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Entree -- GREEN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS (AKA Tomatillo Salsa OR Sour Cream)
Submitted by dvdlee on August 27, 2004 at 10:50 amDESCRIPTION
Entree -- GREEN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS (AKA Tomatillo Salsa OR Sour Cream)SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Family / Ethnic / RegionalINSTRUCTIONS
Green Chicken Enchiladas are a favorite Tex-Mex dish of mine. They are also known as Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa or Sour Cream Enchiladas.They are not spicy, but flavorful with only a hint of heat. The hard part is getting the 'balance' of the dish right: a well-seasoned creamy filling, and the tomatillo salsa must be tangy, with a good balance between sour, sweet, and the herbs & peppers.
You can make this in one day -- or two -- or even three!
(This is an old-fashioned recipe -- but you can see where you could take short-cuts if you have to. I'm also going to adding a fair amount of remarks or notes, since I bet this dish is not widely known outside of TX & the Southwest.)
4 bone-in chicken breasts (skinned - total weight around 3 to 3 & 1/2 lbs.)
2 cups finely grated Monterrey Jack Cheese (around 8 oz.)
2 4-oz. cans of chopped green chilis
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 & 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt (more if needed)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (more if needed)
1/4 cup of heavy cream or 1/2 N 1/2Place water and chicken broth in a saucepan or skillet. Bring liquid to a boil. Add chicken breasts and bring liquid back to a boil. As soon as the liquid returns to the boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover and poach the chicken.
Gently simmer or poach the chicken until it reaches an internal temp. of between 158-160F.
(You can poach the chicken, cover with stock, chill and resume make the filling the next day. The completed fillling can also be stored in the fridge one day.)
While the chicken is poaching, grate the cheese. In a bowl add the 2 cans of chopped green chilis (I drain one can, add the other undrained), the salt, pepper, and oregano. Mix together well, but try to keep the mixture light.
After the chicken is cool, remove meat and debone. Strain and reserve the stock. (Save 1 & 1/2 cups for the sauce, the balance can be saved and used for other things.)
When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken. Note: you can do this with 2 forks, completely by hand, or cut the chicken into pieces which you then pick up and shred by hand. Use whatever method you prefer. However, the chicken must the shredded into fairly fine strands of chicken.
Add chicken and cream to the cheese mixture and mix together. If the mixture is too thick, add a tiny bit of chicken stock (no more than 1/8 of a cup). The filling must hold its shape and be very thick.
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium onions (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (pressed)
6 oz. canned chopped green chilies (1 4 oz & 1 2 oz. cans)
1 cup chicken stock (from poaching the chicken)
1 28-oz can tomatillos (drained)***
4 Tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 & 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 chopped picked jalapeno pepper (stem removed!)^^^
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons coarse chopped cilantro (if you don't have fresh -- omit)
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste***You can use fresh tomatillos if you prefer. Husk and wash around 12-16 tomatillos (around a pound and a half). Boil in a saucepan of lightly salted water for 10 minutes. Continue procedure below.
***You can use fresh jalapeno if you prefer. Remove the seeds and pith from a good-sized jalapeno pepper. I would suggest only adding 1/2 of the fresh jalapeno to start. If you want more pepper taste, add additional minced pepper.
Heat oil in a 3 to 4 qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently until the onions are just beginning to brown and carmalize (around 12 minutes or so). Add garlic and cook for an additional 45 seconds until fragrant. Add green chilies (undrained), chicken stock, tomatillos, lime juice, oregano, sugar and cumin.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, add cilantro, stir, and adjust seasonings. Puree in a blender or in a food mill until smooth. (use a food processor only if no other alternatives are available)
Corn Tortillas (12-18)
Oil for sauteing tortillas (if frying them)
3-4 oz (around 1 cup) Monterrey Jack cheese, finely grated
Filling from above
Tomatillo salsa
Sour Cream (either regular or reduced-fat are fine)Preheat oven to 350F.
Take one (or 2) baking dishs. Spray with cooking spray or oil them.
Place a very thin coating of tomatillo sauce in the bottom of the pan(s).
Lower fat option: heat corn tortillas (in oven, steamer or wrapped in moist paper towels in the microwave) until they are flexible. Take around 1/3 cup of filling (more if you have a large tortilla) and form it into a cylinder almost the diameter of the tortilla with your hands. Flatten the cylinder slightly, place approximately in the center of the tortilla and then roll the tortilla around the filling. Put the enchilada in the pan (seam side down.) Repeat.
(If you prefer a more traditional, higher-fat method, lightly fry the tortillas in oil for 10 seconds until limp. Drain on paper towels.)
Lightly cover the enchiladas with tomatillo sauce (making sure you have around 2/3 of the sala left. Cover with finely grated cheese. Cover with foil.
Bake for 15 minutes covered, then remove foil and continue to bake for 10 minutes. When the cheese has just begun to melt, but enchiladas are not completely hot, remove pan(s) from oven and then pour 1/2 of the reserved sauce over the middle of the enchiladas to form a green center band. Return to oven, uncovered, and continue to bake around 20 minutes, until very hot and the top has slightly dried out.
Remove, let stand at least 5 minutes and serve. Top each enchilada with a bit of sour cream and pass reserved tomatillo salsa and extra sour cream on the side, or if pre-plating, use salsa as a base for the enchiladas or swirled some around the enchiladas and top with sour cream.
(Sour cream is tradionally served, but some people prefer theirs without sour cream... totally a question of personal preference.)
Garnish with minced fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
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