Enchilada Casserole

Who doesn't love an enchilada? But rolling them in that brittle corn tortilla is no fun, so I started making enchilada casserole. It's layered like a lasagna and still has all the yummy goodness of filling, corn tortillas and spicy red sauce, yum:)

I start by braising the chicken. I have a whole chicken cut up that I'm browning on both sides in a hot dutch oven. Make sure to season both sides with salt and pepper.

Move that to a plate and put in some roughly chopped onion and salt, stir to brown.

Add in spices, give it a stir and spread on the bottom of the pan evenly (this will be a base for the chicken to sit on while it cooks). I'm using chili powder, mexican oregano, cumin, red pepper and some chicken bouillon to season.

Add the chicken back to the pan along with diced tomatoes and a cup of water. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to cool. At this point blend the tomatoes with a hand blender and set aside. This makes an awesome enchilada sauce.

After the chicken has cooled enough to handle remove the meat from the bones and shred.

Time for the filling. Sauté a chopped onion in canola oil, add to that diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, corn, chili powder, mexican oregano, cumin, chipotle chili and shredded chicken (or whatever you want in your filling), stir to combine. Let that warm through really well.

Now to layer- begin with a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish.

Next add a layer of corn tortillas...

And a layer of filling.

Repeat that till you get to the top, ending with enchilada sauce.

Top the whole thing with cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes, til the top is melted and the edges are just a little crispy. mmmmm

Enchilada Casserole

Chicken and Enchilada Sauce:
1 chicken on the bone, cut up
2 onions, rough chop
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 c water
1 chipotle chili (or more for spicier)
2 T chili powder
1 t mexican oregano
1 t chicken bouillon
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t red pepper

Season and brown chicken in canola oil in a large, heavy dutch oven on medium high heat, remove to a plate. Add onion to pot and brown slightly. Add seasonings, stir and spread evenly over bottom of pan. Add chicken back to the pan and pour tomatoes and water on top. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 35-40 minutes.

Once chicken is fully cooked place it on a plate to cool. In the meantime blend the tomatoes that the chicken cooked in with a hand blender, taste and season to your preference. Once the chicken has cooled remove from the bone and shred. Set sauce and shredded chicken aside.

Enchilada Filling:
1 onion, finely chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can beans
1 small can tomato puree
1 c corn
2 T chili powder
1 t mexican oregano
1/2 t cumin
salt and pepper
shredded chicken

In a large pan sauté onion in canola oil over medium heat. Add in the the remaining ingredients and mix well. Let that simmer for a few minutes to warm through.

Casserole:
corn tortillas
cheddar cheese, shredded

To layer, begin with a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish. Next add a layer of corn tortilla, then filling and sauce on top. Layer til you reach the top of the pan, ending with enchilada sauce. Top the dish with shredded cheddar cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes, til the cheese is melted and the sides are bubbly and a little crispy. Serve with sour cream and avocado. Enjoy!