Name: Chicken Enchilada Lasagna
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: North America, Mexican
Ingredients: 6 ounces cream cheese, softened; 1 medium onion, chopped; 8 green onions, chopped; 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, divided; 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro; 3 cups cubed cooked chicken; 1/4 cup butter; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1-1/2 cups chicken broth; 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese; 1 cup sour cream; 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles, drained; 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 12 flour tortillas (6 inches), halved

Chicken enchilada lasagna is a comfort food mashup of two favorites: creamy white chicken enchiladas and ooey-gooey lasagna. Flour tortillas, a rich chicken filling and a zippy cheese-and-chile sauce are layered casserole-style and baked to bubbly perfection.

Ingredients

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 medium onion, chopped

8 green onions, chopped

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, divided

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh cilantro

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles, drained

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

12 flour tortillas (6 inches), halved

Instructions

1 Mix the cheesy chicken filling

2 Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, chopped onion, green onions, 1-1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend, minced garlic, cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon of cumin until well combined. Stir in the cooked cubed chicken and set aside. Editor's Tip: If your cream cheese is still cold, microwave it for 10 seconds to soften it for easier mixing.

3 Make the creamy enchilada sauce

4 Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour to form a smooth paste, then slowly pour in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cook and stir for two minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the shredded Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, green chiles, thyme, salt, pepper and the remaining cumin.

5 Layer the lasagna

6 Spread 1/2 cup cheesy sauce in the bottom of a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer six of the tortilla halves over the sauce, followed by a third of the chicken mixture and a fourth of the cheesy sauce. Repeat the layers—tortillas, chicken mixture and sauce—two more times. Finish with the remaining tortillas and the last of the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend on top.

7 Bake the lasagna

8 Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake 10 minutes longer or until the lasagna is heated through and lightly golden on top. Let the casserole stand for five minutes before slicing. If desired, garnish each serving with extra sliced green onions.