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Monday, December 9, 2013

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole -- Low Carb & Wheat Free

This evening I made White Chicken Enchilada Casserole. This was a recipe that I had originally enjoyed eating before I went wheat free. I later converted it to a grain-free version after eliminating wheat from my diet last July. My original grain-free version of this casserole used coconut flour based tortillas from another blogger's site, and while it turned out good, I found the coconut flour based tortillas a bit more tricky to make and didn't particularly care for the subtle coconut flavor it gave to this dish (I find coconut to be a bit distracting in a Mexican style dish). So, this evening, I used my own version of grain-free tortillas that are more neutral in taste. They are made with a combination of blanched almond flour, ground golden flax and a bit of grated Parmesan and seasoned with a bit of chipotle chile powder. The dish turned out even better than I had hoped. I added a few tablespoons of water to my basic tortilla recipe to produce a slightly thinner tortilla and they worked perfectly in this casserole. It turned out great and I have enough leftovers to enjoy again tomorrow evening, which is always a good thing! I snapped a few photos below as well as the recipe. Enjoy!





Sauced & cheesed...
Fresh out of the oven...
White Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Wheat/Grain/Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

8 to 10 6-inch grain free tortillas
2 to 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or pepper-jack cheese for added spiciness) 
2 tablespoons butter
6 ounces brick style cream cheese
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies, drained

For the tortillas:
1 cup egg whites or Egg Beaters
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground golden flax
4 teaspoons finely grated Parmesan
Dash of sea salt
Generous dash of ground chipotle chile (or other seasoning of choice such as smoked paprika, etc.)

Directions:

To make the tortillas:
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl to form a smooth, thin batter (makes approximately 1-1/2 cups batter). Lightly spray a 10-inch non-stick skillet with olive oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. Pour a few tablespoons batter into hot skillet, tilting the pan and using a circular motion to evenly distribute the batter in the bottom to make an approximate 6-inch tortilla. Cook approximately 1 to 2 minutes, until very lightly browned and cooked around edges. Carefully loosen and flip using a rubber spatula; cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat for remaining tortillas (lightly re-spraying pan for each). Makes approximately 8 to 10 6-inch tortillas.

To assemble the casserole:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x13" casserole dish
2.  Mix shredded chicken and 1 cup cheese in a large bowl.  Divide mixture evenly and roll up in tortillas and place seam side down in casserole dish.
3.  In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in cream cheese and cook on low until melted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth and simmer over medium heat, whisking until smooth and slightly thickened and bubbly, stirring frequently.   
4.  Stir in sour cream and green chilies and heat just until hot; do not to boil.
5.  Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining shredded cheese.
6.  Bake approximately 25 minutes or until bubbly; run under broiler for a few minutes until cheese is light golden brown.

    

32 comments:

  1. Can you make the tortillas ahead of time?

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  2. Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. I seem to save everyone. I've been gluten free since May and your blog has helped me so much.

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  3. Hi Tammy -- yes, you can definitely make them ahead of time -- probably up to a week if you want -- keep them refrigerated. I just stack them on a plate and cover. I have made a few ahead of time to use for "sandwich wraps" during the week for lunch -- they work beautifully! :-)

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  4. Hi Rita -- Thanks for the kind comments -- I am so happy you enjoy the blog and recipes. Good job on sticking with it since May, too! :-)

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  5. I went grain-free 1 week ago today. I love your site and have made 4 of your recipes so far. I don't like to cook but your recipes are easy and delicious!!!
    Can't wait to finish my leftovers so I can try the chicken enchiladas. Keep'em coming!

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  6. Thanks so much, Michele -- I'm glad you found some recipes you like so far -- and if you aren't crazy about cooking, it helps to make some of the easier ones -- its great if you have leftovers that last you for a few dinners and/or lunches (cook once and eat several meals)! Congratulations on 1 week grain-free. You have survived probably the hardest week so far. Let me know if I can help with anything! :-)

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  7. I agree with Michele - your recipes are easy and delicious! I've tried so many, I've lost count...and I'm adding this one to the list. We cooked up the Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken in our dutch oven last night, so I just happen to have chicken available to make this. Can't wait!

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  8. Hi Sunshine! Hope you enjoy this casserole -- I have had it again last night for dinner and for lunch today -- it's great reheated, too! If you like your sauce thicker, you can add more cream cheese or a pinch or two of xanthum whisked into your sauce when making it. It thickens up as it sits a little bit before eating. Hope you enjoy it! :-)

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  9. Stacey Bennett12/13/13, 12:02 PM

    This recipe looks wonderful. Could you tell me where I might find your tortilla recipe without the coconut flour? I can't seem to locate it.
    Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes!

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  10. Hi Stacey -- the recipe on this post has the tortilla recipe built in "without coconut flour". If you really meant WITH coconut flour, let me know and I'll send you the link. Thanks! :-)

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  11. Thank you so much for this recipe! We used to make one like this before I went low carb, and I really miss it! I am excited to try this!

