Chicken Tortilla Bake (Stacie Geisler)

By LADONMANK

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 6 corn tortillas (6-inch)
• vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese mixture or Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 6 canned whole green chiles, cut in half lengthwise

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from southernfood.about.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Place onion mixture in a blender container; add tomatoes. Blend until smooth.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in pureed tomato mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce cooks down and thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer sauce to a bowl; set aside.

Wipe skillet clean. Pour vegetable oil into skillet, to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Heat over medium-high heat; fry tortillas, one at a time, just a few seconds on each side. Transfer tortillas to paper towels to drain.

Place 2 tortillas in a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Layer with about one-quarter of the sauce, one-quarter of sour cream, one-quarter of shredded cheese, and 1 cup of chicken. Lay 6 chile slices on chicken. Top with 2 more tortillas. Repeat to make another layer. Top with remaining tortillas, sauce, sour cream, and cheese. Cover casserole with foil and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Cool chicken tortilla casserole slightly before serving.

Chicken and tortilla casserole serves 4.