Generous Potluck Enchiladas Verdes Recipes

ENCHILADAS VERDES

Steps:

• Cover a large griddle with aluminum foil and preheat to medium-high.
• Cook the garlic, serrano peppers, and tomatillos on the hot griddle until toasted and blackened, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes for the garlic, 10 minutes for the peppers, and 15 minutes for the tomatillos. Remove to a bowl and allow to cool.
• Heat oil in a small, deep skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Using kitchen tongs, fry the tortillas individually, turning them once. They shouldn't be in the hot oil for more than 5 seconds per side. Remove excess oil with paper towels and keep warm. Remember that the hotter the oil, the less that the tortillas will absorb.
• Place the toasted garlic, serrano peppers, tomatillos, and the water in a blender and blend until smooth; pour into a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Dissolve the chicken bouillon into the mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. The sauce shouldn't be too thick.
• Soak three tortillas in the sauce, one at a time, for a few seconds, fill them with shredded chicken, sprinkle the meat with some of the sauce, roll them and place them seam side down on a pasta bowl. Spoon a generous amount of sauce over them and top them with lettuce, cilantro, crema, and cotija cheese. Pour a little more sauce over the whole thing if desired. Repeat the procedure twice more. Serve immediately.

AUTHENTIC ENCHILADAS VERDES

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.
• Place tomatillos and serrano chiles in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Bring to boil, and continue boiling until tomatillos turn a different shade of green (from bright green to a dull, army green). Strain tomatillos and chiles, and place in a blender with another quarter piece of onion, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth, so that liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan, and bring to a low boil.
• Pour oil in a frying pan, and allow to get very hot. Slightly fry tortillas one by one in hot oil, setting each on a paper towel afterwards to soak some of the oil. Finally, dip slightly fried tortillas in low-boiling green salsa, until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates, 3 per person.
• Fill or top tortillas with shredded chicken, then extra green sauce. Top with crumbled cheese, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro.

GENEROUS POTLUCK ENCHILADAS VERDES

Steps:

• Boil chicken. Save the broth and use it to cook 1-1/2 cups rice to make 3 cups total cooked rice. Shred chicken.
• In a large skillet, sauté onions and peppers in oil until soft; set aside.
• In large bowl, mix rice, chicken, 1-1/2 cups of the cheese, and ½ cup of the green enchilada sauce (save the rest to pour over at the end).
• Use a large rectangular casserole dish, a minimum of 13 by 9 inches, or use two dishes. Barely coat bottom of casserole dish with enchilada sauce. Divide chicken rice mixture into 9 portions, and roll up one portion in each flour tortilla. Stack rolled tortillas close together in dish(es).
• Carefully pour enchilada sauce over rolled-up tortillas, separating them so that all the sauce penetrates between the tortillas to the bottom of the dish.
• Scatter sautéed onions and peppers over the casserole.
• Sprinkle remaining cheese over casserole.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40-50 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and casserole is heated through.
• Before serving, cut the enchiladas down the middle. They are large enough that one enchilada will feed two people (unless you've got a really hungry person!).

ENCHILADAS VERDES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• To prepare enchilada filling, combine chicken and next 9 ingredients (chicken through black pepper) in a large bowl. Spread 1/2 cup salsa verde in bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Arrange enchiladas, seam sides down, crosswise in dish. Pour remaining salsa verde evenly over enchiladas. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with sour cream, and garnish with sliced jalapeno, if desired.
• To prepare salsa verde, discard husks and stems from tomatillos; cut into quarters. Combine tomatillos, 11/4 cups broth, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and chopped jalapeno in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tomatillos are tender. Cool slightly. Place salsa verde in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth or mash with a potato masher. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add salsa verde; cook until reduced to 2 cups (about 1 minute).

ENCHILADAS VERDES DE POLLO

Steps:

• Arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Roast on the lower rack until the skin is lightly golden and the chicken is cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle.
• While the chicken is roasting, spread the tomatillos, garlic, jalapenos and onion on a second rimmed baking sheet. Roast on the top rack, tossing once or twice, until the tomatillos are tender and the jalapenos are browned and very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool.
• Once the chicken is cool, discard the skin and bones and shred the meat into 1/2-inch pieces. Put into a large bowl and set aside.
• Meanwhile, char the poblanos. Turn your gas burner to high. Place 2 to 3 poblanos directly on the grate and roast, turning with tongs every 3 to 4 minutes, until the entire pepper is blackened and very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl and repeat with the remaining poblanos. (Alternatively, if you have an electric stove, arrange the poblanos on a rimmed baking sheet and broil on high as close to the heat source as possible, turning occasionally, until the peppers are charred on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.)
• Wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the poblanos steam for 15 minutes to loosen their skin. When they are cool enough to handle, peel all the blackened skin from the peppers; it's ok if there are flecks of black on the flesh or if some of the green skin is difficult to peel off. Split the sides open to remove the seeds, rinsing under cold running water if needed. Transfer the cleaned peppers to a blender.
• Remove the skin from the garlic cloves and add to the blender along with the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion and any accumulated juices. Add the coriander, cumin, oregano and a 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and puree on medium-low speed until smooth. Add the cilantro and puree on low speed until the cilantro is chopped but you can still see pieces of it in the sauce. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl and generously season with salt. You should have about 5 cups.
• Toss the reserved chicken with 3/4 cup of the salsa verde in a large bowl and generously season with salt.
• Heat the remaining 1 cup oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until it bubbles immediately when you touch the edge of a tortilla to the surface. Working with one at a time, fry the tortillas, turning once, until just starting to brown, about 10 seconds per side; the tortillas should still be pliable. Transfer the tortillas to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
• Dip both sides of each tortilla in salsa verde to coat, and then transfer to a large plate. Spread 1 cup of the salsa verde evenly over the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken filling across the center of a tortilla. Then fold one side of the tortilla over the filling and roll up the enchilada. Place them seam-side down in the prepared baking dish as you go (they should be nestled right up against each other). Top with any remaining salsa verde.
• Wrap the dish tightly with foil and bake on the upper rack until the sauce is bubbling and the tortillas are beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the creme fraiche and milk in a small bowl. Season with salt.
• Top the enchiladas with the queso fresco, crema, cilantro leaves and onion slices. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.