Shredded Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Shredded Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:
1 15oz can enchilada sauce **or use my homemade - recipe below
2 cups shredded monterey jack or mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, diced
1 small can sliced black olives
2 whole green chiles, sliced into strips or 1  4oz can of diced green chiles
7 corn tortillas , 6 inches each
2 chicken breasts

Directions:
Cut each chicken breast in about 3 pieces, so that it cooks faster and put it in a saucepan. Pour all but, 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce over chicken and cook covered on low to medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Make sure you stir occasionally so that it doesn't scorch or stick to the bottom of pan.
Remove chicken from the pot and shred with two forks, once shredded, return to sauce in pan.
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
Start layering the casserole. Using an 8x8 dish,
Placing the 1/4 cup of the held-over Enchilada sauce over the bottom of a baking dish.
Cut 2 tortillas in half, place each half in circular pattern around the bottom
(there will be an open gap/center hole.) 
Cut one of the tortillas into 3 pieces (to use in each layer to fill gap/center hole.)
Top first layer of tortillas with 1/3 of the chicken in sauce, sprinkle chicken with 1/3 of the cheese and repeat starting with another layer of tortillas, then chicken in sauce, cheese.
On top of second layer, lay out green chile slices or scatter can of diced green chiles on top of second layer, along with half of the black olives.
The last layer place the remaining ingredients:  tortillas, chicken in sauce, cheese and black olives.
Bake for 30 minutes uncovered, until bubbly and cheese has melted and started to brown on top. Scatter green onions over top once cooked. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, Serve warm

** Homemade Enchilada Sauce:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbs flour
2 Tbs chili powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
up to 2 Tbs Brown sugar *to taste
salt to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir flour and chili powder into the oil; cook and stir until smooth. Gradually stir tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and brown sugar into the flour mixture, respectively. Reduce heat to low and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
makes 2 1/2 cups

Recipes & Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home