Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder ( homemade, if possible)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chicken stock or 3/4 cup broth
3/4 cup buttermilk
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onions, chopped
1/2 large green bell peppers, chopped
1 medium poblano chiles, chopped
1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
2 plum tomatoes, peeled,seeded and chopped ( or 1/2 C canned tomatoes)
2 tablespoons chopped pimiento
canola oil, for softening tortillas
8 corn tortillas
3 -4 cups diced cooked chicken ( mixture of light and dark meat preferred)
1/3 cup sliced green olives
1/3 cup green onions, including tops,chopped
2 cups grated longhorn cheese or 2 cups mild cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or 3-quart casserole.
A cast iron dutch oven is best.
Make the Sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the garlic and chili powder, and saute for a minute or two.
Raise the heat to medium.
Quickly sprinkle in the flour and stir to mix.
Pour in a small amount of the chicken broth, stirring constantly to remove lumps and allowing the flour to”cook” briefly.
Gradually add the remaining chicken broth, add the buttermilk and continue stirring until sauce has thickened, 3 or 4 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Sauce may be prepared in advance and refrigerated.
Make the Filling: Warm a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the butter or olive oil, and saute the chopped onion, green pepper, poblano, mushrooms, tomatoes and pimientos until onion is transparent, about 4 or 5 minutes.
Fold into the mixture the diced chicken, olives and green onions, combining well.
Remove from heat.
Assembling the Dish: In a small skillet, heat about about half an inch of canola oil.
Using tongs, dip the tortillas in the hot oil one at a time, for just a few seconds, so that they are softened.
Cover the bottom of your baking dish with 4 of the softened tortillas.
Layer the remaining ingredients in the following order: Half of the chicken/vegetable mixture Half of the grated cheese Half of the sauce The remaining 4 softened tortillas The remaining chicken/vegetable mixture The remaining grated cheese The remaining sauce Bake for 30 minutes at 350 F until casserole is heated through and bubbly.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Servings: 6-8
Time preparation: 60 min.
Time total: 90 min.