Aztec Enchilada Casserole

The Aztec enchilada casserole is a popular dish in Mexico. It is different from regular enchiladas since it is layers of flavors, very similar to lasagna, but made with enchilada ingredients. A casserole is usually an all-in-one dish that stands on its own, very popular for family dinners since it takes little preparation and it usually is a crowd pleaser.

The ingredients for Aztec enchilada casserole are the following:

• 2 chicken breasts, in pieces
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of Poblano chiles, strips (you can also use fresh poblano chiles, remove the seeds and stem, steam them and cut them into strips)
• 1 ½ cups of grated cheese (Monterey Jack or Mexican blend work best)
• Butter or margarine
• White corn tortillas
• Salt
• Chicken stock/broth

Boil the chicken in water, just enough to cover it. This can be done in advance since the chicken needs to cool down. Once the chicken is cold, break it into pieces. If you are in a hurry you can cut it up while its hot, but be careful to not to burn yourself.

Save the broth.

In a large baking dish, place a single layer of corn tortillas, spread a few small cubes of butter on top, evenly distribute some tomato sauce, add some chicken, some of the poblano chile strips, small dollops of sour cream and cover evenly with cheese.

Add a bit of salt.

Celia’s Mexican Cooking DVD

Keep layering the ingredients in that order until you reach the top of the baking dish. Pour some of the chicken broth or stock (you can use the one from the chicken you boiled) on top of the casserole to moisten it, do not overdue it.

Cover with foil and bake for approximately 50 minutes at 300°F, remove the cover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese on top browns.

Note: The Poblano chiles can usually be found at any Mexican grocery store. If you cannot find them anywhere, you can substitute some canned jalapenos, but be careful since they are much hotter than Poblanos. For the kids, you can make the same casserole without the hot peppers; it is still delicious and nutritious.