Chicken Enchilada Suiza Casserole

Chicken Enchilada Suiza Casserole

2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins
Water
Salt
Olive Oil
18 corn tortillas
4 tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
16-oz jar salsa verde (I like Target's Archer Farms brand)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 scant tbsp roasted cumin
1 heaping tbsp diced pickled jalapenos
3 cups shredded Cheddar
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend Cheese

Cook the chicken in a large pot with water to cover and salt, until done. Remove chicken and set aside until cool enough to handle, then shred or chop into bite-sized pieces. This can be done ahead of time.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan and cook the onion until translucent. Stir in the flour until bubbly. Whisk in the chicken broth and cook until it begins to thicken. Add the cream, salsa verde, chili powder, cumin and jalapenos. Stir in the chopped chicken and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Heat a tiny amount of olive oil in a skillet until hot. Fry each tortilla until each side until they begin to blister a little bit, turning once, and set aside.

Preheat oven ot 350^F. Spoon about 1 cup of chicken mixture over the bottom of a 9x13" pan and reserve another cup for the top. Lay 6 tortillas over the sauce and top with half of the remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with half the shredded cheddar. Repeat layers, ending with the last 6 tortillas. Top with the reserved sauce and sprinkle the shredded Mexican cheese over all. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes more or until the casserole is bubbly and light golden brown on top.

Serve immediately, garnished with dollops of sour cream, pico de gallo and/or chopped cilantro.

This was inspired by Emeril's "Mexican Enchilada Suiza Lasagna" (which I would have made if I'd had all the ingredients!)

I loved this! And John went back for seconds which is practically unheard of when it comes to Mexican flavored foods!