Chicken Enchilada Cobbler

I first had this Spicy Taco Cobbler when I facilitated a workshop this past March with my friends Janet and Amelia for a group of Adult Girl Scouts.  Janet had made the recipe before, shared it on her blog – Chuck Wagoneer – and knew it to be reliable and popular.  I was a bit skeptical, to say the least, I had a snobbish attitude about the recipe since it called for Bisquick and Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice, but it did sound delicious and kind of perfect for a camping trip in March.  Ya know, a hearty, stick to your ribs and warm you to your toes casserole.  March in the Pacific Northwest can be a real crap shoot, to say the least, in the weather department.  We had facilitated workshops at this yearly event several times in the past and had experienced everything from the nasty rainy weather you would expect from a Pacific Northwest early Spring to sunny and clear with below freezing temperatures to cloudy and mild.  Yikes!  Not to mention the fact that standing on cold cement all day, teaching a workshop OUTSIDE, can just chill you to your unmentionables.  Yep, definitely perfect casserole weather.

This recipe actually has a lot going for it – it’s pretty high-carb since it has both rice and a bicuity-cobbler topping, but it’s also pretty packed with protein since it has both meat and cheese, plus it has just a hint of a spicy kick (which you can definitely kick up a notch or three, if you prefer) that just warms you through and through and stays with you for hours.

The original recipe calls for ground beef as well as the aforementioned Bisquick and Spanish Ready Rice.  But I knew this recipe was ripe for variations.  I have made it a couple of ways already first by kicking up the spice a tad by using Chorizo and making both the baking mix  Spanish Rice from scratch.  But my favorite variation of this recipe is Chicken Enchilada Cobbler.  It tastes like chicken enchiladas with a savory cobbler topping and the simplicity of a casserole. I was super happy with the results right out of the gate and my husband gave the recipe his seal of approval too. 

Best of all, if you already have the rice made up this recipe can be made in one-pot AND it’s outdoor cooking friendly!  Visit my friend (insert link) Janet’s blog for dutch oven cooking instructions. 

Start by placing the rice in the bottom of a buttered casserole dish (I'm using Cilantro Lime Rice here), dutch oven or cast iron skillet.

Mix some pre-cooked chicken with shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, a can of dice green chiles, a little bit of green enchilada sauce and chopped fresh cilantro...

 

...top the rice with the chicken enchilada filling mixture...

...spread it evenly over the rice.

Now pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the whole thing...

...top with cheese - I used both Monterey Jack and Cheddar.  

Now mix up your cobbler topping: Start by adding cheese to the baking mix...

...and mixing the cheese in....

Now add your milk and eggs...

...and melted butter...

Pour the cobbler topping over the whole shebang...

...and bake until it looks like this:

This recipe is sure to be a family favorite and it’s a great candidate for making and freezing for meals-in-a-hurry.  Muy Delicioso!

Chicken Enchilada Cobbler

2 Cups (insert link) Cilantro Lime Rice (or any rice you have on hand)
2 Cups cooked chicken, shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces
1 – 10 oz can Green Enchilada Sauce

1 - 3.3 oz can dice Green Chiles

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp garlic powder

handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Cup Milk
2 Eggs

1 TBLS Melted Butter, unsalted
1 Cup (insert link) Baking Mix
2 Cups Shredded Cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Butter casserole, dutch oven or cast iron skillet.  Place rice in bottom of buttered casserole.  

Mix chicken, 1/4 cup of the cheese, 2 tablespoons of the enchilada sauce, the green chiles, oregano, garlic powder and cilantro together.  Layer on top of rice in casserole dish.

Pour Green Enchilada Sauce over rice and chicken mixture.  Top with 1 1/4 cup of the Shredded Cheese.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together baking mix, and final 1/2 cup of cheese.  Mix well.  Add milk, eggs, and melted butter.  Pour or spoon over cheese in casserole. 

Bake 30 minutes or until top is golden brown (this took 25 minutes using the convection setting on my oven).  Serve with sour cream, chopped green onions and sliced olives if desired.

Serves 6

Chicken Enchiladas - AKA: What to Feed Hungry Teens

I know, I know, it's been too long! Life has been busy here with our oldest in the school production of Les Miserable (which finally ended this past weekend), weekly snowstorms, homework, baking cookies and to top it all off, I've been battling a cold for over a week now!

So this week we finally had to cross a bridge with our very soon to be 16 year old. She was asked to "hang out" by a young man who she met while working on the musical. New territory can often be hard to navigate and our cautious, somewhat conservative young lady wasn't sure how comfortable she was going to a boy's house (frankly, I KNEW I wasn't comfortable with it) so she invited him here along with a couple of her girl friends so she'd have a nice, comfortable group to keep it all on the DL.

So, at this very moment, I have a group of 6 young people aging from 12-17 in my family room loudly playing video games while I share with you.

Of course, I need to feed them. I did the June Cleaver thing and had a fresh batch of twisted chocolate chip cookies (there is only one cookie left on the plate) , still warm and melty, for them when they came in, but dinner was the big question. Or at least it was up until about 3pm as I was driving home from work and came up with what I believe to be the perfect solution. Of course I could have gone with hot dogs, burgers, spaghetti or something along those lines, but my kids are always bragging about my cooking "skills" and I thought I should make something that would please them but still be easy to make and serve so I could monitor what's going on in the family room from the relative safety of my kitchen. I kept circling around tacos, but it just wasn't workin for me. Finally, I started thinking about enchiladas and after contemplating making them with pork filling I decided to make chicken enchiladas instead since I already had chicken thighs in the freezer that I thought would work perfectly.

They're in the oven now, and they are just starting to fill the room with a lovley aroma!

Chicken Enchiladas

2.5 lbs chicken, poached and shredded
1/4 large onion, chopped
1 small can (2oz?) cohopped, green chilis
1 tbls ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried cilantro (more if you use fresh)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup queso quesadilla cheese
1 cup manchego cheese

1 large can (15oz) green chili enchilada sauce
tortillas, warmed

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour about 1/4 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together chicken, onion, green chilis and spices. Add enough enchilada sauce to help it hold together and to keep mixture moist. Add 3/4 cup of each of the cheeses and mix well (Monterey Jack would be fine too). If it's a bit dry, add a bit more enchilada sauce.

Put about 2 forkfuls of filling on each tortilla, roll up tight and place seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until all filling has been used. Pour enchilada sauce over the center of the enchiladas, and pour any remaining sauce around the edges of the baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream or any other "taco" topping you like.

Makes 8-10 enchiladas depending on size of tortillas and how much filling you put in them.