Todd was going to be home for dinner and the kids had no activities, which meant I was going to make a good dinner. My cousin, Chuck, give me this great cookbook for my (4th annual 30th) birthday.
It is from the editors of Cook's Illustrated and is one of the best cookbooks ever!!!
Last night, as I realized we would be home for dinner, I decided to flip through some cookbooks to find something interesting for dinner. I settled on Chicken Tortilla Casserole. Easy enough.
I swung by the grocery to pick up a few things I needed for the recipe, things that I normally don't have in the fridge or pantry. After I picked up the kiddos from their respective schools we came home and I got to work! Todd called around 4ish to let me know he was on his way home (YEAH!!!) and let the cookin' begin.
The recipe is fairly simple so while the kids were having snacks, I began chopping and sauteing. I was about half way through the recipe when it called for "2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped with 2 teaspoons sauce," I was quickly reading the recipe and added the whole can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. OOPS! Big mistake! I was so proud of myself for finding the can of chiles. However, when I took a quick taste I knew something was WRONG. I added a bit of sugar thinking that would take some of the hotness off and continued with the recipe. As the casserole was baking, I assembled the toppings of sour cream, cilantro and avocados. I "plated" the dinner and gave everyone a large dollop of sour cream, praying it would help with the spicy blow of chipotle. To make a long story short, it didn't. The kids began crying and running to the refrigerator for milk and ended up having yogurt for dinner. Todd and I managed to finish our servings, only because we each had about 2 cups of sour cream with ours.
The recipe could be so yummy. I am posting the recipe below for everyone to enjoy (as long as you follow the recipe properly!).
Chicken Tortilla Casserole from Cook's Illustrated Cover and Bake Cookbook (page 68)
serves 6 to 8
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced medium
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped, with 2 teaspoons sauce* Note: not whole can!
2 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes drained
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
18 (6-inch) round corn tortillas
Vegetable cooking spray
6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat the oil a a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell peppers, cumin, chili powder, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft an the onion are golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chipotles with adobo sauce, beans, and tomatoes; simmer until the flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cilantro, the lime juice and pepper.
3. meanwhile, spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and lay o tow baking sheets (some overlapping is fine). Bake until the tortillas are soft an pliable, about 5 minutes. Remove the tortillas from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
4. Toss the cheese together in a medium bowl. Spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size). Layer 6 of the tortillas on top of the filling, overlapping as needed, and sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Repeat the process to form a second layer.
5. Spread the remaining filling in the baking dish. Cut the remaining 6 tortillas into quarters and spread over the top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro before serving.
Enjoy!
Please let me know if you make this! I would love to hear how it turns out!
Everyone is doing well here. A drug bust at RHS, Gracie had picture day, the Walk-A-Thon is coming along, soccer teams are doing well and I am writing this on our back porch wishing for Fall to stay a bit longer.
Until next time.
Blessings,
Amy et al
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