Stacked Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

A week or so ago I was looking through my recipe files to see what Mexican dishes I could share with you in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  I have a backlog of about 60-70 recipes that I have made and photographed, just waiting for me to share with you.  I went through them and wrote down all the Mexican recipes.  There were six.  I thought it might be fun to post a Mexican recipe each day the week before Cinco de Mayo.  My Facebook fans confirmed that this was a great idea.  So today is Day One of Cinco de Mayo Week!

I'm starting the week off with a bang; sharing with you my favorite of the five recipes I have for you this week.  I have made this three times now and it has been amazing each time.  "Stacked Chicken Enchiladas Suizas" might sound like a long, and weird, name, so let me break it down for you. "Chicken Enchiladas" is pretty self-explanatory.  "Stacked" means that the enchiladas are layered in a baking dish instead of rolled up like traditional enchiladas.  The enchilada filling is layered in between tortillas.  "Suiza" is a special kind of enchilada sauce.  From Wikipedia: "Enchiladas suizas (Swiss-style) are topped with a white, milk or cream-based sauce, such as béchamel. This appellation is derived from Swiss immigrants to Mexico who established dairies to produce cream and cheese."

So this recipe is basically chicken enchiladas made with a creamy white sauce and layered in a baking dish.  It's really very easy.  My recipe is adapted from one I saw at Jennifer Cooks.  She made her sauce from scratch, while I made mine a little easier by using a jar of roasted tomatillo salsa from the store.  

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

½ cup chicken broth

½ cup roasted tomatillo salsa

½ cup sour cream

4 medium-sized flour tortillas, trimmed to fit an 8” square baking dish

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded

2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.  Coat an 8” baking dish with non-stick spray.

To make the suiza sauce: In a saucepan, melt butter.  Add flour, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth and continue stirring until smooth.  Stir in tomatillo salsa and sour cream.  Remove from heat.

Place some of the suiza sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Spread to evenly coat the bottom.  Place one trimmed tortilla on top, then ½ cup of the cooked chicken, then a little more sauce, then about ½ cup of cheese.  Repeat these layers, ending with a tortilla, the last of the sauce, and the last of the cheese.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Here are a few pics of the process:

First layer: the suiza sauce. 

Then a tortilla.  Just trim a little sliver off each side so it fits in the square pan.  I used Mission soft taco-sized tortillas.  If you are doubling this recipe, use a 9x13" pan and don't bother with the trimming.  The tortillas can overlap a little in the center.

Up next: the chicken.  I usually cheat and use canned chicken.  This would be a perfect way to use leftovers from a roasted or rotisserie chicken.

Then a little more sauce.

 And a generous amount of cheese.  My favorite is the Mexican blend from Kraft. 

A pic from another time I made it.

This is the roasted tomatillo salsa I use.  If you live anywhere near a Meijer, you've got to try it.  It's really good.  It's not only perfect in this recipe, but it's great just on tortilla chips too. I love it so much that I stocked up on it (bought 3 or 4 jars) before we moved from Michigan to Wisconsin, because there are no Meijer stores in Wisconsin (yet!).  If you don't live near a Meijer, you can of course use any tomatillo salsa (aka salsa verde) you like.  You could probably use a regular red salsa too.  But I just love the flavor of the tomatillo salsa, especially the Meijer Gold brand because it has a lovely roasted flavor to it.

These stacked enchiladas are amazing!  The creamy sauce is just incredible.  I made these again last night and my five-year-old asked for seconds.  We had friends over and they all loved it too.  It's a definite crowd-pleaser!

Come back tomorrow for an interesting twist on quesadillas.

Cinco de Mayo Week Recipes:
Tuesday: Quesadilla Taco Pizzas
Wednesday: Grilled Stuffed Burritos
Thursday: Mexican Turkey Crescent Bake
Friday: Churro Cheesecake Bars

In the meantime, here are links to all of my other Mexican recipes:

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Baked Chili Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Black Bean Tortilla Pie

Cheesy Chipotle Beef and Noodle Bake

Chicken Taquitos with Bean Dipping Sauce

Chipotle Pork Burritos

Cilantro Cream Sauce

Creamy Chicken Baked Flautas
Doya Margaritas

Enchiladas Hermanas

Enfrijoladas (Baked Tortillas, Bean, and Cheese)

Guacamole Rice

Homemade Guacamole

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Jim's Chicken Taco Quesadillas

Lentil Tacos

Mexican Brownies with Cinnamon Dulce de Leche

Mexican Deep Dish Pan Pizza

Mexican Turkey Lasagna

Mini Taco Bowls

Pumpkin Black Bean Enchiladas

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Slow Cooker Garlic Lime Chicken for Tacos

Slow Cooker Short Rib Tacos

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef for Tacos

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Southwest Sauce

Southwestern Burgers

Spicy Black Bean Dip

Sweet Corn Tomalito

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchilada Stack

Tequila Marinated Steak Quesadillas

Turkey and Sweet Potato Burritos