Celebrities jumping on the cookbook wagon is nothing new. Over the years such stars as Frank Sinatra, Yul Brenner, Kenny Rogers, Alice from the Brady Bunch--even Miss Piggy have lent their fame to culinary endeavors. Now some of them may have actually been good cooks, like Miss Piggy of course,  but I know for a fact that Ann B Davis, the famed housekeeper, openly claims in the beginning of her cookbook, "personally, I can't cook". How much stock then can you put in those recipes? Thankfully this is not at all the case for my Famous Friday honoree of the day, Trisha Yearwood, who is not only a bona fide country music star, but also a true rock star in the kitchen. Her music and recipes will make you want to stand up and sing, like this Chicken Tortilla Casserole. It's exactly what she is--down to earth, full of a little spice and immensely satisfying!! 

I've been wanting to do a Famous Friday on Trisha for a while now. I've often watched her show on the Food Network, taken a look at a bunch of her cookbooks and made quite a few of her good-old Southern style recipes over the years. They never disappoint. It's food for real people and families. This casserole is a perfect example of that--a one pan meal that takes very little effort to pull together and is extremely comforting. And, it's apparently one of Garth's favorite foods!!

One thing that separates this from other casseroles is that you make your own chicken gravy rather than adding a can of cream of chicken soup--it's so much healthier and tastier this way--not overly salty or full of additives that you really don't want.  And it's easy to make too. Once you've done that, the gravy gets mixed with other good stuff like green chiles, sour cream, onions and garlic to make the white sauce that gets layered throughout this casserole.

The other thing that makes this dish such a knockout are the corn tortillas, some of which get deliciously softened and tender covered by layers of gravy, chicken and cheese while the tortillas on top get delightfully crisp and crunchy, so you've got the best of both worlds going on!

Each bite is filled with the wonderful flavors and textures of tender white meat chicken, creamy slightly, spicy white sauce, melted cheddar and those crunchy and soft corn tortillas. It's the perfect make-ahead meal, that you just pop into the oven to reheat for a bit while you prepare a veggie or salad on the side. It may not be the most eye-catchingly beautiful food, but I guarantee that this is a real crowd pleaser! Absolute comfort food!!

So if you're looking for some terrific homestyle accessible recipes to make for those you love, check out Trisha's recipes, crank up some of her tunes (it adds to the overall experience) and have yourself a downhome country weekend! Later, y'all!!

Trisha's Chicken Tortilla Casserole-Famous Fridays

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep Time:  45 minutes (30 of that is hands-free while the chicken cooks); Bake Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Casserole

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 4 ounce can green chiles, chopped and drained
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup sour cream (you can use light if you like)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 24 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)

For the Chicken Gravy

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

The Recipe

1.  Preheat oven to 350º and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2.  Place the chicken into a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, lower the heat to medium and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes, until it's tender. Reserve 3 1/3 cups of the cooking liquid. Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool until you can handle it, then shred it and set it aside.

3.  To make the chicken gravy: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour to make a roux, cooking for a few minutes and whisking constantly until the flour begins to brown. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the reserved stock from the cooked chicken and then the milk, continuing to cook over medium heat. When the mixture thickens, add the salt and pepper and then remove from the heat.

4.  Place the gravy, the rest of the stock from the cooked chicken, the green chiles, onion, sour cream, salt, pepper and garlic into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring it all together with a large spoon. Increase the heat and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat. 

5.  Spread about 1 cup of the mixture in the prepared dish. Top with a layer of 6 tortillas arranges evenly, then with about 1 cup of the chicken and then about 1/2 cup of the cheese, sprinkling it evenly across the surface. Repeat these layer three more times, ending with the cheese and then topping with any more of the gravy mixture and cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes, until heated through with a crusty melted cheesy top. Serve immediately.

6.  The entire casserole can be made up to two days ahead and stored well-wrapped in the fridge. Just reheat before serving.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from Trisha's Table by Trisha Yearwood. I left out the cumin but otherwise pretty much followed the recipe.