Mexican night has always always a big deal in our family, and most of the time the kids snarf down the food without any argument which is an added bonus to the deliciousness. But sometimes I shy away from cooking Mexican food because of the time or assembly it requires. Enchiladas are one my favorite, but rolling all the tortillas and rationing out the filling to try get it evenly distributed is something I have not perfected. My husband usually asks “which end of the pan did you start with?”, because he knows that will be loaded with the good stuff and the other end will be a tad dry with a few pieces of meat sprinkled in. I wanted a way to enjoy enchiladas but be able to throw it together quickly and without doing math in the process. That is when the idea for a casserole came to me. I’m a true Minnesotan and a huge lover of casseroles. They can be thrown together so effortlessly and they always turn out so dang good. I tested out the casserole theory for enchiladas, and guess what? They were just as delicious! Check out the recipe below for Lazy Layered Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
Start by adding 2 cups cooked cubed chicken (I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning while cooking), 1-1/2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese, 4 oz. can of chopped green chiles, and 3/4 cup sour cream in a bowl. Stir it all together until it is mixed well.
Spray a 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray and place two flour tortillas (8 inch) in the bottom of the pan. Place the two ends of the tortillas slight up along the sides of the pan.
Rip the next tortilla in half and place over the other two tortillas. You are doing this so that the entire bottom of the pan is covered.
Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas.
Pour half a can of enchilada sauce over the meat mixture.
Next repeat the layers. Add three more tortilla shells the same way you did the bottom layer. Then spread the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas followed by the other half of the enchilada sauce.
Top it with just two more flour tortillas.
Sprinkle another 1-1/2 cups of cheese over the tortillas. Now it is ready to be covered by foil and baked at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly. Top the casserole with your favorite toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onion, black olives and sour cream. I hope you enjoy!
Servings |
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- 2 cups chicken cooked and chopped
- 3 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese blend
- 1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce
- shredded lettuce (optional)
- chopped onion (optional)
- black olives (optional)
- chopped tomatoes (optional)
Ingredients
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- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9-inch glass dish with cooking spray.
- In a bowl mix chicken, 1-1/2 cups of cheese, chopped green chiles, and sour cream. Stir until well mixed.
- Layer 3 tortillas in the baking dish, overlapping so the entire bottom is covered. Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas. Pour half of the enchilada sauce over the chicken.
- Layer 3 more tortilla, the remaining chicken mixture and remaining enchilada sauce.
- Place 2 tortillas over the enchilada sauce. Sprinkling with remaining 1-1/2 cups cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake 45-50 minutes or until bubbly.
- (Optional) Garnish with shredded lettuce, chopped onions, black olives, and sour cream.