the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Bake for a Crowd

Several weeks a good friend called asking for help with an event he was planning; turns out the matriarch of his clan (Estelle) was celebrating her 94th birthday on the 4th of July.

From the sounds of things, Estelle is fit as a fiddle and sharp as can be, walking 30 minutes or more every morning, and still living at home with minimal family assistance for household chores. Estelle also happens to be a long-time fan of the flavors of Santa Fe and the American Southwest, asking for chile ribs and Santa Fe style flat green enchiladas (that’s my kind of woman!) for her birthday event this year.

My buddy was in charge of the event cooking, and wanted some input on the best way to serve Estelle the great food she’d asked for, in a prep that he could parcel out over several hours as they worked to manage the relatively large family crowd anticipated, safely spaced out throughout the afternoon to pay honor to Estelle.

We just happened to have been putting the finishing touches on this Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Bake for a Crowd, adjusting a master recipe we’d pilfered from our catering genius friend Chef Libby in Austin, and spicing things up a bit to suit our own family palate. As an added bonus, it feature the stunningly good Roasted Green Chile Sauce we posted last week.

Recipes like this one have an established place in history; in the South this recipe would fall under the broad umbrella of a “covered dish”, and taken to church socials, block parties, socials, wakes, special events, and homes of friends and family under the weather.

Both my wife and I grew up in Texas, and even back then when the earth’s crust was still cooling it seems that every family had a recipe for a chicken tortilla enchilada casserole; it was often called King Ranch chicken where we grew up in Texas, and invariably included one or more flavors of Campbell’s soup (here’s one version of that very recipe we posted on a fly fishing blog years ago).

As my buddy has several in his clan who’re gluten free, I suggested he use one of the Siete tortillas available now (for some reason that isn’t entirely clear to me we like their cassava flour version better), though if you have room in your carb budget, an artisanal / organic corn tortilla works well here too.

This holds well once baked, and can be chilled down and reheated in the oven with ease.

1 medium-large sweet onion, medium dice
1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, medium dice
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, medium dice
1-2 serrano or jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, small dice/minced
1 generous tbsp olive or avocado oil
3-4 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
3 cups of this amazing Roasted Green Chile Sauce (or salsa verde)
12 grain free (ie Siete) or organic corn tortillas, cut in half
3 cups grated/shredded Monterrey Jack or Colby Jack cheese
1 to 1 and 1/2 cups grated/shredded Cotija cheese
Kosher salt

Optional
Jarred pimento peppers, drained
2 big handfuls of organic baby spinach
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
Other veg, you make the call

Toppings for service
Sliced or diced avocado
Fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, chopped
Diced fresh or pickled red onion
Sliced fresh or pickled jalapeños
Sliced radishes
Green onion, thinly sliced

Preheat your trusty oven to 375 and lightly butter or oil a 9×13-inch baking dish, set aside.

Heat the tablespoon of oil in large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the onion, poblano, and bell peppers along with a pinch of good salt, sauté until they begin to soften, then add the serrano or jalapeños and cook for another couple of minutes.

Now add the prepped and cooked chicken and any of the other optional ingredients (we’d always use pimento peppers and black beans at least) along with 2 cups of the roasted green chile sauce and mix well. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup (or a touch more) of the sauce in your pan, and layer in 8 tortilla halves to cover the bottom; now cover with roughly 1/3 of the chicken mixture then 1/3 of the Monterrey Jake or Colby cheese. The second layer over that one is identical: 8 tortilla halves, followed by 1/3 of the chicken mixture and 1/3 of the cheese.

The final layer is a little different: 8 tortilla halves, the remaining Monterrey Jack or Colby Jack cheese, the remaining chicken mixture, the remaining sauce, followed by the grated/shredded Cotija cheese.

Cover your masterpiece with foil and throw in the oven for 22 minutes, the remove the foil and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the Cotija is beginning to brown in places.

When done, remove from the oven and let stand for 7-10 minutes, then serve warm with your toppings of choice.

Enjoy.