These are as good as restaurant enchiladas and a great recipe if you want to do everything from scratch. But they are a bit of work. You can make this a lot quicker and easier if you use rotisserie chicken and a good jarred tomatillo sauce.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the filling: (Or use rotisserie chicken)
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon safflower oil
Ingredients for the sour cream sauce: (You can substitute the first part with good jarred tomatillo sauce)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 fresh tomatillos, husked and cut in half or 1 (10-ounce) can tomatillos
- 2 Serrano chiles, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
——————————————– - Dash cayenne
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Ingredients for the enchiladas:
- 2 tablespoons safflower oil
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1/2 medium-sized onion, diced
- 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
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(Substitute rotisserie chicken for the following if you wish) - Sprinkle the chicken breasts on each side with the salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet set on medium heat. When it shimmers, add the chicken and cook on each side for 3 minutes.
- Place the chicken in the oven and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until an inserted thermometer is 165°F. When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, keeping the oven on since you’ll be using it again.
- Allow the chicken to cool, and then shred it with 2 forks. Taste the shredded chicken and add more salt and pepper if desired.
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(Substitute a good quality jarred tomatillo sauce if you wish)
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, in a medium pot melt the butter on medium-low. Add the tomatillos and diced Serrano chiles and while occasionally stirring, cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
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- Whisk in the flour, cumin, salt, and cayenne and cook for 1 more minute or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and while whisking, cook until the broth has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and cilantro, then remove from the heat.
- Pour the sour cream sauce into a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- To make the enchiladas, In a skillet, heat up the oil on medium-low heat. One at a time, heat up the tortillas in the oil, and then keep them wrapped in a cloth or tortilla warmer until all the tortillas are heated.
- Pour 1 cup of the sour cream sauce into the bottom of a 9z13 baking dish.
- To assemble the enchiladas, take each warm corn tortilla and place in the middle 1/3 cup of shredded chicken, 1 teaspoon of diced onions, and 1 tablespoon of cheese (I’m not usually this scientific but if you’ve never made them before and desire exact measurements this would be it!).
- Roll the tortillas around the filling and place the rolled tortillas seam side down in the baking dish. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until the the top is brown and bubbling.
- Serve warm topped with chopped cilantro.
