Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- 2 cups water
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 3/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded and divided (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos, chopped
- 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 2 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
- Cooking spray
- 15 (6-inch) corn tortillas, halved
- 1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350u0b0.
- Bring 2 cups water, peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaf to a boil in a large saucepan. Add chicken to pan; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning after 10 minutes. Place chicken on a plate; cool slightly. Remove garlic clove from pan; reserve. Shred chicken with 2 forks. Place chicken, salt, 3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (about 3/4 cup), and green onions in a bowl; stir to combine.
- Place reserved garlic clove, cilantro, tomatillos, and chiles in the bowl of a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add half-and-half and cream cheese; process until smooth.
- Coat 2 (8-inch) square glass or ceramic baking dishes with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup tomatillo sauce in the bottom of each dish. Arrange 5 tortilla halves over sauce in each dish; top each dish with one-fourth of chicken mixture. Repeat layers once, ending with tortillas and remaining tomatillo sauce. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 ounces Monterey Jack (about 1/2 cup). Bake at 350u0b0 for 15 minutes. Continue baking at 350u0b0 for 10 minutes, or remove 1 dish from oven and follow freezing directions. Divide each dish into 4 pieces. Place 1 piece on each of 8 plates; sprinkle evenly with tomato and cilantro leaves, if desired. Serve immediately.
- How-To
- FREEZE: Cool partially baked enchiladas to room temperature in baking dish. Cover baking dish tightly with heavy-duty foil, or seal with an airtight lid. Freeze up to 2 months.
- REHEAT: No thawing needed: Bake, uncovered, at 400u0b0 for 45 minutes or until enchiladas are thoroughly heated and sauce is bubbly. Top each serving with tomato and cilantro leaves.
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water, black peppercorns, garlic, bay leaf, skinless, kosher salt, cheese, green onions, fresh cilantro, fresh tomatillos, green chiles, cream cheese, cooking spray, corn tortillas, quartered cherry tomatoes, cilantro
Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-enchilada-casserole-5 (may not work)