Sunday Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas Edition

I had a hard time coming up with what to make for dinner last night. With all my traveling, I haven’t had much time in the kitchen lately so I wanted to make something fun. I also wanted to make something I thought Jason would really like since last night’s meal is the only one I will be making until next weekend (and I feel bad that he is stuck eating random things while I am gone).  After pouring through my recipe binder, I decided to try a recipe for chicken enchiladas that I’d been holding onto for the last couple of years.

This particular recipe is for chicken enchiladas with salsa verde. I got the recipe a couple years ago after watching Tyler Florence make them on his Food Network show, Tyler’s Ultimate, but never got around to actually trying it out.

I wish I had made them sooner.

These were the real deal. I knew I was on to something when Jason tried the roasted tomatillo salsa by itself and said “Lindsay! This is awesome.”  I had to stop him from eating it all straight from the bowl. The rest of the enchilada is pretty great too—you make a sauce from onions, garlic, cumin, flour, and chicken broth and then add in some of the salsa and shredded rotisserie chicken. I could have eaten it straight from the pot—it was that good.

My only complaint? Not enough salsa. Next time I will double the salsa recipe so that I can douse the top of the enchiladas a bit more (and so that Jason can have some salsa to eat separately with chips). I will also try to buy a shredded cheese blend that does not contain cheddar, Colby, or other orange cheese—it just did not look right!

All in all I thought it was a tasty way to end my weekend at home and a good use of my limited time in the kitchen.

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa
Adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients:
1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled and quartered
4 whole garlic cloves plus 3 garlic chopped garlic cloves
1 jalapeno
3 and a half teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 lime
Olive oil
½ medium white or yellow onion, diced
1 (14 ounce) can of low sodium chicken broth
¼ cup of flour
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed from the bones and shredded
1 package of medium flour tortillas
1 package of shredded cheese (Monterey Jack preferably)
Sour Cream (optional)

1.Make the salsa (you can do this ahead of time if you would like). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, 4 whole garlic cloves, onion, and jalapeno for 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor (or blender). Add 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, salt, cilantro, and juice from 1 lime and pulse until well combined. (Note: this is the amount included in the recipe. As I said above, I would recommend doubling amount of salsa.)
2.To make the enchiladas, start by heating some olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft—about 5-7 minutes. Add chopped garlic and remaining cumin and cook for another minute or so.
3.Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and stir. Gradually add chicken stock. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the sauce thickens (it will eventually reach a gravy-like texture/thickness).
4.Turn off the heat. Add half of the salsa to the sauce. Fold in the shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper (to taste).
5.Preheat (or change) oven to 350 degrees. Take a large baking dish and smear some of the remaining salsa on the bottom. Warm the flour tortillas slightly either in the microwave or oven (just want to make them a little more pliable).
6.Scoop two or three spoonfuls of filling onto the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle each with cheese and roll up like a cigar. Place seamside down into the baking dish.
7.Pour remaining salsa over top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with additional cheese.
8.Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until bubbly. Serve with sour cream if desired.