My first introduction to chicken enchilada casserole was in high school when I went over to my friend Kristy’s house, and her mom made it for dinner. I was also taught how to properly eat a whole artichoke at that time. Amazing! The casserole was absolutely delicious, and I took the recipe home with me and gave it to my mom to make (who was an excellent cook) as well.

At that time I didn’t have a clue what gluten, gluten sensitivity or celiac was. We tried to eat healthy, and also had our share of Oreos and Nutter Butters in the cookie drawer, and it being the 70’s, I was envious of the kids who got to eat tv dinners. Ha! I completely didn’t know how lucky I was to have a mom who cooked most everything from scratch and fed us plenty of garden vegetables that my dad (Pop) grew with his very capable hands, lovingly adding compost, leaves and other garden amenities every year to make the soil fertile and very black.

But I digress, this is about Chicken Enchilada Casserole that is something to brag about and be appreciated by those who partake of it. This casserole is a healthy version of a casserole I loved that also happens to be gluten and grain free. A little secret…cashew based sauces are a creamy alternative to cream cheese.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

8 cups of chopped, cooked bone in chicken thighs

1 Cup of Gluten Free Enchilada Sauce (I used this brand)

2 Tablespoons of Chopped Green Chilies (I used a gluten free brand from the grocery store)

1 Tablespoon of Taco Seasoning (I used this brand which is gluten free and no fillers and delicious)

1 Cup of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (for the top)

1 Cup of Plain Greek Yogurt

Salt and Pepper for the Chicken to Taste

My Recipe for Dairy “Cheese” Sauce here:

Dairy Free Cheese Sauce:

1 Cup of Raw Cashews soaked in 4 cups of water for 4 hours, then rinsed and drained)

1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded

1/4 Cup of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast

1 Teaspoon of Ground Tumeric

1/2 Teaspoon of Onion Powder

1/4 Teaspoon of Salt

Directions:

Soak your cashews. You can also do this in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Lay out your bone in skin on chicken thighs in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

While the chicken cools a little, drain and rinse your soaked cashews. Blend up your sauce using the soaked cashews (we soak them to soften them and get them really, really creamy).

In a high speed blender, add the cashews and all the Cheese Sauce ingredients, and using your plunger blend it on high until it is completely combined and very creamy.

Remove the bones from the thighs, and chop them into bite sized pieces. Put them in a big mixing bowl, and add in your cashew cheese sauce you just blended and the rest of the ingredients except the shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and combine using a rubber spatula. Grease a large casserole dish, and put your chicken enchilada mixture in to the dish. Spread evenly.

Sprinkle the shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top, and bake for 30 minutes until the sides are bubbly. If you’d like, you can refrigerate it to bake later, just increase the baking time to 45 minutes.

Enjoy!