Doing competition BBQ, there is always left-over meat. Most teams cook more meat then what is the minimum amount necessary for turn-ins, trying to insure that they get the best meat possible to present to the judges. My team will typically cook 18-20 chicken thighs, 6 racks of ribs, 4 pork butts & two briskets. There is no way we will use all that meat during the competition, so we look to give it away to friends and family, or at times to folks in need. Pork and ribs are normally gone before the clean up from the competition is done, the brisket is one thing that we normally split amongst ourselves.
Chicken is a different story all together, I am very particular about the chicken, I don’t mind giving away left-over pieces that were cooked at the competition, only while it is still hot, but I also have many that do not even make it to the prep table. I normally end up with approx. 30 thighs when I buy chicken for a competition, the first round of cuts, working our way down to the final 8 that make their way into the turn-in box, starts before I start trimming. I look for pieces that have no chance in being worth trimming, because I won’t have room for more then 20 pieces, to cook. I take the worst looking thighs, which are still good chicken parts, put them into a freezer bag, and place them, straight into the freezer.
Chicken thighs, in line to see if they made the cut.
After a while, with 10 or more thighs going into the freezer before each competition, sooner or later, you need to clean house. What to do with all these thighs? I enjoy a good chicken and rice bake, but after two or three of those, it’s time to switch things up a bit. My wife and I have a very good, chicken enchilada recipe, but doing all that rolling, and warming the tortillas in the sauce before rolling, can be a bit time consuming. We happen to see a show that inspired a little tweaking on our recipe, and the outcome is our Mexican Lasagna. Please enjoy!!!
The first thing you will want to do is prepare you filling, which consists of:
2 Cups cooked chicken, diced (we just boiled the thighs till they were completely cooked)
2 8oz. packages of Cream Cheese
1 Medium Onion
1 8oz. can of Copped Green Chilies
1/4 tsp Granulated Garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
Saute the onions in a sauce pan, adding the chicken, green chilies & cream cheese with seasonings until completely blended. Allow to cool before using in dish.
To assemble, you will need:
Corn tortillas (approx. 16-20)
Enchilada Sauce, (we used 3, 10 oz. cans)
Shredded Cheese, as much or as little as you like.
Filling that has been cooled to room temperature.
Grease the bottom and sides of a large flat casserole dish, we just use a cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of your pan.
Start with a layer of tortillas:
More Enchilada Sauce:
Then spread on a layer of filling:
A layer of cheese:
Then, repeat…
Tortillas:
Sauce:
Filling:
Cheese:
Now your dish is ready for the oven, preheat your oven to 375F. Place your dish in the oven for 35-45 mins. the cheese should come out golden brown. Let it rest for at least 15 mins. after removing from the oven. Caution: Very Hot!!!
Cut into portions for serving:
Serve with sour cream & onions on top. Ice cold beer with be my beverage of choice for this meal. ENJOY!!!