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  12. Hope you enjoy it Jessica -- it is one of my favorites! :-)

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  13. You're site is truly a lifesaver. My daughter has been diagnosed with Crohns and we are working on removing wheat from our home. When I found your blog I knew it was possible.

    Keep up the great work.

    Susie

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  14. Hi Susie -- Thanks so much for the kind words. I am so happy that you feel more hopeful about removing wheat from your daughter's diet. I hope you find some recipes you like here and that my blog makes it a little bit easier for you. There truly is life after wheat...and a good one at that. I wish your daughter many, many good meals and good health! Thanks, again! :-)

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  15. This sounds really good. I have gone grain free, so will this work minus any tortillas? Then my husband can put it in one to eat, and then I could just eat the rest?

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  16. Hi Nancy -- I have not tried making it without tortillas but it probably would be more like a hot dip of some sort without them. The tortillas are similar to crepes and are grain free, too, if you want to use them (just in case you didn't realize they were grain free). They don't have to be beautiful either since you are covering them in sauce. If you make it without any tortillas as more of a chicken and cheese baked dip, you could also fill little crisp romaine lettuce leaves with it too if you wanted to. :-)

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  17. Tired this today it was wonderful! Thank you for your web site I trust your cooking all the way. I made the Irish soda bread :-). Wow

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  18. Thanks Darlene -- so glad you enjoyed the Irish Soda Bread and this casserole! Hope you find some other things you like here, too. Liking what you eat is the key to staying the "wheat/grain-free course" in my opinion. Thanks! :-)

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  19. Hi, I enjoy your blog and have made many of your recipes with great success! But I don't have a small nonstick pan, and when I made the tortillas, it was a disaster ... do you have any suggestions for making them any other way? Like baking them, perhaps? I would love to try this recipe but the amount of swearing in the kitchen was not conducive to a happy and tasty meal!

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  20. Hi Cammie -- I don't mean to laugh, but I couldn't help chuckle when you mentioned "swearing in the kitchen"...I have done my share of that before too...trust me! :-) I can imagine how difficult (if not impossible) it was to try and make the tortillas without a non-stick pan. I have several non-stick pans (ceramic, calphalon and a crepe pan)...so I have never used anything other than those. I will say that the pan needs to be slick to keep them from sticking (much like making pancakes). Do you have some sort of griddle? I am trying to think about what else might work for you without a pan like that. The only other thing that might work is possibly spreading the batter out on lightly sprayed parchment paper and baking them. It might be tedious though making them that way. If you decide to try it, don't waste lots of ingredients....try 1 or 2 tortillas to see how they turn out first. If you try it, let me know how it works. Someone told me they once did it that way and spread the batter on a parchment lined baking pan to make my lasagna (with grain-free tortilla/noodles). I hope that method works for you. Let me know. :-)

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  21. Awesome recipe!!! My first tortilla was too thick, but it made a wonderful pancake with s-f maple syrup; I also made homemade green chili enchilada sauce as I could not find lc canned. Then discovered the cheeses (I used a Mexi blend and Monterrey jack), sour cream and enchilada sauce makes a great dip! And THEN I discovered that the blend of cheeses, sauce, sour cream and cream cheese heated to pour over the casserole makes another great dip! Hidden delights in your recipe!!! Thank you so much for your creativity.

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  22. Thanks, Reggie! Sounds like you unlocked LOTS of good things! That's how recipes are born though -- sometimes we just stumble into them! Glad you enjoyed it and found some other joys as well! Good job! :-)

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  23. Oh my goodness - finally a low-carb tortilla that tastes good! I've made my fair share, and they always taste faintly eggy. Your recipe is perfect! Thank you!

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  24. Thanks so much Louanne! I'm so happy you like them. :-)

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  25. Hi this sounds wonderful! I am allergic to almonds so i cant use almond flour. Is there a substitute you recommend? Can I use all purpose gluten free flour?

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  26. Hi Amanda,

    I've never used gluten free flour before, but it should work okay. I hope you enjoy them! :-)

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  27. Hi could I use tapioca flour instead of flax? Iv seen it in other tortilla recipes

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  28. Hi Anonymous,

    If you choose to use tapioca flour, you could try it. I don't use it because it's higher in carbs/starches and not allowed on the WB plan that I follow. :-)

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  29. Is there a carb count available for both the tortillas & the casserole itself, please?

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  30. This was so delicious!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

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  31. I made these last week and I are first I was really disappointed in the way the tortillas came out. They seemed to basically be a fried egg. However, not sure if it's because I let the egg whites get room temperature or the recipe, they didn't taste eggy. The sauce was delicious and helped mask the rest of the egg flavor. My roommate ate half the oan, curses. I will make this again

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  32. Hi, this looks great! I was wondering if it would be possible to layer the tortillas or make them into “chips”? I broke my wrist so I’m unable to roll the enchiladas.

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