Next time you make chicken, make a little extra and freeze it for use in this recipe.  Or, you can always cook it fresh, but you'll be cooking all day.  If you don't have good porcelain casserole dishes, now is the time to invest in a set.  I use both of my Corningware dishes for this generous and delicious dish.

High maintenance

On the table

• Essentials
• Electric skillet
• Cooking spray (for the skillet)
• Cooking spoon
• Can opener (I use an electric one, but if you have the dexterity for a manual one, go for it.)
• Two casserole dishes (one large and one small), with lids (for storage)
• Measuring cups
• Cheese grater, if you grate your own cheese.  I use the four-sided kind, so I can get more leverage.
• Jellyroll pan (near the oven).  If you don't have a jellyroll pan, you can use a cookie sheet.  Personally, I don't own a cookie sheet because I've found that a jellyroll pan has the nice, flat surface needed for cookies, plus the beveled edges needed for tater tots or fish.  Since they each take up a lot of space, and the jellyroll pan has more uses, I just have the one.

Ingredients

• 4 split, pre-cooked chicken breasts (or whatever chicken you have left over from another dinner), cut into bites.
• 1 white or yellow onion, chopped.
• I clove garlic, minced, OR 1 tbsp garlic powder.
• 2 tbsp margarine (for sauté)
• 1 large (12 oz or more) can mild green enchilada sauce (La Victoria recommended).
• 12 small corn tortillas (white or yellow).
• 2 cups (1 block) Monterey Jack cheese, grated.  I like my cheese freshly grated, not only because it's cheaper but because it tastes better.  However, if grating is hard for you, go ahead and by packages of pre-grated cheese.  Just be sure to closely inspect the package to make sure it hasn't molded.
• 1 can refried beans, unheated
• 1-1/2 cups sour cream

Directions

1. Coat the electric skillet with cooking spray, and melt the margarine.  Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat (300°-325°) until the onion looks clear, but not brown.  Add the enchilada sauce, stir until the mixture is bubbly, and then turn off the skillet.
2. Stack about 3 or 4 tortillas on your cutting board, and then cut them into 1-inch strips with your cleaver.  As you cut them, toss them into the skillet with the enchilada mixture.  Repeat until all the tortillas are in the skillet.  Gently fold the tortillas into the sauce until they are completely coated with it and most or all of the enchilada sauce has been absorbed.
3. Make sure the top oven rack is in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°.
4. Now, the recipe gets complicated, so pay attention.  THINK now, because this is where I sometimes mess up.  You will be making two casseroles, one large and one small.  You need to divide all of your ingredients from this point forward so that each casserole gets an appropriate amount.  As you put ingredients in the casserole dishes, smooth them out to make flat, even layers.  For a quick reference, refer to the casserole diagram.
   1. Divide the tortilla mix in half by using your cooking spoon to shovel it to opposite sides of the skillet.  Now, divide one half of the sauce into thirds.  Put 1/3 in the small casserole dish and 2/3 in the large casserole dish.
   2. Divide the chicken into thirds.  Put 1/3 in the small casserole dish and 2/3 in the large casserole dish.
   3. Cold refried beans like to clump together, making them difficult to spread.  So, I like to use my silverware spoon to scoop dollops out of the can and plop them into the casserole dishes, using the same 1/3-2/3 proportions as the previous layers.  As the beans cook, they will spread out and make a nice, even layer all by themselves.
   4. Divide the cheese into fourths, and set 1/4 aside.  This will be the cheese topping at the end.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the remaining cheese into the small casserole dish, and 2/3 into the large casserole dish.
   5. Add the sour cream to the tortilla mixture that is still in the skillet, and mix it thoroughly.  Put 1/3 of it in the small casserole dish, and 2/3 of it in the large casserole dish.
   6. Sprinkle the last of the cheese on top of the sour cream mix.
5. The casserole dishes will be extremely full, so you should place them on a jellyroll pan, in case of overflow.  If weight is an issue for you, you can put the pan in the oven first, and then put each casserole dish on top of it, instead of trying to balance everything at once.
6. Bake the casseroles, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the casseroles are heated through.  Remember, the chicken is already cooked, so you won't have to worry about undercooking anything.  When it's hot in the middle, it's done.

Alternatives

1. Cory likes his casserole with a few drops of hot sauce on top.
2. I like my casserole with a generous dollop of sour cream on top.
3. Substitute 1 cup of grated Cheddar cheese for half of the Monterey Jack.
4. You can use spicier enchilada sauce, if that's your style.

Return to the Accessible Cookbook. (Alt+C)