A couple months back, I received an email that gently pointed out to me that there was not a chicken enchilada recipe to be found anywhere on my site. Sacrilege! I was utterly mortified and sought to remedy this egregious oversight post haste! (“Post haste” in this instance evidently means more like what “post haste” meant back in the days of the Pony Express, ie a couple months.)
Enchiladas verdes was the recipe in particular that was desired — that Tex-Mex favorite, with a fresh tomatillo sauce and shredded chicken filling, topped with melted white cheese and sometimes sour cream.
She who desired it was actually a classmate of mine from high school English with whom I had failed to keep in touch lo these many (15!) years. I remembered her though, particularly because of her extraordinary writing. Once she wrote a poem for class that I really liked and I asked for a copy of it and then took it home and read it to my BFATT (boyfriend-at-the-time) and by virtue of not telling him that someone else wrote it, I implied that I myself had written it and I imagined that he thought I was a genius poetess, except that the poem mentioned both Devo and Cuisinart and I knew not the correct pronunciation of either and therefore was busted.
So, to make up for trying to claim authorship of her poem in a misguided attempt to impress my D-bag-BFATT, I dedicate this chicken enchilada recipe to Christine.
First, make the sauce:
- 1½ pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 1-2 serrano peppers
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 cup cilantro, leaves and stems
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Place the tomatillos, serranos, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and put under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Turn the tomatillos and broil another 2-3 minutes until blistered and blackened all over.
- Let cool slightly then stem the serranos and peel the garlic. Transfer the broiled vegetables to a blender. Stab the tomatillos with a fork to release their juice and make blending easier.
- Add the onion and cilantro and salt and blend until smooth.
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
- ½ cup diced onion
- 3 cups green tomatillo enchilada sauce (from above recipe)
- 12 corn tortillas
- ½ cup grated white cheese
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)
- Instructions
- First poach the chicken: Put it in a pot with just enough water to cover it. Add some salt and pepper. Cover and turn heat to medium-high. Bring to low boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let chicken sit in hot water for another 5-10 minutes. This method of poaching prevents the chicken from getting tough.
- Remove the chicken from the water and let cool slightly then shred using 2 forks. Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper and set aside.
- Sprinkle a few drops of water on each tortilla then heat them in the microwave 30 seconds. Flip the stack and heat again 30 more seconds or until they are soft and pliable.
- Pour about half the sauce into the bottom of a 9×13″ pan.
- Dip each tortilla into the sauce, then fill with a couple tablespoons of chicken, a little diced onion, and roll up.
- Once all the enchiladas are rolled, pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese (or microwave).
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Would you seed the Serrano?
I wouldn’t, but someone else might! If you did, it would probably be easier to seed it before roasting.
Just made these and was almost crying into the 9×13 pan they were so good–and I made them–ME!–with your sage guidance. Can’t wait to make this for my mother and sister on Christmas Eve! Moving on to your tamale recipe next. Thanks again for unshackling me from a bleak future of only eating out of those paper troughs at the Whole Foods’s salad & dinner bar!
YAY!! You are awesome! I’m so proud of you!