I have many iterations of this enchilada recipe. Love the citrusy tomatillo sauce that tastes great with the enchiladas. Extra sauce is wonderful with eggs or as a sauce for meat or fish if you have leftover. It really helps to warm the tortillas before you roll them. I usually heat them in a nonstick pan for just a couple of minutes but not so long that they toast. if you don’t want to go to the trouble of making your own chicken, you could also buy a prepared rotisserie chicken and shred the chicken adding the seasonings. I prefer to bake my own, but it is an extra step and another dirty pan! Serve with beans, steamed rice and enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

for enchiladas:

  • 12 flour tortillas, warmed
  • 6 chicken thighs ( about 2 lbs), bone in, skin on
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 jalapeño, fine dice
  • 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, small dice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chilli powder
  • 1 -2 teaspoons taco seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

for pico topping:

  • 2 cups diced cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
  • 2 tablespoons torn fresh cilantro leaves
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon, finely diced jalapeño
  • 1 diced avocado
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Squeeze of lime

Salsa Verde:

  • 10 tomatillos, skins removed
  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 1 white onion, thickly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 large bunch cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons or so olive oil
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 3 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • juice of 1/2 lime

Directions:

for Salsa Verde: Preheat oven to 400. Place tomatillos, poblano, onion, garlic on large sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss with olive oil to coat. Place in oven and roast for about 25 minutes until tomatillos and onions are charred and tender. Once cool enough to handle, remove stems and seeds from pepper and discard. Transfer all ingredients and seasonings to food processor and place roasted vegetables along with juices, cilantro, lime and cumin in the blender. Pulse until smooth and adjust seasonings to taste adding a bit of water to thin sauce if it appears too thick (salsa can be made ahead and refrigerated for about a week)

for enchiladas: Preheat oven to 375. Season chicken with salt, pepper and cumin and toss with olive oil. Roast in baking pan for about 45 minutes until golden and cooked through. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your fingers, discarding bones and skin. While chicken is cooking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeño and sauté for several minutes until vegetables are softened and fragrant. Add corn and continue to sauté for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of the cumin and remaining seasonings. Remove from heat and add shredded chicken to the vegetables along with the shredded cheese and stir to incorporate. Stir in about a cup to a cup and a half of prepared salsa verde.

for pico: Combine all ingredients for pico in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Assemble enchiladas: Reduce oven temperature to 350. In a 13×9 inch baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup of poblano sauce on the bottom of baking dish and spread. Roll about 1/2 a cup of chicken mixture into each warmed tortillas. Place tortillas, seam-side down snugly beside one another in baking dish. Spoon remainder of sauce atop enchiladas and in between tortillas. Cover baking dish loosely with foil and bake in oven at 350 for about 30 -40 minutes. Remove from oven, and remove foil, allow to rest 10 minutes and garnish with fresh avocado pico.