The first time I had a salsa that was green (which was years ago) I had it with my husband, and I remember saying “Oh thats neat. This salsa is made with green tomatoes.” Jason responded with “No it’s made with tomatillos.” I simply faked an ” oh ok” and still had no idea what those were. Tomatillos are technically a fruit that grows in Mexico, and they are covered with paper husks. You can usually find them at any grocery store; most grocery stores that I find them at do not have a big selection, but they do have enough to make a salsa.
Ok…enough facts about tomatillos and back to this tomatillo chicken enchilada casserole. It is creamy, a little spicy, and perfect for feeding a crowd of people. I do recommend when making the salsa that you add all three serrano peppers because the bite of the tomatillo salsa is but because it is throughout the entire dish.
I know that when you look at the recipe, it seems like a bunch of steps and it looks like it will take forever before getting it in the oven, but it really comes together really quickly. Once you have your chicken simmering, start making the tomatillo salsa. Once the salsa is done, the chicken should be done as well. Then it’s time to assemble everything into your baking dish. You could even make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. If you do that, I would suggest baking the casserole covered at 350 for 25-30 minutes, and then uncovering for the last 5-10 minutes.
- Chicken:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salsa:
- 15 tomatillos, paper removed
- 3 serano peppers (seeded)
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Casserole Assembly:
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup corn
- 1½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ chili powder
- pinch of salt
- 11-12 8-inch flour tortillas
- 1½-2 cups shredded cheese (I used mozzarella,pepper jack or monterey jack are good too)
- Chicken:
- Heat two tablespoons olive oil, in a medium to large sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side and then flip to the other side and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped onion, and garlic powder. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add ½ cup of water and cover with a lid. Cook for 15-20 or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Once the chicken is cooked, put in a medium bowl and shred the chicken. Try and add the onions to the bowl as well without grabbing any of the left over water.Set aside.
- Salsa:
- In a medium to large sauce pan add the tomatillos, serano peppers, and garlic. Fill the pot with water, covering all the vegetables, and bring to a boil, once at a boil reduce to medium low heat and simmer. Cook until the tomatillos are tender about 13 to 15 minutes. Do not drain, scoop out the tomatillos, serarno, and garlic and add it to a blender or food processor. Puree the contents in the blender for about a minute, until smooth. Add the cilantro and salt, mix for another 30 seconds. If the mixture is too thick add a couple of tablespoons of the boiled water to the blender until you reach your desired consistency.
- Chicken Assembly: In the shredded chicken bowl add the sour cream, corn, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Heat the tortillas in a medium skillet until they are lightly golden on each side. Cool slightly and cut the tortillas into strips. ( I cut each tortilla into three strips).
- Preheat oven to 425
- In a 13 by 9 inch baking dish 9 inch baking dish. Add about 1 cup of tomatillo sauce to the bottom of the pan.
- Lay a layer of tortillas on top of the first layer of sauce. I used about 3-4 tortillas per layer. Make sure to get all of the corners. Add half of the chicken, one third of the sauce, and one third of the cheese and repeat. End your final layer with tortillas, rest of the sauce and cheese.
- Bake: Baked uncovered for 15-18 minutes or until it is bubbly and the cheese has completely melted.
- Serve immediately 🙂
I love Salsa Verde! This reminds me of it! I can’t wait to make it!