Texas-Style Casserole

By kelsa94

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Dash ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed, and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup) (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 4 ounce jars diced pimiento, drained
• 2 4 ounce cans diced green chile peppers, undrained
• 2 fresh jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• Vegetable oil
• 12 6 inches corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 8 ounce carton sour cream
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
• Purchased pico de gallo or salsa

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from recipe.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. In a large saucepan, combine chicken, water, bay leaf, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 clove garlic, and dash black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink (170 degrees F). Drain, reserving 2 cups broth. Strain broth through a double thickness of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth. Chop chicken. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onion, tomatillos (if desired), and 1 clove garlic; cook until onion is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in pimiento, green chile peppers, and jalapeno chile peppers. Set aside.

3. In a medium skillet, heat 1/4 inch oil over medium heat. Cook tortillas, one at a time, in hot oil until crisp, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

4. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and dash black pepper. Gradually stir in the reserved 2 cups broth. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream.

5. In an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish, arrange six of the tortillas, overlapping slightly. Top with half of the chicken, half of the onion mixture, half of the sour cream mixture, and half of the cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas, chicken, onion mixture, sour cream mixture, and cheese.

6. Cover loosely with foil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with pico de gallo or salsa, if desired. Makes 12 servings.

Tip
•Test Kitchen Tip:

To speed preparation, you may use 3 cups chopped cooked chicken and 2 cups canned chicken broth instead of cooking chicken and preparing homemade broth. And you may use 12 packaged tostada shells instead of frying corn tortillas