Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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.


           

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for the recipe. I just saw a poblano in my garden ready to be picked, this came just in time and I LOVE tomatillo salsa. I'll be making this recipe this weekend.

unter der laterne said...

Hi Ayla,
I have all he ingredients except tomatillos ! I never even ate anything with this vegie. Is it spicy? I always have to think of my little grandchildren (4 =5 yrs.old) Do you think that little kids would like this? They devour your chicken enchilada dish .
How is your ankle???

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Barbara,

No, tomatillos are not spicy. They are tangy/tart but in a good way. You can cook your own fresh tomatillos but it is MUCH easier if you buy them already cooked and crushed like I did. It makes using them a snap. They only hint of spice in this dish is the Poblano pepper that isn't a very spicy pepper, more subtle but you could always use any kind of sweet pepper or no peppers, too. I like the Muri Glen brand but have seen it canned, too. You want plain tomatillos (not salsa verde which is made with them but has spices in it). My ankle is better. I actually went shopping on it last night and today! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Elizabeth,

Lucky you with your very own garden fresh Poblano peppers! I hope you enjoy it! :-)

CyberSis said...

Hi GGC,

We had this tonight and it was incredible! That sauce is amazing! For the meat, I used what was left of yesterday's deli chicken, which streamlined the process a lot. Also, I used a 12 oz can of whole tomatillos. After draining them and whizzing briefly in the Magic Bullet it made 1 cup. I was kinda mad at myself, though, because when I started the prep I discovered that I'd forgotten to get a poblano pepper. So to add a touch of "heat" I decided to shake some "hot" sauce into the completed cream sauce right before layering ... stirring in a little at a time, tasting as I went. It turned out great.

Thanks for yet *another* outstanding recipe! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi CyberSis,

I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Also what a great alternative for the tomatillo sauce by blending your own!

I'll have to remember your your hot sauce sub when I don't have a poblano on hand or for when they don't look good at the store.

I actually was short on time Sunday evening and used a rotisserie chicken for my Chicken Pot Pie and used the carcass to make a pot of chicken stock tonight for soup one night this week. They come in handy don't they. Glad you enjoyed this dish. :-)

Cammie said...

Hi GG, I am thinking that once you posted a tortilla recipe with flax only and no almond flour, am I just making that up? I am visiting my daughter in NYC, and she can't eat nuts but would love to make a flax tortilla. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Cammie,

I don't think I did one with only flax -- I tried searching on my blog and didn't see it. I did make a batch a few years ago that used coconut flour (from Against All Grain) that needed to be rolled out. They were pretty good but just not as quick and easy to make as my version (and all about quick and easy)...LOL. However, what you might want to try doing is taking my tortilla recipe and making only 1 as a test and swap the almond flour out for flax to see how that works and if you like it. I have made an all flax pizza crust before but don't think I did an all flax wrap or tortilla (I could be wrong). If you made one as a test, you could determine if you liked the taste and/or if you needed to add additional liquid (like water, etc.) since flax is more absorbent than almond flour. :-)