Chicken and Tortilla Casserole with Green Sauce
Chilaquiles de Pollo con Salsa VerdeCrisp tortilla strips combined with shredded chicken and green tomatillo sauce, then baked, is one of the most common chilaquiles, a dish made with strips of dry tortillas mixed with other ingredients and sauce. Chilaquiles is a staple of breakfast buffets all over Mexico. It's good anytime of the day. If tortillas are fresh, spread out on a flat surface about 30 minutes to dry a bit before using.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- 6 corn tortillas halved and cut into strips about ½ inch wide
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- 1 medium white onion halved and thinly sliced
- 1 pound tomatillos husked
- 2 cups canned fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 poblano chile roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- ½ cup loosely packed coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 serrano chile chopped with seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano Mexican variety preferred, crumbled
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 2 chicken breast halves on the bone, with or without skin
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija or mild feta cheese
Instructions
- In a small skillet, such as cast iron, heat oil to a depth of about 1 inch until hot.
- Fry the tortilla strips, in batches, until golden and crisp.
- Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the skillet.
- Add the onion, and cook, stirring, until the edges begin to brown, about 4 minutes.
- Reserve off heat.
- Cook the tomatillos in boiling water to cover until barely tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Drain the tomatillos and put them in a blender jar.
- Add the onion, poblano, cilantro, serranos, cumin, oregano, salt, and sugar to the blender and reserve.
- Put the chicken in a medium saucepan with the chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer the chicken until opaque throughout, about 12 minutes.
- Remove the chicken to a plate.
- When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken and reserve.
- Discard the bones and skin.
- Put ½ cup of the chicken broth into the blender jar with the tomatillo mixture and purée until nearly smooth.
- (The sauce should have some texture.
- ) Pour the sauce and remaining chicken broth into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer the sauce 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add salt, if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- To assemble the chilaquiles, put the shredded chicken, tortilla strips, and the green sauce into an 8-inch square baking dish.
- Stir gently to combine.
- Sprinkle with the cheese.
- Bake about 20 minutes or until completely heated through.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Serve hot.