Chicken tortilla casserole
This chicken tortilla casserole is a delicious weeknight meal that’s super easy to make. The best part is that it can be made the morning before you want to serve it, placed in the refrigerator, and then baked when you get home from work. Here’s to a great weeknight dinner!
INGREDIENTS
– 1 cup + 2 tbsp neutral oil, separated
– 6 flour tortillas
– 1 medium onion, diced
– 2 large bell peppers, seeds removed and diced
– 1 tsp kosher salt
– 1 tbsp chili powder
– 3/4 tsp cumin
– 2 15-oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
– 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
– 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
– 1 15-oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
– 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
– 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
– Fry the tortillas: In a high-sided skillet, add 1 cup neutral oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add flour tortillas and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove from oil and allow to drain on a paper towel. Continue until all tortillas are fried.
– Cook the vegetables: In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and salt. Sauté until the vegetables are translucent and beginning to brown, 4-6 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin. Stir the spices into the hot oil to bloom the spices for 30 seconds.
– Add tomatoes and poach the chicken: Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir to incorporate. Place the chicken breasts over the tomatoes and bring the mixture to a low simmer. Once at a simmer, cover and cook until the chicken breasts reach 160°F, 12-15 minutes. After the chicken has cooked, remove the breasts from the pot and set them aside to cool. Add the kidney beans to the tomatoes and stir to combine.
Shred: When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the breasts into small pieces.
– Layer the casserole: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the tomatoes and beans from the heat. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and spread 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture over the bottom of the baking dish. Lay two tortillas over the thin layer of tomatoes. The tortillas will overlap. Add 1/3 of the tomato mixture and spread evenly. Add 1/3 of the chicken. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese and 1/3 of the chopped cilantro. Repeat these layers two more times, ending with the final two cups of cheese on top of the casserole.
– Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until the cheese is beginning to brown, and the casserole is bubbling throughout, 45-55 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before serving.
