At the end of October, a group of north Texas Dutch oven friends gathered together at the Trophy Club Family Camp Out to share our joy of Dutch oven cooking. This was our second visit with Trophy Club Park. Our first visit in the spring was so much fun, we had to come back! (Check out that stack of cast iron! Oh YEAH!)
Our job was to prepare a delicious dinner in our camp Dutch ovens for 250 folks and to give a Dutch Oven Demonstration. Our menu was simple: Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Caserole, Barchio Beans, Corn Bread and Fruit Cobbler. The challenge was to figure out how many servings per Dutch oven and to make sure our group had enough ovens to prepare all of the food. I spent several days working out the details, sending emails and text messages to the group, and finally worked up the shopping list. For the record, a 12″ camp Dutch oven generally serves 12 people. Thankfully our group had enough ovens!!
The group divided up cooking tasks: Armadilos’ were in charge of baking cobbler, Prairie Dog friends Bil and Karen took responsibility for baking cornbread, and my better half and I took responsibility for the beans and enchilada.
Here’s how we made the enchiladas. The day before the campout, I talked my better half into helping me prepare the chicken for the enchiladas. We diced and sautéd onions and garlic and grilled 120 chicken breasts for 250 servings. (Recipe is for a 12″ camp Dutch oven)
1. Season and grill the six chicken breasts: I love Penzey’s spices, and can’t say enough about their chipotle! The smokey heat is just enough to get your tongue’s attention but is far from overwhelming. It is a perfect seasoning for our chicken enchilada casserole.
We sprinkled the chipotle over the chicken and then added Kosher salt before putting the chicken on a medium hot grill.
The chicken cooked up to temperature in about 20 minutes. Yes, we love our Thermapen!
Next, we chopped the chicken into bite size pieces. Had to taste a bite or two to make sure… yes the chicken is delicious!!
… and put it into air-tight bags. Each bag has enough chicken for a 12″ camp Dutch oven.
2. Saute two sweet onions and four cloves of garlic.
3. Make the sauce: Mix together 48 ounces of sour cream, two cans of Rotel tomato and chili, and two cups 505 Hatch Green Chile.
4. Assemble the enchilada: Spray the bottom of the 12″ camp Dutch oven with oil or line with parchment paper. Tear up corn tortillas in half and line bottom of Dutch oven. Add 1/3 of the spiced grilled chicken, then 1/3 of the onions and garlic, 1/3 of the sour cream sauce, and then cover with shredded cheddar cheese. Repeat two more times. Sprinkle sliced black olives on top.
5. Bake enchilada casserole: Place 15 hot charcoal briquettes on top and 9 underneath. Bake for an hour. Make sure to replace charcoal as needed, depending on the environmental factors (temperature, wind, humidity, etc). Enchilada is ready to serve when it is hot and bubbly!
Thank you Kim, Jay, Stacy, and Deborah for demonstrating how to put the enchilada together with joy!
This chicken enchilada casserole recipe is always a winner! Let me know if this is on your “must make” list!
