Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Submitted by LHarris805

"Make one. Freeze one."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 3⁄4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 ounces monterey jack cheese, sredded and divided or 1 1/4 cups monterey jack cheese
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1⁄2 lb fresh tomatillo, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, undrained
• 1⁄4 cup half-and-half
• 2 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
• cooking spray
• 15 (6 inch) corn tortillas, halved
• 1⁄2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring 2 cups water, peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaf to a boil in a large saucepan. Add chicken to pan; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered 5 minutes or until chicken is done, turning after 10 minutes. Place chicken on a plate; cool slightly. Remove garlic clove from pan; reserve. Shred chicken with 2 forks. Place chicken, salt, 3 oz of Monterey jack cheese (about 3/4 cup), and green onions in a bowl; stir to combine.
3. Place reserved garlic clove, cilantro, tomatillos, and chilies in a food processor; porcess until finely chopped. Add half-and-half and cream cheese; process until smooth.
4. Coat 2 (8-inch) baking dishes with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of tomatillo sauce in the bottom of each dish. Arrange 5 tortilla halves over sauce in each dish; top each with one-fourth of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers once ending with tomatillo sauce. Sprinkle evenly with remaining Monterey Jack cheese (about 1/2 cup). Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (Remove 1 dish from oven and cool.) Continue baking remaining dish at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Divide dish into 4 pieces, sprinkle with tomatoe and cilantro. Serve.
5. Allow dish of partially baked enchilada to cool completely. Once cooled, cover dish tightly with heavy duty foil or seal with an airtight lid. Can freeze up to two months.