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Ok, I made this tonight and it was UNBELIEVABLE! This WILL be in my regular menu making! 😉
Christina Reed
Two words: roasted tomatillos.
Okay, fine, eight words: roasted tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeños made into sauce.
It’s YAHHHMMMMY.
Roasted tomatillo chicken enchilada casserole is where it’s at. I’ve always loved a) casseroles – yahh shoore yoobetcha (Minnesota will do that to a girl), and b) chicken enchilada anything, so this little number is right up my food alley. I first got the idea for this — wait, you already know, don’t you? — yeah, it was from Bread and Wine, the book that I can’t stop talking about. The book version is really awesomely simple because it uses canned green enchilada sauce with chicken, cheese, tortillas, and the other usual suspects.
This version, my version, involves a teensy bit more work (essentially turning on the oven and pressing a button on the food processor), but I’m gonna get bossy right now: even if you are usually more of a canned enchilada sauce person, you haffa try it this way because I’m in charge and I said so. Also, because it tastes sososo good for your hungry mouth and it’s made from scratch and it makes you feel like an awesome person who roasts tomatillos like a pro.
I’m really into this tomatillo situation. You can even make something similar to this in a bowl! Love that one too.
How To Make Our Chicken Enchilada Casserole:
A few weeks ago we had a bit of a scare round these parts: my best friend had to have an emergency c-section at just 32 weeks along in her pregnancy. The good news is that she is fine and their sweet baby is out of the NICU and at home with them already, but we were all a little shaken up right after the whole ordeal, so I made the green chicken enchilada casserole from the book (um, actually, I made 1-2-3-4 pans of it) and Bjork and I delivered the mass amounts of enchilada yums to my friend and her husband to try to say we love you in a way that’s sometimes hard to put into words.
On that particular day, there was no roasting and pureeing of a sauce from scratch. This was more of a super efficient production line type of cooking, so I went straight from the book recipe and there was canned enchilada sauce involved and the whole thing was delicious. No regrets.
But.
When I went to the store to make this again for my blog friends (and maybe I was a tiny bit motivated by the prospect of getting to eat a whole ‘nother entire pan of this? just maybe, a little bit, cheeeeese) I happened to notice a huge stack of beautiful tomatillos in the produce section.
Okay, now just know this –> normally I shop at a very regular grocery store (convenience ranks above almost anything else in my life) which has one little bin dedicated to tomatillos, and on any given day there are anywhere from 3-5 sad, brown, soggy little guys sitting in the bottom of the bin waiting to be thrown in the garbage. Fresh, perky tomatillos are not a part of my normal grocery experience.
But on this special day, I was at a fancy-shmancy person grocery store picking up some shrimp, and as I wandered through the produce aisle to grab 800 bunches of cilantro (NEVER ENOUGH), there they were! – the cutest little tomatillos in all their delicate papery glory. Not soggy or browning in my regular grocery store fashion – but instead, a big hefty pile of perfectly round, firm, green tomatillos, with wonderfully light and crispy little wrappers.
I spent one second making the decision that I was going to be making that green, spicy sauce from scratch.
And it was a really, really good decision. I roasted those tomatillos with a few jalapeños right up in the mix, and I wrapped the garlic in foil and tossed it on the baking sheet, too, because why not? Party time. Thirty minutes to MAGIC, you guys. Once the roasty part was done, the whole thing (including spicy jalapeños with seeds because some like it haute) was whirred up in the food processor, and the browned roasted bits and the chunkiness of the tomatillos throughout the sauce – whoa yes. The sauce had incredible texture and really tangy, spicy, roasty-delicious flavor that was just begging to get cozy with melted cheese, chicken, and tortillas.
Once the sauce is all set, I put together a few layers of flour tortillas dipped in water for extra-soft-numminess (corn is usually my go-to but something about flour makes this all the more homey and soft and perfect) and topped them with generous scoops of homemade roasted tomatillo magic verde sauce, shredded chicken, and white melty cheese. There was no rolling – see above note about convenience ranking above almost all else in my life – and almost the entire recipe was hands-off, even though the sauce is made from scratch. That is my kinda recipe right there.
