green enchilada casserole

this recipe is oh so good.  ask my kids.  my 4-yr old ate 4 bowlfuls!  it's a great way to use leftover grilled chicken or a rotisserie chicken.  it tastes great leftover for lunch the next day.  it's so good topped with avocados, sour cream and a little salsa.  it's great no matter how you choose to eat it.  i like to make the green sauce in the morning or the day before and let it set for maximum flavor and it thickens a bit.  then it's quick to assemble and cook for dinner!  enjoy!

green enchilada casserole

green sauce (recipe below)
about 15 corn tortillas
2 cups grated colby jack cheese (or more for maximum cheesy-ness!)
3 chicken breasts, grilled or a rotisserie chicken, shredded

for the sauce:

1 Tbsp butter

1 sweet onion, diced

3 tomatillos, husks removed

1 cup tomatillo liquid

1 tsp better than bouillon

2 4 oz. cans diced green chiles

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp cumin

3 Tbsp sour cream, or however much you want for creaminess

1.  in nonstick skillet, saute onion in butter until soft, translucent and slightly golden.

2.  meanwhile, in small saucepan, bring tomatillos up to a boil in just enough liquid to cover them.  boil for about 2-3 minutes.  remove before they turn a brownish color.  reserve 1 cup liquid for use in the sauce.  to the 1 cup liquid, add 1 tsp. better than bouillon.

3.  when onions are perfectly cooked add chiles, garlic, salt and cumin.  cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.  let cool 5-10 minutes.

4.  in a blender, blend up the 3 tomatillos.  when they are all mashed up, add the onion-garlic-chile mixture and the tomatillo broth to the mashed up tomatillos.  if the onion mixture is still hot/warm make sure to either work in batches or leave enough head space so that it can bubble up more while blending.  blend as much as you like.  if you want a smooth sauce, blend longer.  if you want a slightly chunky sauce, blend less.  i've done it both ways and it tastes great either way.

5.  if the mixture is still hot, let cool to warm-room temperature.  at this point, add the sour cream and mix it up.  store in fridge until assembling the casserole.

assembling the casserole:
in a 9x13 pan, add about 1/2 cup of the green sauce and spread it all over the bottom. this is just to make sure that the casserole doesn't stick to the bottom.  next, cut the corn tortillas in half so the cut-side fits snug up against the side of the pan.  make a layer of corn tortillas.  next, add a layer of shredded chicken, grated cheese and 1/3 of the sauce.  repeat one more layer.  end with a layer of corn tortillas, the last 1/3 of the sauce and a layer of cheese.  

cover with foil and cook at 375 degrees for one hour or until bubbling.  remove the foil about 30 minutes into cooking so the cheese on top will brown.  top with sour cream, avocado slices, salsa and fresh cilantro.  enjoy!