1.04.2011

Chicken Enchiladas with Crema and Fresh Tomatillo Salsa



Here at chez Krakberry, we LOVE Mexican food. It's our default when we can't think of what to eat for dinner or breakfast or lunch. And while we have our favorites (i'm a sucker for mole and carnitas, Doodler loves guiso and chilaquiles), we sometimes splash out and get something we don't usually order. Except sour cream chicken enchiladas. I'm not a big fan of sour cream; I'll eat it, but usually when it's on something at a restaurant they go insane with it and I end up having to scrape most of it off. So I tend to shy away from things that actually have those words in the name.

But yesterday I was craving tomatillos, and Doodler makes this awesome fresh tomatillo salsa that I thought would marry PERFECTLY with a little sour cream. I found the rotisserie chickens at my grocery store, et voilĂ . (You can cook the chicken yourself, but the ones at my store are awesome and actually cheaper than the raw chickens.)

These are not your typical super-saucy sour cream chicken enchiladas. These are chicken enchiladas that happen to be drizzled with crema (like sour cream, but thinner and not as strongly flavored) and a gorgeous fresh tomatillo salsa. You COULD use a jarred salsa, but this one literally takes 2 minutes and is so much better. (The salsa is also awesome by itself, with chips. Just saying.)

If you want to make these vegetarian, you could use zucchini and yellow squash, or mushrooms. or you could do a cheese version: cut a block of queso quesadilla or jack cheese into 1/2-inch strips and use those to fill the tortillas instead.


Chicken Enchiladas with Crema and Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

Oil
about 15 tortillas
3 cups Mexican table crema
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon cumin
1 chicken, cooked, meat shredded
1 white onion, diced, divided
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
4 tomatillos, husked and cut in half
2 serranos
1 garlic clove
4 tablespoons water
1 lime
salt

Queso fresco, for serving

Heat the oven to 350. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet until hot. Add the tortillas one at a time and heat, turning once, until they are pliable but not starting to brown (a little brown is OK, but you don't want them crisp). Set aside.

In a bowl, mix the crema, broth, and cumin. Season with a little salt (it's OK if it's a little salty; it will balance out the tortillas and cheese). Spoon about 1/2 cup of the mixture into the bottom of your baking pan. In a second bowl, mix the chicken, half of the onion, half of the cilantro, and 1/2 cup jack cheese.

Roll the enchiladas: scoop about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture just to the right of the center of the tortilla and kind of shape it into a line. Fold the edge of the tortilla over, then roll it tightly and place in the baking pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling. Spoon about 1 cup of the crema mixture over the rolled enchiladas, then top evenly with the rest of the cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and has started to brown, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the salsa: In a blender, combine the tomatillos, remaining cilantro, serranos, garlic, and water. Blend until a coarse puree forms that is uniform in color. Pour into a bowl and add the remaining onion and season with salt and lime juice.

To serve, spoon about 1/4 cup of crema onto a plate top with a couple (or three) enchiladas, then a little more crema and the tomatillo salsa. Sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco.