Chicken Suiza Pie - Layered Chicken Enchiladas w/ Tomatillo Cream Sauce

This evening we had Chicken Suiza Pie. I made a batch of my grain-free tortillas. If you've never tried my grain-free tortillas before...you must. They are easy to make and one of the most versatile of all of my recipes. I use them as enchiladas, wraps, tortillas, noodles for lasagna, noodles for chicken noodle soup, quesadillas...the list goes on and on and on. While the recipe for them is located in a number of different places on my blog, since this recipe for Chicken Suiza Pie uses them, I am going to include it again here underneath the main recipe. This recipe can also be used for crepes as well (just omit the savory seasoning and substitute cinnamon, sweetener, or vanilla, etc. There are only 3 layers of tortillas in this casserole so by making 6 of them, it gives you a few spares to cut in half and make fit your specific round pie dish or casserole to make a complete layer from edge to edge (just overlap them, if needed). It doesn't have to be perfect or pretty because it all gets covered anyway. If you have any leftover sauce (I had about 1/2 cup left), keep it to warm up and spoon over top when you serve this; the sauce is the best part about it!

I layer the tortillas in a deep dish 10-inch round pie plate (makes is easier since everything is round, but you could also cut them to fit a square or rectangular casserole if you wanted). If you have a round Corning Ware style casserole, that could be used as well instead of a pie dish, just make sure it isn't shallow or you'll find your sauce bubbling out...and that is not a good thing; it will mess up your oven for one...and you don't want to lose a single drop of this delicious sauce, believe me!

This recipe is a grain free version made into "pie form" modeled after classic Chicken Enchiladas Suiza. It consists of tortillas filled with chicken and cheese (in this case stacked and layered instead) and covered with a delicious tomatillo cream sauce. I modeled the tomatillo cream sauce after the delicious sauce I use for my White Chicken Enchilada Casserole sauce, only that sauce doesn't use tomatillos and is slightly different. The sauce is to die for...trust me! I was inspired to make this when I stumbled upon a jar of Muir Glen organic crushed tomatillos when I was at Sprouts the other day. I picked the jar up and brought it home knowing that I would find something yummy to make with them. I'm glad I did. If you can't find this particular brand (that comes in a glass jar about the size of pasta sauce), I have also seen crushed tomatillos in cans before as well (Sprouts also carried a canned variety made by Hatch). I snapped a number of different photos and included my easy peasy recipe. My suggestion if making this on a weeknight is to make the tortillas ahead of time, stack them on a plate and refrigerate them. If you have leftover chicken it would make this even quicker to put together. Enjoy!

Chicken Suiza Pie

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 diced Poblano pepper
2 sliced green onions
2 tablespoons butter

6 ounces brick style cream cheese, softened
1 cup crushed tomatillos

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
6 8-inch grain free tortillas
2 to 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (used cheddar-jack mixed)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook peppers and onions in olive oil until tender. Lightly grease a 10-inch deep dish pie dish or round casserole dish.

In a 2 quart saucepan, melt butter and stir in cream cheese and cook on low until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatillos and broth and simmer over medium heat, whisking until smooth and slightly thickened and bubbly, stirring frequently. Stir in sour cream and salt and heat just until hot, careful not to boil.

To assemble pie:

• Spread 1/2 cup of the tomatillo cream sauce in the bottom of pie dish. Place first tortilla layer on top (using 1 whole tortilla plus 1 tortilla cut in half that is used to overlap and make a full layer). 
• Layer half of the shredded chicken, half of the pepper and onion mixture, 1 cup of shredded cheese; top with 1 cup of tomatillo cream sauce.
• Place second tortilla layer on top (using 1 whole tortilla plus 1 tortilla cut in half that is used to overlap and make a full layer). Repeat layer with remaining half of shredded chicken, remaining half of pepper and onion mixture, 1 cup of shredded cheese and 1 cup of tomatillo cream sauce.
• Top with third and final tortilla layer (1 whole tortilla plus 1 tortilla cut in half that is used to overlap and make a full layer). Pour remaining tomatillo cream sauce over tortilla and top with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese (reserve any extra sauce).

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden. If desired, run under broiler for a few minutes to brown. Allow to sit about 10 minutes for cheeses and sauce to set before cutting. If desired, top with any extra reserved sauce.

*Note: See instructions below for making the grain free tortillas.

Ingredients for the Grain Free 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 (powdery style)
Dash of sea salt
Generous dash of ground chipotle pepper or smoked paprika, optional

To Make the Grain Free Tortillas
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl to form a smooth, thin batter (add extra water, if necessary; batter thickens as it stands), makes approximately 1-1/2 cups batter. Lightly spray or grease a 10-inch non-stick skillet with olive oil or coconut oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot (a drop of water should sizzle). Pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot skillet, tilting and shaking pan, using a circular motion to evenly distribute the batter in the bottom of pan. 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 minute. Transfer to a plate and repeat for remaining tortillas (lightly re-spraying pan before each). Add a tablespoon or two additional water if batter needs to be thinned to swirl around the skillet (batter thickens as it stands). Makes approximately 6 8-inch tortillas.