Green Enchilada Chicken Casserole

For Mother's Day, one of my boys got me a new cookbook by Barbara Costello aka @brunchwithbabs on social media. I've been following her for quite some time so I was happy to get it as a gift. As I flipped though I noticed there were so many colorful photos and one that looked good was a Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole. 

I recently judged a chili cook-off where I loved the verde category. So when I saw that this recipe used a jar of salsa verde, I knew I'd have to give it a try. As I almost always do with recipes, I modified it slightly. I know - recipes are meant to be followed, but I usually change up recipes a bit depending on what I have on hand or to match our tastes. For example, my husband doesn't like red onion, so I used a yellow onion instead.

Here's how I made my slightly modified version inspired by Bab's slow cooker casserole. Hers also had oven directions, but I love using the slow cooker for shredded chicken. And on this 88 degree day in Chicagoland, I didn't want to heat up the house by turning on the oven. (sidetone: I didn't realize until I read the first few pages that Babs grew up in Chicago!)

5 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup frozen fire roasted corn

1 16 oz. can black beans (drained, but not rinsed)

1 4oz can medium diced green chiles

2 large Knorr chicken bouillon cubes

8 ounces salsa verde

1 cup shredded taco cheese blend

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

small bunch cilantro

Tortilla chips (get some thicker, sturdy ones)

Sour cream for garnish

I use my casserole crock pot for most dishes. If you don't have one, you really need to get one! It's one of my favorite kitchen appliances/accessories.

In crock pot, add chicken. Sprinkle with seasonings. Add corn, beans, chilies, bouillon and salsa. Cook on high for 3 hours, then switch to low for another hour or two (until chicken shreds easily). Shred and then mix all ingredients together. Add had the cheese and some chopped cilantro and stir again. Top with cheese, put lid back on and return to high for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.

In Bab's version, she adds chips and mixes them in and then puts more on top before melting. I did this and it was delicious. However, all of my kids are grown up and coming home from work at different times, which meant that a few of them got very soggy chips in their servings. So, next time I won't add any chips in. I'll let everyone add theirs on top when they eat. Or just lay out a tray of chips and spoon the casserole on top to make nachos when they are served. I don't like soggy chips. If you are going to have leftovers, it's probably best not to add them in as they'll just turn to mush.

Top with some additional cheese, cilantro, diced onion, sour cream and a little more salsa, if desired. The flavor of this was fantastic. I thought it may be a little bit too much heat since I used the medium chiles, but it was perfect. You could also simply omit any tortilla chips all together and scoop this mixture into tortillas and eat them like tacos.

Whatever you do with it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It is definitely going into our regular rotation.