Receta Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Inspired by my sister, I decided to make chicken enchiladas one day. I found a great sale on bone-in chicken breasts at the store earlier in the week and had cooked most of them in my pressure cooker to use later. Although I had froze most of the cooked meat, I still had a couple left in the fridge.
I did face a couple of challenges though. First, I did not have any canned enchilada sauce. So, I made my own. Second, I did not have any corn tortillas. I did have four large wheat tortillas leftover from making breakfast burritos a couple of days earlier. So, I used them and turned my chicken enchiladas into a cheesy chicken enchilada casserole…I was determined not make a trip to the store.
A quick Internet search led me to hundred of variations of chicken enchiladas and casseroles. I finally decided to follow my sisters advice of just layering it like a lasagna as most of the recipes did the same.
Unlike many of the recipes, I did not embellish what went inside of the casserole beyond what I would have placed in the chicken enchiladas…cheese, chicken, enchilada sauce…that was it. I had toppings available to add individually after serving, so everyone could eat it how they liked. I opted for salsa and sour cream on mine. Green onions, black olives, and cilantro were also available.
My lesson learned after making this a couple of times: it works well with whatever you have on hand. It does not really matter that much if you use corn or wheat tortillas. Only enough tortillas for two layers? That’s okay…three layers are okay as well. Small, medium or large tortillas will all work just as well. Don’t have any chicken? Cheese and onions will do fine by themselves.
Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts (or equivalent chicken), cooked
- 2 cans enchilada sauce or homemade enchilada sauce
- 6 Large wheat tortillas (or equivalent)
- 6 oz. +/- queso blanco or similar cheese
- 4 oz. +/- Colby jack, Monetary jack, and/or cheddar cheese, shredded
- onions, diced (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray 9 X 13 or similar baking/casserole dish.
Place a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce in bottom of pan and move it around to coat the entire bottom.
Add layer of tortillas, overlapping tortillas to get them to fit (may come up on sides of dish).
Spoon 1/4 to 1/2 c. of enchilada sauce over tortillas and spread evenly.
Place shredded or chopped chicken and onions (optional) evenly over the layer of sauce.
Add layer of melted queso blanco or similar cheese by drizzling from a spoon.
Add another layer of tortillas, sauce, chicken, onions, and cheese.
Add final layer of tortillas,then pour remaining enchilada sauce (as much as desired) on top and spread evenly.
Top with shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 until cheese on top has melted and casserole is bubbly…15 to 20 minutes.
Notes:
You may just add the queso blanco in small pieces over layers instead of melting.
Other cheeses may be substituted for queso blanco…or cheese may even be omitted from the layers of the casserole.
Number of servings (yield): 12 +
Copyright © 2013.
Recipe by Paula, A Simple Home Cook.