Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Pie with a Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Whenever I make burritos, I am always left with one tortilla. Of course, I could use it for an after school snack or a quesadilla, but when I came across this recipe inspiration, that leftover tortilla got a whole new meaning.

I found this recipe in a Cook’s Country magazine where the bottom layer or “crust” utilizes the lone tortilla. The original filling looked a bit bland to me, so I added onion, spinach, chiles, a few spices and some herbs. I serve it with a roasted tomatillo sauce and some Mexican crèma. Mmm–this is so good. It is creamy and cheesy with a little cracker-like snap when you cut through the tortilla crust.

So, if you have an extra burrito-sized tortilla hanging around, please make this. Otherwise, put a package of 10-inch burrito sized flour tortillas on your next grocery list and use the leftover nine tortillas for after school snacks, quesadillas, or weeknight burritos. This dish will not disappoint.

Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Pie

By Nicole Prep: 25 minsCook: 30 minsCool Time: 15 minsTotal: 1 hr 10 mins Servings: 8 A comforting cheesy, chicken pie with a kick!

Equipment

• 14-cup food processor

Ingredients 

For the Pie

• 1 (10-inch) flour tortilla, burrito size
• 1 tablespoon Safflower oil or other neutral oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, minced
• 3 cups leftover chicken, shredded
• 1 (10 ounce) container of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, hot or mild
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro or more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 2 extra-large eggs
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups grated Chihuahua cheese, divided

For the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

• 1 medium white onion, skin left on and halved
• 1 large poblano pepper
• 5 tomatillos, husked and washed
• 2 large garlic cloves, whole with skin left on
• ⅓ cup chopped cilantro or to taste
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Accompaniment

• Mexican crèma or sour cream

Instructions 

For the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

1. Preheat the broiler and position an oven rack in the highest position. Place the halved onions cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet along with the poblano, tomatillos, and garlic. Broil the vegetables, rotating as necessary until the skins have blistered and are slightly charred on all sides. Keep a close eye on them as the onions and garlic will cook faster than the pepper and tomatillos. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow them to cool until they can easily be handled. Remove the skin from the onion, trim the top and root end and roughly chop. Peel the garlic and chop. Rub the skins off the pepper, discard the stem and seeds and roughly chop. Place the onions, garlic, pepper, and tomatillos in a food processor and pulse until blended, but still chunky. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and salt, and pulse until desired consistency. Season with more salt and lime juice if needed.

For the Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick spray. Gently press the tortilla into the pie plate and lightly spray the tortilla with cooking spray. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft and transluscent, about 10 minutes. Transfer the onions to a large bowl. Add the shredded chicken, spinach, chiles, cilantro, cumin, oregano, 1 cup of the cheese, and toss until combined. In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the egg mixture to the chicken mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie plate and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve with the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and dollops of crema or sour cream. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 431kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 133mg, Sodium: 795mg, Potassium: 499mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 4876IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 547mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.