Creamy Avocado Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This was creamy, satisfying, and it reheats well too. What more can you ask for? It is quick enough for a weeknight dinner, especially if you already have the chicken cooked up and ready to go. I was craving enchiladas, but didn't feel like individually prepping and rolling them and liked the idea of a casserole version.

This casserole is all about the gooey, creamy, and cheesy layers. The addition of the avocado adds even more creamy texture to the casserole. I found the combination of ingredients very tasty, the sauce was delicious, and it was very filling. I used Gourmet Garden herbs since that's what I keep on hand, but you can always use fresh or minced garlic, and fresh, or dried cilantro to taste instead.

And wishing you a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Hopefully you will be relaxing and enjoying a 3-day weekend with your family and friends. We are supposed to be experiencing Dragon Con this weekend - I've never been and I'm anxious about the transportation aspect. With how bad traffic and parking we'll be, we'll probably be taking Marta and when I did a quick check there is a train transfer and I worry about Kent a little getting fatigued and over stimulated. Hopefully all will go well though. Keeping my fingers crossed, and looking forward to some good people watching!

Creamy Avocado Chicken Enchilada Casserole adapted from My Kitchen Escapades

Sauce
1 TBS butter
1 TBS flour
1 - 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2-4 TBS Gourmet Garden cilantro paste
1 TBS Gourmet Garden garlic paste
1 cup Mekenita Salsa de Casa (use your favorite red or green salsa)
1/2 cup sour cream

Casserole
3 cups diced, cooked chicken
2 large avocados, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
9 small flour tortillas (cut to fit as needed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray a 9×13 casserole pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium pan, melt the butter over medium heat then sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk to combine.  Cook for 1 minute, don't allow the mixture to burn (turn heat down if needed).  While whisking, pour in 1 cup of the chicken broth and allow it to come to a simmer.  Add additional broth if the sauce is too thick (it should be a gravy consistency).  Allow it to come to a simmer again to check the thickness once more.  Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients for the sauce and mix until all combined. Taste test and adjust seasonings if desired.
3. Spread a small amount of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, about 1/2 cup.  Lay down 3 tortillas on top of the sauce (it worked well for me to overlap two, then cut the third in half to cover the side of the pan) then add half of the chicken, avocado and 1/3 of the cheese.  Drizzle a bit of sauce over the top.  Repeat once more.  Top the whole dish with the final 3 tortillas and spread the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven until the cheese is bubbling.