Ellie’s Spicy Chicken and Green Chile Casserole

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized pan, over medium heat, pour in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are slightly opaque, then add the serrano pepper. Stir around and cook until onions are just starting to brown and the flavors start to meld together.

2) Turn up heat to medium-high. Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of the pan, making sure to move the vegetables out of the way so that the chicken rests directly on the cooking surface. Brown chicken on both sides. It doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through at this point.

3) After the chicken is browned on both sides, reduce heat back to medium (or medium-low, depending on how hot your stove is) and pour in two cups of water, or enough so that the chicken is almost covered. Add oregano and salt and pepper. Simmer until chicken is very tender and almost falling apart, about 30 minutes to an hour. Really take your time to make sure it’s fully cooked and tenderized; the chicken is what makes this dish! It should almost be the consistency of shredded chicken, but not quite. You might need to add more water when necessary if the pan gets too dry. You could also use broth instead of water if you are so inclined.

4) After the chicken is done, drain off any extra liquid, but make sure that you don’t lose all the onions, garlic, and peppers. Stir in a can of green chiles, cook for a few minutes over low heat until fully combined.

5) Next, pour in the enchilada sauce. Depending on how big the can is, you may only have to use about half of it. Use your judgment… some people like more sauce, others less. I used about half of a 19 oz can. Stir to combine with the chicken.

6) After you’ve added the sauce, fold in about a cup of sour cream. Make sure that everything is mixed together well. Turn off the heat.

7) Now, it’s time for the fun part! Grab a bag of tortilla chips. Corn tortillas would work about the same, I’d think… so use whatever you have. But since I used chips, I’ll explain the process that way. Crumble some up in a bowl. You may need more or less than four cups, depending. If it helps, I used a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.

8 ) In your baking dish, place enough of the chips to cover the bottom liberally. Remember, this is like a lasagna, so you want to use enough chips to act as a base for the casserole.

9) Next, add a layer of the chicken mixture, spreading it around evenly on top of the chips. Sprinkle on some black beans, and then add a layer of cheese. Repeat the chips-chicken-beans-cheese process until the dish is full.

10) Place casserole in the oven. Cook it for about 30-45 minutes, or until cheese on top is brown and bubbling. Enjoy!