I will say – in hindsight, I wish I would have piled some bright red tomatoes on top or something because the white-ish-yellow-ish super saucy and cheesy pan with specks of green everywhere isn’t necessarily the camera’s best friend. But friends. Let’s be real: me trying to do anything with a ooey gooey spicy cheesy pan of this right in front of my face = a completely lost cause anyway. Five bites, one picture. Nine bites, one picture. And then half the pan was gone and HOW DID THAT HAPPEN.
Tomatillo time for you!
Roasted Tomatillo Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This Roasted Tomatillo Chicken Enchilada Casserole is made with a homemade roasted tomatillo, jalapeño, and garlic sauce. New fav!
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 15 tomatillos, paper removed
- 3 jalapeño peppers
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup loosely packed green onions (green parts)
- up to 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (SEE NOTES)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the casserole:
- 6 8-inch flour tortillas
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Instructions
- SAUCE: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the tomatillos and jalapeño peppers on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Wrap the garlic cloves up in a small piece of foil, drizzling the with a bit of oil as well before you wrap it up. Place the foil garlic packet on the baking sheet with the tomatillos. Roast for 15 minutes – stir once to prevent burning, and roast for another 15 minutes. Unwrap the foil and transfer the roasted garlic, tomatillos, and jalapeños to a food processor. Add the cilantro and green onions. Pulse until mostly smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the broth, sour cream, and oil.
- CHICKEN: While the sauce is roasting, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the chicken, turn heat off, and cover tightly. Let rest for 30 minutes. This will poach the chicken – it should be cooked by the time the sauce is done. When it’s done, shred the chicken and reserve the water.
- ASSEMBLE: Dip a tortilla in the hot water from step two until it’s very soft. Lay it on the bottom of a greased 9-inch square baking dish. Cut the next tortilla in half, dip the halves in the water, and place them in the corners of the pan. Layer with half of the chicken, one third of the sauce, and one third of the cheese. Repeat layers. End with a final layer of tortillas, sauce, and cheese.
- BAKE: Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbly – I’d put a pan underneath to catch sauce drips. Sprinkle with extra cilantro before serving.
Notes
Based on some of the comments and another round of testing, I’d suggest just eyeballing the amount of broth instead of adding all of it right away. You want the consistency of the sauce to fall somewhere between a thick and chunky salsa verde and an enchilada sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: enchilada casserole, chicken enchilada, tomatillos, chicken recipe
PS. I made and shot this recipe at HOME home, like, my parents’ house, because of that one thing called I Don’t Have A Kitchen Right Now (hello remodel), and the perks of working from HOME home include having two special friend helpers with every single thing that I do in the kitchen. These two are the cutest little doggie duo ever, and naturally, they love love love roasted tomatillo chicken enchilada casserole. Makes me think we need to get a dog, cat, or sommmething furry and cute ASAP. Bjork? Hello? Are you there?
Excellent recipe. Absolutely DIVINE! I followed it to the T the first time. The second time, to make it easier, I bought Hermez salsa verde sauce, adding chicken broth, some extra onion, garlic and jalapeño and simply cooked the chicken breasts in the sauce, and then at the end subbed unsweetened greek yogurt for the sour cream. Still came out really good! Thanks for the recipe! It is a keeper!
I made this for dinner last night, and it’s so good! Thanks for sharing.
Going to make this tomorrow. I bought corn tortillas. Do you think that will work?
What was the name of the fancy grocery store?
Can I make this with noodles instead of tortillas? And if so, what would I need to change? Thanks!
We haven’t tested this recipe using pasta instead of tortillas, so we can’t say for sure. It would probably work to simply combine cooked pasta with the sauce, chicken, and cheese, and bake. If you give it a try, we’d love to hear back!
Do you think I can make the sauce then slow cook the chicken before making the enchiladas?
We’re guessing that would work!
What kind of cheese do you recommend for this recipe? What side dishes go best with it?
We used Monterrey Jack cheese here. You could serve a simple green salad with this. 🙂
Hi, I want to make this for someone with a dairy allergy. Can I substitute coconut milk for the sour cream in the sauce and leave out the cheese for th enchiladas? Thanks!
We’d probably recommend using a vegan cheese and vegan sour cream as a sub. Let us know how this goes!
I am wondering what is the weight of the tomatillos. I purchased 1.75 lbs. Some very large, others small. Also, I assume the baking of the dish is also at 425 degrees? I’m vegetarian so I used a package of Morningstar chicken strips, can of black beans, a rossted red and poblano pepper. It’s in the oven now!
