Green Chile Enchiladas

Enchiladas are a great recipe for any home cook to have in their repertoire. They are easy, crowd pleasing, filling, and delish. Green Chile Enchiladas are great because they are surprising. Obviously because of the color, but also the flavor: they are citrusy and much lighter than their red sauce alternatives. Not only are enchiladas easily made, they are also easily adaptable to your family’s liking. You can use chicken, pork, beef, or keep them vegetarian with sautéed onions and peppers or beans and cheese. I generally use chicken because I always have some in the fridge. This is a fun dish to put together with your children too as they can help assemble the enchiladas (just don’t let them touch the raw hot peppers).

Ingredients: (serves 4)

  • 3 chicken breasts (~3-4 pounds) cooked and shredded (I like to poach them, but whatever you have leftover works too)
  • 8 large tomatillos, husk removed and cleaned with a damp paper towel (tomatillos look like little green tomatoes that have a husk. If you haven’t cooked with them before, don’t be alarmed, they are very sticky until cleaned)
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 4 Serrano peppers halved lengthwise (if you don’t like heat, remove the ribs and seeds. I wear disposable latex gloves when I handle hot peppers because if you accidently touch your eyes [or anything else] afterwards, it’s not fun)
  • 2 Anaheim peppers halved lengthwise
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 4 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice (~1 large lime)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ cup reserved poaching liquid or chicken stock
  • 1 bunch of cilantro (~¾ cup loose leaves)
  • 1 package corn or flour tortillas (10-12 tortillas)
  • 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
  • Sour cream, avocado, and/or guacamole for garnish

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450°F.

Line a large baking sheet with tin foil. Place tomatillos, garlic, Serrano peppers, Anaheim peppers, and red onion on the baking sheet. Coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Toss together with clean hands and place in the oven. Once the veggies brown and the tomatillos slightly char (12-15 minutes), remove them from the oven. Add the cooked veggies to a food processor along with the honey, poaching liquid/chicken broth, lime juice, and cilantro. Blend until combined. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning according to your liking.

Reduce the heat of the oven to 350°F.

Fill a tortilla with chicken, sauce, and cheese. Roll the tortilla up, and place it in a glass baking dish fold side down. Repeat this step until all of your tortillas and chicken are gone. Cover the enchiladas with your remaining sauce (should be about ¼ of the sauce remaining) and the remaining cheese (about ¾ cup – 1 cup should be left over). Bake the enchiladas for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Remove from the oven, and allow them to rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Use guacamole, avocado, and/or a dollop of sour cream as a garnish, and enjoy!