Chicken Enchiladas in Tomatillo Sauce

LUCY BURDETTE: I've waited all summer for tomatillos to show up somewhere--in my garden, in the grocery store, or at the farmer's market. We used to have plants that reseeded themselves every year, but I suspect that the flooding we had during hurricanes Irene and then Sandy wiped them out. 

So when I noticed a basket of them--finally-- at the farmers’ market a couple of weeks ago, I snatched them up. My favorite thing to make with them is a green enchilada sauce. It isn’t hard and it freezes just fine so if you make extra, you can save half for a winter supper. These yummy enchiladas don't take long, especially if you have access to half a roasted chicken.

For the green sauce:

*15 or so medium tomatillos (Remove the paper husks and then wash them) You can also include a few green tomatoes if you're short on the tomatillos
*1/2 box organic chicken broth (or homemade of course if you have that lying around:)
*1 onion, quartered
*1-3 cloves garlic
*1/2 bunch cilantro, washed well, stems removed, coarsely chopped (I know some folks don't like cilantro--and I'm sorry for you:). I think you could substitute parsley.)

Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chicken broth in a pan and simmer about ten minutes until the veggies are soft. 

Cool and pulse in a food processor, adding the cilantro at the end. The sauce should not be entirely smooth, just a little chunky texture. Set that aside. If you’re cooking the enchiladas right away, oil a 9 x 13 inch pan and pour the sauce in. Preheat the oven to 350.

For the enchiladas:

*1 package tortillas (whole wheat tastes just as good as white and is better for you:)
*1/2 roasted chicken, deboned, de-skinned, and shredded
*2-3 green or red peppers, halved and sliced
*1 onion, halved and sliced (white is fine but red is prettier)
*4-5 ounces cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
*1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

Saute the onions and peppers in a tsp of olive oil until soft, then combine them with the chicken, cheese, and sour cream or yogurt. Spread a heaping spoonful in the center of each burrito skin and roll tightly. Nestle these into the sauce in the pan. Top with a little extra shredded cheese and a tablespoon or two of the green sauce. Bake for 1/2 hour or until bubbly. Serve with an extra dollop of sour cream if desired.




Lucy Burdette is the author of the Key West food critic mysteries. MURDER WITH GANACHE will be out in February, but you can pre-order it now.

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