Yep, everything cooks at 425 degrees F. We’re not totally sure on the weight of the tomatillos here. We just used medium-sized tomatillos.
What if I only have canned tomatillos. Can I use them as a substitute for fresh?
We haven’t tested canned tomatillos here, but it’s worth a shot. Let us know how this goes for you, Diane!
OMG this was amazing and really simple. Flavor explosion. 100% making again.
I came across this recipe reading a differnt one! 2 fantastic recipes I now have written in my personal “keep” recipe notebook. ( not many make it in that except my family passed down, and my personal notes on dishes.
I am making the chicken and rice with homade cream of chicken tonight— this weekend the Roasted Tamatillo Chicken Enchilada Casserole…with added roasted red peppers 😁
I can’t wait!
Enjoy, Rubecca!
Hi so I am making this right now I roasted some red and yellow peppers and blended everything together with some spinach that needed used so it has a great green color still deciding if I just want to shred the chicken and make tacos or enchiladas so far it is looking amazing thank you for your recipes
Made these tonight layered with corn tortillas and pepper jack cheese. Incredibly delicious!
What kind of cheese? You don’t say… Mexican mix, pepper jack, Monterey Jack? Or either?
I live in Australia and fresh tomatillo’s are a rare commodity. Would canned work at all?
I made this tonight. It was a lot of work. I used sprouted corn tortillas instead of flour, and used some water instead of broth. It tasted alright, but could have tasted better. Maybe needed some lime? Maybe the broth may have added some taste so I’ll give it another star.
About 4 years late to this recipe but it was awesome and will totally be placed in the “make again” folder. I only used about a half cup of broth for the sauce. Two jalapeños with seeds was my heat limit and it was still plenty spicy. Thanks for an awesome dish!
Do I keep the oven at 425 to bake the dish? Also, I was hoping to make this ahead of time. Would I be able to keep in the fridge for 8 hours or so? I’m thinking I’d just need to bake a little longer than 15-20 minutes if I did so. Thanks!
Yes, both are correct!
OMG! My daughter made this for us last night, and it was amazing! I was so impressed. Just the right amount of heat and not too much cheese. Perfection!
Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
What type of cheese did you use?
Monterey Jack Cheese! 🙂
Ok, I made this tonight and it was UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This WILL be in my regular menu making!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Oh Lindsay…I saved time and made your magic green sauce in the f.p. before this, didn’t wash and it no problem! I am one happy camper tonight! Thanks for providing something to do with CSA veggies – and I added greens, ’cause that’s how CSAs are! 🙂 Katie
Awesome, Katie! 🙂
My friend Lisa shared your recipe. Our fave is the Sara Moulton Swiss Enchiladas recipe but it is a bit more involved (though I just follow that recipe very loosely). Anyway, I started layering tortillas instead of rolling a couple of months back and it really saves a lot of time.
Modifications I made : Subbed a couple of poblano peppers instead of jalapeno (kids don’t like anything too spicy!). Added some freshly roasted and ground up cumin to the salsa verde. I did not add the broth in the salsa, I feared it would be too soupy. I popped a whole chicken in a big pot with water, carrots, celery, onion, ginger, cilantro stems, salt and pepper. I had a nicely poached chicken and a most delicious broth for soup tomorrow! I think corn tortillas would be sturdied and less goopy than flour so will do that next time. But thanks for the recipe! We enjoyed it. 🙂
I absolutely loved the tomatillo sauce in your rice bowls, so I was excited to try this enchilada casserole recipe as well. I decided to follow your other recipe for the tomatillo sauce which included shallots and poblanos, because I can never get enough poblanos. I added very little broth to the sauce, maybe half a cup. I also used sliced up Quorn “chicken breasts” so I could enjoy this with the vegetarian boyfriend… they worked great. I threw in some frozen roasted corn in two of the layers as well.
My only complaint is that I thought the flour tortillas were not the right choice for this recipe. They plumped up thick with moisture and the soggy texture kind of ruined it for me. I definitely want to try this again with corn tortillas instead, similar to your healthy Mexican casserole (https://pinchofyum.com/healthy-mexican-casserole-roasted-corn-peppers). I know I will be making the basic sauce with chicken for years to come though, it is to die for!
Thanks for your feedback Julie!