Chicken Chilaquiles

• Recipe by Grace Parisi

Chilaquiles is a Mexican dish originally created to use up leftovers. It's traditionally made with corn tortillas, chiles, cheese and meat that are either tossed together and sautéed or layered like lasagna and baked.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos—husked, rinsed and halved
2. 2 large garlic cloves
3. 1 large jalapeño—halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded
4. 1/4 cup packed cilantro
5. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
7. 1/2 teaspoon coriander
8. Salt and freshly ground pepper
9. 1 pound shredded cooked chicken (3 cups), at room temperature
10. 1 1/2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese (6 ounces)
11. 1/2 cup farmer cheese (4 ounces)
12. 1 scallion, sliced
13. One 6-ounce bag tortilla chips (8 cups)
14. 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatillos, garlic, jalapeño and cilantro until smooth. In a large saucepan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin and coriander and cook over high heat until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the tomatillo puree, bring to a boil and cook until the sauce loses its bright green color, 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with 3/4 cup of the pepper Jack, the farmer cheese, scallion and half of the tomatillo sauce; season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, toss the tortilla chips with the remaining sauce.
3. Spread half of the chips in an 8-by-11-inch baking dish; top with the chicken and cover with the remaining tortilla chips. Don't pack the chips down. Dollop the sour cream over the chips and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup of pepper Jack. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is browned. Serve at once.