Too Die For Chicken Tortilla Cassarole!

Ok, so I realized I should've taken a picture of this hot and bubbly out of the oven, but I didn't, so I will next time!  One of my favorite foods is Mexican!  I love the full flavor and the spices!  This is a great take on a Chicken Tortilla Cassarole:

#1) Roast your own chicken!  It is so much cheaper than buying boneless skinless chicken breast and it is much more flavorful.  You can purchase a whole chicken for about $5 as compared to a small pack of boneless skinless chicken breast, which can run up to about $9 to $10

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit
• Clean out cavity of chicken and pat dry
• Rub skin (both sides) with the following:
• 2 tablespoons of kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of fresh cracked pepper
• 3 tablespoons of Tex-Mex seasoning (I get this from my local farmer's market)
• 1 tablespoon of granulated garlic
• 1  tablespoon of oregano
• Stuffed the inside of the cavity with 4 pealed cloves of garlic
• Add one cup of chicken stock to your roasting pan (this helps keep the chicken most)
• Check chicken periodically while roasting and add more chicken stock as necessary, I also added a bottle of Pacifico beer and it really gave a the chicken a great aroma and kept it moist.  I also baste my chicken periodically.
• Chicken is done when your temperature thermometer reads 170 degrees Fahrenheit (insert in thigh of chicken, should take about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes)
• Let chicken cool at room temperature for about 45 minutes

#2) Once your chicken is cooled, begin removing the skin and set aside.  Shredded chicken meat and place in mixing bowl.  Add and mix the following ingredients to your bowl:

• 2 cups of shredded mild cheddar and jack cheese (you can purchase bags of Mexican blend cheese at the grocery store)
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 8 ounce can of diced Ortega chilies
• 2 of the garlic cloves you roasted, diced

#3) Assembling the Casserole

• Purchase a bag of one dozen corn tortillas and slice each one into thirds.
• Lay one layer across your greased pan and then spread a layer of your chicken mixture (about 1/2 of it)
• Repeat with a layer of corn tortillas and topped of with the rest of your chicken mixture
• Take the one additional cup of shredded cheese and topped over last chicken mixture

#4) Top with crunchy tortilla strips

• Take about 4 corn tortillas and cut into strips
• Heat a frying pan with a oil (about 2 tablespoons)
• Season oil with salt, pepper and Tex-Mex seasoning (a few dashes of each)
• Fry tortilla strips until crispy
• Drain on paper towel
• Crunch over casserole

Now you're all set!  Pop casserole into the oven (be sure it is at 375 degrees) for about 1/2 hour or until bubbly throughout the top and enjoy!

You can serve this with rice and beans and a dollop of sour cream!

P.S. I reserve the chicken cavity and place it in a medium size pasta pot and fill with water (almost completely full) and pour in the drippings from the roasting pan.  Bring to boil, skim off fat and you  have an amazing homemade chicken stock!  I used this for the Spanish rice I made and it was delicious!  Also, you can freeze the left over stock for future recipes!

I also used the 2 additional garlic cloves that were roasting in the chicken to put in my Spanish rice recipe (that one is coming soon!)

Mangia!!!!