Chicken Enchiladas With Salsa Verde

Name: Chicken Enchiladas With Salsa Verde
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: southwestern
Ingredients: 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs or breasts, or a mixture; 1 small white onion, cut in half; 4 cloves of garlic; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into quarters (use canned if you can't find fresh); 1 small white onion, peeled and chopped; 1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped; 2 serrano chiles or more to taste, seeds removed if you want it less spicy, stemmed and roughly chopped; 4 to 5 tender stems of fresh cilantro, with leaves, roughly chopped; Salt to taste; 1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola; 12 yellow corn tortillas; 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese; 1 cup Mexican crema, or use crème fraîche or sour cream; 1 medium-size white onion, peeled and chopped (optional)

By Sam Sifton

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(5,288)
Comments: Read comments

Don’t let the one-hour prep time on these enchiladas scare you. Use some leftover roast chicken, or buy a roast chicken at the market on the way home, and you’ll save at least 20 minutes, making the dish a terrific weeknight feed, alongside a green salad. (At El Real Tex-Mex restaurant, in Houston, the great Tex-Mex scholar and restaurateur Robb Walsh serves his version with lightly smoked chicken, which if you can find or make is superb.) The salsa verde is dead simple to make and the rest is assembly — a task that grows markedly easier each time you do it.

Featured in: Enchiladas Are the Saucy, Cheesy Addition to Your Dinner Table

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

For the Chicken (or Use 1 1/4 Pounds Leftover or Store-bought Roast Chicken)

2pounds bone-in chicken thighs or breasts, or a mixture
1small white onion, cut in half
4cloves of garlic
1tablespoon kosher salt

For the Salsa Verde

1pound fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into quarters (use canned if you can't find fresh)
1small white onion, peeled and chopped
1clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
2serrano chiles or more to taste, seeds removed if you want it less spicy, stemmed and roughly chopped
4 to 5tender stems of fresh cilantro, with leaves, roughly chopped
Salt to taste

For the Enchiladas

½cup neutral oil, like canola
12yellow corn tortillas
1cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese
1cup Mexican crema, or use crème fraîche or sour cream
1medium-size white onion, peeled and chopped (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the chicken: Place chicken parts in a large saucepan with onion, garlic and salt, and cover with water. Heat pan over high heat until liquid comes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool, reserving stock for another use. Using your fingers or two forks, shred meat from chicken and reserve, discarding skin and bones. (Alternatively, shred meat from leftover or store-bought roast chicken and set aside.)
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat oven to 375, and make the salsa verde: Combine tomatillos, onion, garlic, serranos and cilantro in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth, adding water as needed to thin it out a little. Season with salt to taste.
Step 3
Prepare the tortillas: In medium sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat oil until it begins to shimmer. Using tongs or a wide spatula, place a tortilla in the hot fat; it should start to bubble immediately. Heat tortilla for about 10 seconds a side, until soft and lightly browned. Remove tortilla and set on a rack set over a baking pan, or just on a baking pan if you don’t have a rack. Repeat with remaining tortillas, working quickly.
Step 4
Assemble the enchiladas: Use a ladle to put about ½ cup salsa verde in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it out a little. Roll a few tablespoons of shredded chicken into each tortilla with a teaspoon or so of salsa verde and place it seam-side down in the pan, nestling each one against the last. Ladle salsa verde over top of rolled tortillas and sprinkle with about half the crumbled cheese.
Step 5
Transfer to oven and bake until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Dot with crema, sprinkle with remaining cheese and, if using, chopped onion, then serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5

5,288 user ratings

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Comments

Stephen Martin7 years ago

I have been making fabulous enchiladas from leftover roasted chicken breast for years. Store bought green enchilada sauce ishard to beat, particularly Hatch brand. An important step is, after browning the tortillas, to drag them through a shallow bowl of the green enchilada sauce.

Mix the shredded chicken, some green sauce, some onion, and some cheese before filling.

Betsy7 years ago

Instead of dipping each tortilla in oil, you can instead microwave the stack of tortillas for 10-20 seconds, which will soften them up. Keep the stack covered with a kitchen towel to keep them moist as you take each one to roll up with the filling.

José7 years ago

If you have the time, roast the tomatillos, onion, and garlic in the oven until lightly charred. Greatly improves the flavor of the sauce.

Judybird1 week ago

I like the comments to add greens like kale or spinach to the salsa Verde.

Gabi3 weeks ago

Followed suggestions for roasting the veg. I wish I doubled the sauce so there would be fresh salsa reserved on top and a little more liquid in the pan. Didn't add cheese during baking so it can be made dairy free /serving and they're still so good. Will be adding avocado and black beans on the side for the dairy free one. I toasted my tortillas on an open flame instead of frying and then coated in salsa. For just my meal prep I think less indulgent will do and the char added nice flavor.

Pjay1 month ago

I made these last night and they were very good. I too used store bought verde, found a brand where the first ingredients were tomatillos and green chiles, and onion - that saves a lot of time. The simple boiling chicken with onion and garlic worked better than expected. I don't oil-fry anything so I just did the tortillas on a hot pan. Buy a lot of the verde, better with more sauce.

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