Twyla Sorrells's Recipe

Mama's Enchilada Casserole

Category: Meats

You'll need a 9 X 13 baking dish and your favorite nonstick spray.

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Spray the baking dish well with the spray. Then begin to make the crust like so:

Tostada chips (Tortilla chips), broken in pieces but not crumbs
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 soup can filled with chicken broth

First put the soup into a large mixing bowl and blend with a whisk while adding the broth. It will be kind of runny. That's OK. Set aside.

Then line the bottom of the baking dish about an inch deep with the broken chips. You don't have to get out your rulers, just guestimate! Now make the filling like so:

1 - 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
About a cup of cubed Mexican cheese - Queso Fresco; Quesadilla; or Monterrey Jack
1/2 - 1 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 - 1 cup finely chopped onion
Chicken broth as needed

Mix the chicken, bell pepper, and cheese cubes, then spoon evenly over the chips. Pour over this the soup mixture and slightly blend with a spoon. You don't want to mix the crust into the chicken, but you do want the moisture from the soup to reach everything. If the chips are still dry add another 1/2 to 1 cup of chicken broth.

Now for the topping:

1 pint sour cream
Grated cheese - Mexican mix: enough to cover the top the casserole
Chopped black olives
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Spread the sour cream to completely cover the casserole. Then generously sprinkle the grated cheese over that. Add chopped black olives and chopped fresh cilantro last. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes or until completely heated. Let rest uncovered for about 10 minutes, then Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is an extremely mild version of the recipe, if you want a little spice use mild chilies, and for a lot of heat add dried chipoltle powder or even a minced habanero pepper to the chicken mix.