Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

1 Aug 2012

For those of you who know me, or have read previous posts, you might already know that I don’t really love Mexican food. It’s not that I won’t eat it–but I could go through life quite happily never eating it. There is just one small problem with this. I am married to a guy who LOVES Mexican food. He has grown up eating really good, authentic Mexican food here in his home town of Mattawa, so it happens to be his favorite! We are pretty much opposite in all our tastes, but that’s a good thing, because we always bring each other around! He wouldn’t like sushi or Indian food if it wasn’t for me, so i’m making an effort to like Mexican food for him.

So, this week I asked him what one of his favorite Mexican dishes was, so I could make it for him, and he said “Enchiladas Verdes” with the strongest Spanish accent you’ve ever heard! Him and his Dad speak Spanish, and so they can’t say any Spanish word without putting an accent on it–even if it’s talking about a Mexican dish, like enchiladas, fajitas, or quesadillas, in the middle of a normal English sentence. What makes it even funnier is that they’re totally unaware of it! (Well, at least they were before I started teasing them!) Hehe. You can only imagine how much fun i’ve been having with that!

Anyway, yesterday I made Enchiladas for the first time ever, with a home-made green sauce–and it was SO delicious, I was completely and utterly taken aback! I made them for my husband, but I think I ended up liking them as much as he did! This recipe is definitely a keeper…Adapted from cooking classy

{for the enchilada sauce}

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth

5 medium tomatillos (husked and rinsed)

1 (7 oz.) can diced green chilis, undrained

3 Tbsp yellow onion

1 green onion

1 clove garlic

3 Tbsp cilantro

1/2 Poblano pepper

1/2 lime juiced

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender…

blend for a minute or two until well blended. Pour sauce into a medium saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium high heat, or until it looks freaky and gross like this:

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until sauce thickens.

{for the enchiladas}

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

12 corn tortillas

3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (about 12 oz.)

black beans, cilantro lime rice, & avocado for serving (optional)

Directions:

Place chicken in a slow cooker, pour chicken broth over chicken. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4. Once chicken is fully cooked, shred it with two forks and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degF. Preheat a non-stick griddle over medium heat. Cook corn tortillas on preheat griddle about 20 seconds per side until softened. Immediately stack tortillas on a plate after being warmed and cover with a pan lid (this seals in the moisture and helps them become flexible without cracking). To prepare enchiladas, place about 1/4 cup shredded chicken in the center of tortilla, cover with 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce followed by 2 tablespoons shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.

Roll tortilla and place seamed side down in a 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Repeat this step with remaining tortillas, arranging enchiladas side by side in dish.

Cover top of each rolled enchilada with 2 tablespoons enchilada sauce. Cover enchiladas with remaining cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 14 -16 minutes until cheese is bubbling and enchiladas are heated through.

Serve with cilantro lime rice (just white rice with chopped cilantro, and a few squirts of lime juice in it), black beans, and slices of fresh avocado