Thursday, November 7, 2013

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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13 comments:

  1. So yummy! I can't wait to try homemade green sauce. I usually use La Victoria. The taste of cilantro can't be beat!

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    1. Helena, I bet you'll love it. Much better than canned--not so salty and gloppy. The challenge is finding the tomatillos:)

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  2. This sounds so scrumptious! But of course my husband is one of those people who can't even stand the smell of cilantro, which I happen to love. Can I come to your house for dinner? LOL! He does travel a lot so maybe I'll make this the next time he's out of town.

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    1. Yes of course you're welcome Cee! Nobody is lukewarm about cilantro I find--it must be in the genes, don't you think?

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  3. This looks delicious!!! Perfect for a cooler fall night. [I am one of those people who doesn't like cilantro. Tastes like soap. LOL]

    Hugs,

    Daryl / Avery

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  4. Thanks for a fabulous recipe. Nice use of Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, though my husband would insist on the latter. In any case, the final result looks cheesy and scrumptious.

    ~ Cleo

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    1. thanks Cleo, John and I are always suspicious of substituting yogurt for sour cream, but it really worked here. I would definitely use Greek style--I think this was Brown Cow...nice and think and rich:)

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  5. I have never used them and always wanted to know what to do! This looks delicious. My mouth is watering.

    Thanks, Roberta/Lucy

    Hugs,

    MJ/Victoria

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  6. I'm so glad to see this recipe. I never know what to do with them, either! It looks delicious (except for the cilantro). ; )

    ~Krista

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  7. I am sooooo making this very soon. Thank you for taking the mystery out of tomatillos for me. I plan on locating seeds or plants to try my hand at growing my own next season in the veggie garden.

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    1. You're so welcome. You will enjoy having them in the garden--they do spread and reseed over the winter once they get established.

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