Our younger daughter graduated from college this past Spring and she has moved home for the time being as she starts her new life (happily) in the Boston area! Yes, it has been an adjustment for us to lose the emptiness of our nest, but we are also really enjoying having her home for dinner, conversation, spontaneous outings and the like. Having said that, there is more stuff around and a bit more laundry in the mix. Also, there were some pantry items that came home from school last Spring that, combined with mine, were taxing storage. I decided that since we had more than our mutual fair share of canned enchilada sauce, some of them needed to go.
From there was born this casserole that I am going to be making all winter long. Chicken, black beans, corn and just enough baked tortillas are nestled into an enchilada sauce that is enhanced with some cumin, oregano and some chipotle peppers in adobo that create that unique, smokey flavor. Covered with Monterey jack cheese and topped with some fixings, this dish has all the flavor, but doesn’t leave you feeling weighed down. I purposely limited the number of tortillas used in this casserole so it had just enough oomph, but wasn’t overly dense. You could serve this on its own, over some rice or just with a big salad on the side. And of course, if you wanted to add a few more tortillas to make the casserole a bit more dense, you can do that too!
The process is pretty easy. Sear chicken thighs on both sides in an ovenproof, 10-12 inch pan and set aside. Saute some onions, garlic and seasonings. Add the enchilada sauce and chipotle peppers and return the chicken to the pan. Simmer until cooked through. In the meanwhile, toast some tortillas in the oven, directly on the rack to crisp them up. I used tortillas I purchased at Whole Foods that were a combination of corn and flour that we really liked. Remove chicken from the pan and tear into chunks. Layer the tortillas, chicken, beans and corn back into the pan, cover with cheese and place in the oven for about 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and is slightly browned. Serve with slices of avocado, chopped cilantro and some sour cream or Greek yogurt for a little cooling effect.
Thank you to my friend, Leslie who offered to be a recipe tester for me. She said the dish got two thumbs up and she was looking forward to the leftovers. She also mentioned that she didn’t add any salt to the dish and it still had lots of flavor. I hope you make this Chicken Chipotle Enchilada Casserole soon – whether or not you have 8 cans of enchilada sauce in your pantry! If you do, please come back to the blog and let me know what you think.
Until next time…
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This recipe was born from the need to clean out my pantry of its many cans of enchilada sauce! The goal was to create a casserole reminiscent of the old school beef enchilada variety found in community cookbooks, but with a lighter feel. Chicken thighs (you can swap out breasts if you prefer), black beans, corn, and just enough density from the tortillas, combined with the enchilada sauce that is enhanced with chipotle peppers and spices are topped with cheese. I hope it becomes part of your regular rotation! Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 small onion, 1/2 inch dice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2, 10-ounce cans mild or medium red enchilada sauce
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
- 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from can)
- 5 ounces corn tortillas (see note)
- 1 cup drained, rinsed black beans
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 2 cups monterey jack cheese
- Chopped Cilantro
- Avocado Slices
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large, ovenproof skillet, add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and warm over medium-high heat.
- Season the chicken with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Add to pan and sear on both sides for roughly five minutes or until just lightly browned. Remove from pan.
- Turn heat down to medium and add the onion to the drippings in the pan. You may need to add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan if the chicken didn't render enough fat. Saute until just softened. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds and then add cumin and oregano and stir.
- Add the enchilada sauce, along with the chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce to the pan and scrape the bottom to release all the good flavor. Place the reserved chicken back into the pan, bring to a boil and then turn down to a dimmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, place the tortillas directly onto your oven rack and toast for 8-10 minutes until crispy. Set aside.
- Turn off heat under chicken and remove it from the pan. Shred with a fork or cut into small chunks. You want to keep the pieces big enough for a hearty bite.
- Break up the tortillas into 1 1/2-2 inch pieces and place half in the pan with the sauce. Add half the chicken, half the beans and half of the corn. Repeat. Press down so everything is submerged in the sauce.
- Top with the cheese and return to the oven. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and started to brown.
- Serve with fixings!
Tips from The Kitchen Scout
I used 3, 7-inch flour-corn tortillas from Whole Foods. You can add more tortillas if you'd like to make the dish a bit more hearty.
