Roasted Tomatillo Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas are one of the Husbands' favorite Mexican dishes. I can always count on him to order an enchilada combo plate with 1 chicken, 1 beef and 1 cheese enchilada when we go out for Mexican. What can I say, the man loves his enchiladas!! And whats not to love? Spicy chili sauce, savory meats, creamy cheese and flavorful tortillas, YUM!

Most of us think that making enchiladas is hard or time consuming. I'm here to prove that wrong! Making enchilada sauce isn't hard - heck it isn't even very time consuming! All it takes is a few ingredients and a little Witchcraft, which I'm here to show you now.

Tomatillos are the secret ingredient to most green chili sauces. Tomatillos are small green fruits that look like a green tomato. They are not, however, they are members of the gooseberry family. Tomatillos have a papery skin that needs to be removed before cooking. When shopping for tomatillos look for firm fruits that are heavy for their size and paper skins that are tight and not peeling off. When you are ready to cook the tomatillos peel the papery skins off and discard. Then rinse the fruit well to remove the sticky/slimy coating that occurs when the paper is removed. The flavor of a tomatillo is tart and almost lime like. They are used often in Mexican green sauces for the acidic flavor they bring as well as the light green color. If you can't find fresh tomatillos in your grocery you can use canned ones, they are in the Mexican foods aisle, by the canned chilies.

Once the sauce is made, which takes about 30 minutes, the rest is a matter of assembly. If you are lucky enough to have left over sauce (or are smart enough to make a double batch) try it on eggs. Or heat some up and add tortilla chips, cheese and you've got chilaquiles. DELICIOUS!

Roasted Tomatillo Green Chili Enchiladas
makes 4 to 6 servings

Sauce:
4 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, boxed is acceptable)
4 Anaheim or New Mexico green chilies (long mild chilies), roasted and peeled
1 jalapeno, roasted and peeled
1/2 onion
3-4 cloves garlic
4 medium size tomatillos, roasted
Salt & pepper to taste
drizzle of oil for sautee

Enchiladas:
1 lb chicken breasts (2 breasts)
12-15 corn tortillas
shredded cheese, cheddar, queso fresco, Monteray jack, whatever makes you happy
Roasted tomatillo sauce

Roast the peppers and tomatillos. Click here for instructions on how to roast peppers indoors. Once peppers are roasted and peeled remove seed pod and as much of the veins as you desire. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan heat the oil. Once hot add the onions and garlic, stirring often to avoid burning the garlic. Allow onions to start to soften, then add the stock, peppers, tomatillos and S&P. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the chilies are softened.

Transfer the stock & peppers to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Return to the pan, adjust season as needed and bring to a simmer again.

Poach the chicken breasts in the green chili sauce. Cook chicken in the sauce over medium low heat, just barely simmering, for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160. Remove chicken and allow to cool enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 350.

Slice chicken thin against the grain or cut into a dice. Mix 1/2 cup of the sauce in with the sliced chicken, set aside.

Spray or oil a 13x9 pan.



Submerge each tortilla into the hot sauce for 10-20 seconds, until the tortilla is softened and pliable but not so long that it starts to dissolve. (be prepared to destroy a few tortillas, it happens every time!) Place softened tortilla into the pan and spread 1-2 T of the chicken in the center. Fold ends over and place seam side down into the pan. Repeat until you run out of chicken, about 12-15 enchiladas.



Pour 1 cup of sauce over top of the enchiladas. Cover with shredded cheese. Place into a hot oven until cheese melts.

To serve, pour sauce onto the bottom of a plate. Place 2 enchiladas on top of the sauce. Garnish with your favorite toppings, including avocado, tomatoes, green onions, sour cream or lettuce.




Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 442.2
Total Fat 12.2 g
Saturated Fat 5.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.6 g
Cholesterol 96.5 mg
Sodium 1,962.8 mg
Potassium 658.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 42.5 g
Dietary Fiber 6.2 g
Sugars 2.4 g
Protein 40.5 g