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Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Source of Recipe

From "The Homesick Texan Cookbook" by Lisa Fain


Recipe Introduction

"When I was in college, on Saturday afternoons a large group of us would celebrate the weekend by going to lunch at a local Tex-Mex restaurant. We'd toast the weekend with tall glasses of iced tea and salty chips dipped in salsa, and as we were in North Texas, most of us would order the house special—sour cream chicken enchiladas. The sour cream enchiladas were stuffed with shredded chicken that had been spiced with generous amounts of salt and black pepper, a simple blend that still had flavor. The sauce itself was a creamy blend of sour cream and chicken broth. A few pickled jalapeños were added, yet they provided more color than fire, as all that cream mitigated any heat. But what this sauce lacked in piquancy, it made up for in creamy comfort and a taste so smooth I'd always order an extra bowl on the side. My tastes have changed a bit since then, so I've taken some liberties with the basic sour cream sauce by punching it up with tomatillos for tang and a bit of cayenne for heat. But whether you're a longtime fan of sour cream enchiladas or approaching them for the first time, I don't think you'll be disappointed."

List of Ingredients

For the chicken:
â—¦ 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon black pepper
â—¦ 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the sour cream sauce:
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 2 serrano chiles, seeds and stems removed, diced
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cups chicken broth
â—¦ 2 cups sour cream
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
â—¦ Dash of cayenne
â—¦ ¼ cup chopped cilantro
â—¦ 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed, and cut in half, or 1 (11-ounce) can of tomatillos, drained
â—¦ Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the enchiladas:
â—¦ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard
â—¦ 12 corn tortillas
â—¦ ½ medium yellow onion, diced
â—¦ 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (8 ounces)
â—¦ ½ cup chopped cilantro, for serving


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the chicken breasts on each side with the salt and black pepper. In a large ovenproof skillet, preferably cast-iron, heat the oil on medium. Add the chicken breasts and cook on each side for 3 minutes. Place the skillet in the oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. When the chicken is done, take it out of the oven and let cool, then shred with two forks. Keep the oven on, as you'll be using it again.

As the chicken is baking, in a pot melt the butter on medium-low heat. Add the diced serrano chiles and cook until soft, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour the chicken broth into the pot and whisk, cooking the chicken broth until it has thickened. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, cayenne, and cilantro. Remove from the heat.

If using fresh tomatillos, place them under the broiler on a foil-lined sheet and cook on each side until blackened, about 4 minutes per side. Place in a blender along with the sour cream sauce and purée until smooth. If using canned tomatillos, skip the broiler step and just place them in the blender with the sour cream sauce and proceed.

Grease a large baking dish. To make the enchiladas, heat the vegetable oil or lard in a skillet and cook the corn tortillas on each side a couple of minutes until soft. Wrap in a cloth to keep warm as you continue to cook all twelve.

To assemble the enchiladas, pour 1 cup of the sour cream sauce in the bottom of a casserole pan. Take each corn tortilla and place ¼ cup of shredded chicken in the middle of it, 1 teaspoon of diced onions, and 1 tablespoon of cheese. Roll the tortillas around the filling and place the rolled tortillas seam-side down in the dish. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling. Serve topped with chopped cilantro.

Makes 4 to 6 servings