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Enchiladas Verdes

Source of Recipe

From "The Cook's Illustrated Meat Book" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"In Mexico, enchiladas come in myriad forms, but for us, enchiladas topped by green sauce—enchiladas verdes—are as perfect a comfort food as any we know, especially when they include moist, tender pieces of chicken. But enchiladas verdes with chicken can be hard to re-create at home. The sauce is often too watery and thin, the tortillas mushy, and the filling marred by bland, dried-out chicken overpowered by cheese. We wanted to get this Mexican restaurant classic right. You can substitute three 11-ounce cans tomatillos, drained and rinsed, for the fresh ones in this recipe. Halve large tomatillos (more than 2 inches in diameter) and place them skin side up for broiling in step 2 to ensure even cooking and charring. If you can't find poblanos, substitute 4 large jalapeño chiles (with seeds and ribs removed). To increase the spiciness of the sauce, reserve some of the chiles' ribs and seeds and add them to the food processor in step 4. Be sure to cool the chicken filling before stuffing the tortillas; hot filling will make the enchiladas soggy."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
â—¦ 1 onion, chopped
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 ½ cups chicken broth
â—¦ 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
â—¦ 1 ½ pounds tomatillos (16 to 20 medium), husks and stems removed, rinsed well and dried
â—¦ 3 poblano chiles, halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded
â—¦ 1 to 2 ½ teaspoons sugar
â—¦ Salt and pepper
â—¦ ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
â—¦ 8 ounces pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)

â—¦ 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
â—¦ Vegetable oil spray

Garnishes:
â—¦ 2 scallions, sliced thin
â—¦ Thinly sliced radishes
â—¦ Sour cream


Recipe

Adjust one oven rack to middle position and second rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cumin and two-thirds of garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Decrease heat to low and stir in broth. Add chicken, cover, and simmer until it registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to large bowl; place in refrigerator to cool, about 20 minutes. Measure out and reserve ¼ cup broth and set aside; discard remaining liquid.

Meanwhile, toss tomatillos and poblanos with remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Arrange tomatillos cut side down and poblanos skin side up on aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil on upper rack until vegetables blacken and start to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through broiling. Remove tomatillos and poblanos from oven, let cool slightly, then remove skins from poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact). Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Discard foil from baking sheet and set baking sheet aside for warming tortillas.

Transfer vegetables, along with any accumulated juices, to food processor. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, remaining garlic, and reserved broth to food processor and pulse until sauce is somewhat chunky, about 8 pulses. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and adjust tartness by stirring in remaining sugar to taste, ½ teaspoon at a time; set aside.

When chicken is cool, use two forks to shred into bite-size pieces. Combine chicken with cilantro and 1 ½ cups pepper Jack; season with salt to taste.

Spread ¾ cup tomatillo sauce evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place tortillas in single layer on two baking sheets. Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with vegetable oil spray. Bake until tortillas are soft and pliable, 2 to 4 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Place warm tortillas on counter and spread â…“ cup chicken filling down center of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly and place in baking dish, seam side down. Pour remaining tomatillo sauce over top of enchiladas and spread into even layer so that it coats top of each tortilla. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup pepper Jack and cover tightly with foil. Bake enchiladas on lower rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with scallions, and serve immediately, passing radishes and sour cream separately.

Serves 4 to 6