and remove the stem and seeds
diced the prepared chilis into small pieces for your filling

remove the chicken thighs from the cooking liquid and place in a mixing bowl
add the diced green chilis ( canned or fresh prepared) to the bowl
add the shredded cheddar cheese ( 8 ounces) to the bowl along with the cream cheese, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and salt and black pepper to taste
for this step I put on nitrile gloves and mix it up with my hands, pulling the chicken into bite sized pieces as I go (the chicken will be on the hot side so be careful, that's why I use the gloves)

preheat oven to375℉
spoon about a cup of the cooking liquid into the bottom of the 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan that has been sprayed with pan release
place 6 corn tortillas on top of the sauce 2 by 2
place ⅓ of the filling mixture on top of the tortillas, drizzle with more cooking liquid, and sprinkle with shredded cheddar (from the 10 ounce portion)
place 8 corn tortillas on top of this layer and repeat the process of adding so cooking liquid, ⅓ of the filling mixture, and sprinkling shredded cheddar cheese
place 6 corn tortillas on top of this layer and repeat the process ending with 6 tortillas on the top
spoon cooking liquid over the top and the remaining shredded cheddar cheese
place casserole in the preheated oven on the center rack
bake for 25 minutes, remove from oven
cut into desired portion and enjoy!

We recommend serving with a bit of the extra cooking liquid, sliced avocado, lime wedge, chopped fresh cilantro and sliced green onion.

Keyword casserole, Cheese, Chili Colorado, enchilada, roasted chicken