Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Charlene Beck's Note:

I got this from a friend a long time ago, and I love it. It's easy to put together, and freezes great for later. Usually when I make this, I make 2 and cook one for the night and freeze one to bake later. Hope you like it too! You can make individual enchiladas and roll them up, or you can layer it like lasagna.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-8

Yield: 2.0 enchilada

• 1 whole chicken , 2-3lbs
• 1 (10 ¾ ounce) can cream of celery soup , Campbell's Condensed 98% Fat Free
• 1 (10 ¾ ounce) can cream of chicken soup , Campbell's Condensed 98% Fat Free
• 1 (10 ¾ ounce) can cream of mushroom soup , Campbell's Condensed 98% Fat Free
• ¼ cup skim milk
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 1 -2 tablespoon jalapeno , diced
• 1 small onion , chopped
• 12 flour tortillas , taco size
• 3 cups reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend (or more to taste)
• 1 (4 ounce) can black olives , optional garnish

Directions:

1. Boil chicken in water until done. Allow to cool and remove the bones and the skin, shredding the chicken. If you are using chicken breasts, simply boil them up and shred them.
2. In a large bowl, mix the three soups and the can of diced chiles.
3. Add about 1/2 the soup mixture to the shredded chicken along with the chopped onion. (Here's where you can try adding a few diced jalapeno slices to this mixture!) The consistency of this mixture should be like chicken salad: make sure not too runny. Set the remainder of the soup mixture to the side.
4. Place about 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture into a flour tortilla, and sprinkle with a little cheese. Roll this into an enchilada, and place into a pan. I use a lasagna pan so that I have left-overs.
5. NOTE for a quicker prep time: don't roll the individual enchiladas and just layer it (like you would a lasagna) for an enchilada bake. It tastes the same, and half the work involved!
6. Add the milk to the remaining soup mixture to thin them out a bit. Pour the rest of the soup mixture on top, since this is the sauce.
7. Add the black olives on top (if desired) and cover with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350* for about 30-45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. I serve mine with sour cream, but they are delicious plain!

Reviews

[Caroline Cooks]

Creamy, spicy, and delicious!! I used green olives in place of the black and green onions for the white. Made for Fall PAC.

[Chef #1034972]

This is a very good recipe. My 15 y/o son made this for supper last night. He layered it like lasagna and left out the Jalapenos. It was very creamy with just enough heat for me. Next time, I am going to double it and freeze one.