Chicken Enchiladas

I know, I know, my food styling has regressed to pre-2008 standards. But hungry kids have no patience for all that camera foolishness, and who could blame them?

We get lots of tomatillos in our farmshare in the fall, and salsa verde is what I always make with them. I'll branch out eventually, but in the meantime, the salsa itself is very versatile. You can eat it with tortilla chips as a snack, you can make a tortilla salad, you can serve it over roasted or pan-fried fish, you can slow-cook a pork shoulder in it, or you can make enchiladas. The kids won't come near a tomatillo with a ten-foot pole, but somehow they manage to eat their weight in chicken enchiladas. Go figure.

Chicken Enchiladas  

Make the salsa verde the day before so dinner comes together more quickly. If you have neither tomatillos nor time, you can substitute jarred salsa verde instead.

1-1½ lbs. tomatillos (about two pints)

1-2 chiles, like serranos or jalapeños

1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Lime juice, to taste

½ tsp. kosher salt, or to taste
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1½ pounds chicken thighs
½ cup water
10-12 corn tortillas
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse off the sticky resin in warm water. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut-side down in a baking dish along with the whole chiles. Roast until soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly so you can handle them comfortably. Remove the stems from the peppers and transfer them and the tomatillos to a blender or food processor. Add the onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Puree until smooth. Add a little water if necessary to keep everything moving. (At this point, you can cover and refrigerate until ready to use.)

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and then brown the chicken on both sides in two batches. Remove the chicken to a plate and pour the salsa verde into the hot pan, stirring and loosening up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in 1/2 cup of water. Add the chicken back to the pan, bring to a simmer, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 15 minutes for boneless chicken breasts, a little longer for chicken on the bone. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and remove the bones, if any. Stir in a little salsa verde to flavor and moisten the meat. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.

To assemble, spoon a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Wrap the stack of corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and gently heat them in the microwave for a minute or two until warm and pliable. One at a time, spoon a line of chicken down the center of a tortilla, fold the sides around the filling, and place seam-side-down in the baking dish. Continue until you run out of ingredients or space (any leftover chicken filling can be used in burritos for lunches). Spread the remaining salsa verde over the top, being careful to cover every square inch of the tortillas so they won't be dry. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas are heated through. Serve with sour cream and a salad of your choice.

Local Ingredients:

Tomatillos, chiles, onion, cilantro: Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham, MA

Chicken: Chestnut Farms, Hardwick, MA

Tortillas: Cinco de Mayo, Chelsea, MA

Cheese: Cabot, Cabot, VT


Comments

[Cheryl]

When chicken thighs are on sale I put a dozen in the crockpot with a bit of water and let them cook overnight on low - I usually remove the skin & excess fat first but bone-in is fine. I then have more than enough chicken for 2 pans of enchiladas. If I'm really lazy (or can't find tomatillos) I use a jar of salsa and dinner is on the table in less than half an hour!

[Shiela]

MMM....love Tomatillos! I like to char them and the chilies a little (I use Poblano chilies) and put them in Pozole with Hominy and chicken or pork - makes a fabulous spicy fall soup/stew.

Finally got around to ordering your book from Barnes and Noble - It's very beautiful, love the hard cover! I am going to do something out of it for Halloween, and I can't wait to make the cover dish for Christmas! I love that the recipes are a little unique and outside the norm, but use mostly basic ingredients I can easily get, even in Alaska.

[Tammy]

Shiela: I LOVE posole!! And thanks so much for buying my book. I'm so happy imagining it perched in a nice warm home in Alaska!

Cheryl: That is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!