The recipe below ISN'T HARD, but it is time consuming. The great part is you can make the chicken and sauce a few days ahead (like today or tomorrow) and assemble the enchiladas the day of. I've eaten Verde sauce out of the can and this homemade sauce blows away the canned kind. Yes, it takes time but I can tell you these enchiladas are restaurant worthy.
We had a dinner party a few weeks ago for high school friends of my husband and I served these. They all went to a concert the next day together (I elected not to attend) and my husband said they talked about dinner and were raving that they would have been gotten their monies worth if they had gotten them at a restaurant.
If you are looking for other things to serve at Cinco de Mayo you can try these recipes too:
Creamy Rice Casserole
Mexican Shredded Beef
Red Rice and Guacamole
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Today's Ingredients: FOR THE SHREDDED CHICKEN 4 boneless chicken breasts 3 cups chicken stock 1/2 onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 bay leaves TO MAKE THE ENCHILADAS 2 1/2 cups Tubac Chile Verde (see below) 1 cup Crema (see below), or creme fraiche or sour cream Vegetable Oil (for frying) 12 corn tortillas 8 oz. Monterey Jack, grated TUBAC CHILE VERDE 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups (about 10) roasted mild green chile, preferably New Mexican or Anaheim 8 oz. husked tomatillos, boiled in water until soft 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste CREMA 1 cup whipping cream (preferably not ultra-pasteurized) 2 tablespoons buttermilk In a small, nonreactive bowl, combine both ingredients. Cover the bowl loosely, and let it stand at room temperature for 8-24 hours, until the cream is thickened and tart. Stir the crema well, cover it, and refrigerate it. Use it as needed. Crema keeps for up to 10 days. Crema - It tastes pretty similar to sour cream, but not quite as tart and is thinner. I couldn't find non ultra-pasteurized whipped cream so I made the Crema with it and it turned out good so use that if that's all you can find. If you don't want to make crema, just use the sour cream - it will be just fine. SHREDDED CHICKEN |
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First you need to get the shredded chicken cooking. In a large stockpot bring the chicken and all of the shredded chicken ingredients to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook the chicken until cooked through and very tender, 25-30 min. Let the chicken cool for a few minutes in the liquid. Remove the breasts to a plate and let them sit for a few minutes, until cool enough to handle. Shred into bit sized pieces. This can be prepared 1-2 days beforehand. Also, just strain the broth and use it again. It makes a great chicken stock to use in other recipes. TUBAC VERDE SAUCE |
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If you've never used a tomatillo this is what they look like. Pick ones that feel a little firm and their "skin" is pretty tight on them. You'll bring them home and peel the skin off. They'll be pretty sticky so wash them well before boiling them. You don't need to boil them long, just until they are soft - about 4-5 min. |
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I didn't get a picture of my roasted chilies as my hubby roasted them the night before. Roast them over medium heat until they are charred slightly char on all sides. Once they are all roasted, put them into a plastic bag for about 10 min. - this helps loosen the skin. I pull off the tops, cut it down the middle and clean the seeds out. Flip it over and peel the skin off. Roughly chop the chilies and then put the boiled tomatillos and chiles in a food processor and pulse until it's just roughly combined. I like to leave chunks in my sauce. |
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Ok, let's get the rest of the sauce started. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until well softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for an additional minute. |
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Add the flour and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes. |
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Mix in the chile/tomatillo mixture. |
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Pour in the stock and add the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for about 15 min., until thickened but still very pourable. The sauce keeps, refrigerated, for about 5 days and freezes well. ASSEMBLING THE ENCHILADAS Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan. In a bowl combine the 2 1/2 cups verde sauce with 1 cup crema or sour cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce thinly in the baking dish. The first thing you'll want to do is cook up your tortillas. I forgot to take a picture of cooking the tortillas, but heat about an 1/2-1 inch of vegetable oil in a pan. Take your tortillas and just literally put in the tortilla in the oil and then flip it over and take it out. Cook it too much and now you have a tostada and it will be too crisp to work with. I sandwich each tortilla in its own layer of paper towel to get all the excess oil off I can. I've tried to make this dish without doing this to the tortillas and they just break and fall apart. The frying makes the tortillas stronger so they don't split in the rolling or cooking process. |
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Ok we are ready to assemble these bad boys. Dip a tortilla into the sauce. Top it with about 1/3 cup of chicken. I am not that precise when putting these together. I just grab a handful of chicken that looks to be the right amount. I always seem to have lots of chicken leftover AND my enchiladas are really full. |
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Add about a tablespoon of cheese. Again I'm not precise here and just add a little cheese. |
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Roll the enchiladas and place seam side down in your pan. You can fit about 5 in each row and then you'll have to fit 2 at the bottom by turning them. |
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Once you've rolled up all the tortillas top the enchiladas with any remaining sauce and scatter the cheese over the sauce. Bake for 15-18 min., until they are heated through. Serve immediately. |
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Yes, this recipe has a lot of steps, but the end result is restaurant quality. You won't be disappointed with the results! |
YUM! I love non red enchiladas! This looks awesome! Thanks.:)
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