Chicken Casserole 

 

1½  pounds of chicken breasts, without skin and bones
4 teaspoons of lime juice
¼ cup of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons of butter
½ onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
10 ounce can diced tomatoes

4 ounce can diced green chiles
4 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 cup of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of flour
½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
½ cup of half and half

⅓  cup of sour cream

½ cup of cilantro, chopped
3 cups of grated pepper jack and cheddar
10 corn tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste

 

1.  Cook the chicken in the olive oil on medium, adding 2 teaspoons of lime juice, 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder and salt to taste.

2.   When chicken is done (after about 20 minutes), shred it with two forks and set aside. Should yield about 3 cups.

3.   Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium, and add the onions, red bell pepper and poblano pepper. Cook for 10 minutes.

4.   Add the garlic, flour, cumin, cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder, and cook for 1 minute.

5.   Add the chicken broth and cook on low until mixture is thickened, a few minutes. Stir in the half-and-half, tomatoes, and can of chiles.  Cover the pot, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6.   Uncover the pot, and add the sour cream, 2 teaspoons of lime juice and ¼ cup cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat.

7.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8.   Heat up the tortillas (you can do this by adding a bit of oil on an iron skillet and then cooking the tortillas for about 30 seconds on each side).

9.   Ladle ½ cup of the sauce onto the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking pan.

10. Layer half the tortillas along the bottom of the pan (on top of the sauce). To make sure entire pan is evenly covered, you can rip some of the tortillas into strips to fill any gaps.

11. Add half the chicken, half the remaining sauce, half the remaining cilantro and 1½ cups grated cheese.

12. Repeat the layering, leaving the cheese layer on top.

13. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

 

Goes great with sour cream and cilantro on top