This delicious Mexican Chilaquiles Casserole recipe combines chicken, corn tortilla chips, tomatoes, chilies, cheese and spices for an easy meal you will love.
[Happy First Full Week of Travel Month here on the blog! Aww, it’s so special 🙂 ]
First things first, right? It’s pronounced like “chee-la-kee-lays”.
Okay, now that we have that awkwardness out of the way, go ahead and feast your eyes on this deliciousness:
This is one of those miracle dishes that tastes better the longer you abandon it in your fridge. It’s awesome as soon as you pull it out of the oven, but eat it as leftovers after a day or two and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
Well, you’re probably wondering what on earth this is, right? Let me think about where to start.
First, I should explain about Chilaquiles. Chilaquiles is a woefully under-appreciated Mexican dish which is basically like a fancy form of Nachos. Or, probably more accurately, may have been what Nachos was originally like before Americans got involved.
I don’t really know, I’m not here to teach the history of food, I’m just here to share recipes with you and pretend like I’m not getting fatter with every single one I post. Forgive me – most of the recipes I share are healthy and balanced, but this is NOT one of them. This is one that is covered in cheese and will make you happy in an entirely different way than eating kale does. Just go with it.
WOW that got off-topic. Okay, back to the Chilaquiles. Just think about leftover tortilla chips, a spiced tomato sauce, shredded chicken, and a sprinkling of cheese.
For this recipe, I’ve taken that concept and layered it in a baking dish to make it easier to make and easier to eat.
You start by making a delicious homemade sauce from scratch. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it.
Alternatively, you could just open up a can of Enchilada sauce and substitute that. I won’t tell anyone. (If you want to do this, just replace all of the ingredients up to the tortilla chips with the canned sauce, and skip straight to preheating your oven).
Then, layer tortilla chips, cooked chicken, sauce, and cheese in a baking dish. Pop it in the oven to bubble up and get warm, then let it cool for a few minutes and top with your choice of tomatoes, jalapenos, Cotija cheese, and cilantro.
Perfect for an easy Cinco de Mayo dinner, or for any busy weeknight when you need a quick meal. Go ahead and squeeze some fresh lime over the top. You know, just for kicks.
Here’s the Recipe!
Mexican Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 dried ancho chiles - stems and seeds removed, torn into pieces
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes, drained
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 7.5 ounce bag white corn tortilla chips
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1/2 lb. Monterrey jack cheese - shredded
- 1/2 c. chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 c. halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 green onions - sliced
- 4 Tablespoons Cotija cheese
- 1 jalapeno pepper - sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add chile pieces and toast for a few minutes until fragrant. Set aside in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes.
- Puree with garlic, broth, and ½ cup soaking liquid in a blender. Add in the whole tomatoes and continue to puree. Run through a fine sieve and return to the pan. Stir in cumin, coriander, sugar, and salt. Simmer over medium-low for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Layer a 9 x 13 baking dish with half a bag of corn tortilla chips, using your hands to press the chips down and break into pieces. Add half of the shredded chicken, then half of the sauce. Layer the remaining chips, chicken, and sauce, then top with shredded cheese.
- Bake, covered with well-greased foil, for 25 minutes. Remove foil, bake another 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly.
- Let sit for 15 minutes to cool and set, then garnish with cilantro, cherry tomatoes, green onions, Cotija cheese, and jalapeno (if using). Serve warm.
Nutrition
This enchilada sauce is so good and so easy . . . I used Tomato Puree rather than whole tomatoes and I didn’t strain the sauce – because as someone else said, it didn’t seem necessary. I don’t think I’ll ever purchase sauce again!
Just made this for my family and it is great!. I also.didn’t strain tje.sauce as it seemed unnecessary. I dod.however add an in between layer of half.a wheel of.Cojhita with about 1 cup colby jack, 1 tablespoon fresh minced celentro and some cracked pepper and garlic salt. Yum!