It feels strange telling you about a Hatch chile dish in February, but that's exactly what I'm doing thanks to the people at The Hatch Chile Store, who ship these fantastic fruity and hot chiles all over the country.
Frozen Hatch Chiles
The Hatch chiles come in big frozen blocks and you can buy them in medium, hot or extra hot. Even the medium style are very spicy, so unless you are a die hard chile head, I recommend going with medium or hot and taming the heat by using them in a dish with creamy ingredients. They're perfect in Texas favorites such as Enchiladas Suiza or in this case, Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
Hatch Chile Casserole Notes
I rarely make casseroles the same way twice, but I took notes as I put this one together and plan on making it again in the very near future. The small bit of agave offsets the acid from the salsa verde and the spiciness of the chiles. As for the chicken, I cooked two very large bone-in chicken breast halves for two hours on high in the slow cooker and had fall off the bone white meat that worked perfectly in the dish.
Here's the recipe. If you'd like to find a big box of Hatch chiles on your door (a real treat in the middle of Winter), check out The Hatch Chile Store.
Recipe
Individual Hatch Chile Chicken Enchilada Casseroles
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 cab condensed cream of chicken soup reduced fat is fine
- ½ cup light sour cream
- ½ cup mild Salsa Verde I use Herdez
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar or sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup roasted peeled and chopped fresh hatch chiles patted dry
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast (280 grams)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup shredded "Mexican Blend" type cheese
- 6 count soft corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease four individual casserole dishes (such as 22 oz Corningware)
- In a large nonstick saucepan, saute the chopped onion in oil until it starts to brown. Turn off the heat and stir in soup, sour cream, salsa verde, agave or sugar garlic powder and Hatch green chiles.
- In a mixing bowl, toss the shredded chicken with cumin. Spoon about ½ cup of the sauce mixture into the chicken
- Spoon a very thin layer of the sauce from the skillet over bottom of each casserole dish.
- Cut tortillas in quarters. Lay two corn tortilla triangles in bottom of dish. Top with about ¼ cup of chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Repeat, layering two more triangles, ¼ cup cup chicken mixture and 1 ½ tablespoons of cheese. Top with 2 more tortilla layers, then pour sauce over each casserole, dividing it evenly. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese over the top of each casserole.
- Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly.
megan says
I love chiles! When Jeff and I made our road trip to Austin in January, we drove through New Mexico and I was bummed that we didn't get to stop for chiles!
Anna says
Hi Darlene! Thanks for the comment! I also didn't mention that these clocked in at around 350 calories according to my nutrition software. That will vary depending on size and brand of tortillas, but the casserole tasted rich without being overly so. Also, I used regular shredded Mexican blend, but reduced fat cheese would have made it even leaner.
To answer your question, I took two big bone-in chicken breasts (the ones that are probably about 12 oz each - huge) and just set them in the slow cooker without any liquid. I did sprinkle them with a bit of garlic salt (I usually use Tony C.'s) and then cooked them on high for exactly two hours. My slow cooker is an old Rival model. On low, bone-in chicken takes 5 hours and on high it takes 2.
Also, I leave the skin on and take it off before serving.
Darlene says
This looks absolutely delicious, and I enjoyed learning about Hatch chiles from their website. When you pre-cooked the chicken in the slow cooker, did you keep the skin on? Also, did you add anything else to the slow cooker (liquids, onion, bay leaf, etc?)