chicken enchilada casserole
this chicken enchilada casserole is literally the perfect recipe. it’s easy, SO delicious (i’ve made it multiple times, and each time i hear that it’s the best enchilada recipe ever tasted), and you can make it in advance! all you have to do is pop it in the oven when your guests arrive.
i work full-time as an attorney, but i (obviously) also love to cook. this chicken enchilada casserole recipe was born when i wanted to have company over to celebrate cinco de mayo; because i’d be at work all day, i needed to find something i could make in advance. i tried this recipe out, and it was an instant success. there were so many “mmms” around the table that it was getting a little weird! ever since, it’s become one of my most requested recipes. the flavors work so well together, and everything is better topped with cheese, sour cream, and ultimate guacamole–let’s be honest! the best part is that the only cooking involved is sautéing the onions–other than that, all you have to do is layer. i love to serve this along with my mexican caesar salad for the perfect dinner combo. enjoy!
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, chopped.
1 tbs. olive oil.
2 lg. cloves of garlic, minced.
1.5 tsp. chile powder.
2 tsp. cumin.
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded.
2 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, mexican, pepper jack, whatever you have! pictured is shredded sharp cheddar).
1 15.4 oz. can of refried beans (i like amy's organic refried beans
13.5 oz. red enchilada sauce (this is my favorite: 365 organic red enchilada sauce 
4.5-5 medium flour tortillas.
salsa, sour cream, ultimate guacamole, scallions, and cilantro for topping.
Instructions
heat a pan on medium and add the olive oil to sauté the onions. add the garlic once the onions are almost translucent (so that the garlic doesn't burn and become bitter--you don't want to add it at the beginning), as well as the chile powder and cumin. stir until the spices are fragrant and the onions are cooked. set aside.
in an 8 in. square pyrex
next add a tortilla layer (i usually rip them up so that i can fit the tortillas to cover the entirety of the square, but you could just throw them in and not bother).
in this order, next layer:
~1/2 the beans (they will be a little bit tough to spread over the tortilla--use an offset spatula
~1/2 the sautéed onions,
~shredded chicken (enough to mostly cover the onion layer),
~1/3 of the cheese,
~and enough sauce to cover the chicken and cheese (make sure to leave enough for one more layer and for a thin coat on top at the end).
cover that layer with a layer of tortillas, and repeat the above step all over again.
after those 2 layers, you will be pretty close to the top of your 2 in. dish. cover the top with one last layer of tortillas (you might have to press it down to gain a bit of room) then sprinkle the top with one more thin layer of sauce and the remainder of the cheese.
now cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or cook it right away! (i've personally found that if you let is sit overnight or for at least a couple of hours before cooking, the flavors tend to be a bit better).
when you're ready to cook, heat the oven to 375 and bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly (if you refrigerate it ahead of time it will likely take a bit longer). if it starts to brown too much at the end, cover the top with some nonstick or well-oiled aluminum foil.
slice, plate, and top with salsa, sour cream, ultimate guacamole, and cilantro.
http://www.dishandchipsblog.com/chicken-enchilada-casserole/
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