Green Chicken Enchiladas (or Veggie Enchiladas)

Susi gave me the recipe book "Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet" where I have found many treasured recipes. This recipe introduced me to tomatillos and I can't look back. I love their sweet, limey flavor. I make the tomatillo sauce for other things I like it so much. The recipe has unique flavors with the tomatillos and Mexican cheeses. When I am in a Latin grocery store, I look for these two special ingredients so I can make this recipe.

One note, the chicken enchiladas are great, but I made alternative vegetarian ones for guests once and everyone liked the vegetarian ones even better. Substitute sauted onion, green and red pepper for the chicken. (They are easier too.)



1 pound chicken breasts
5 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
2 bay leaves
1 small Vidalia onion, sliced in half
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon salt
2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed and quartered
5 to 7 green hot chilies, preferably serrano or jalapeno
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
5 corn tortillas (I use lots more*)
4 ounces crumbled queso fresco, queso anejo or crumbled feta (try to get the fresco or anejo!*)
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro, stems removed

1. Put the chicken breast in a medium-size soup pot and cover it with 8 cups of water. Add 3 gloves of the garlic, the bay leaves, half the onion, all the parsley and the salt. Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

2. While chicken cooks, place the 2 remaining garlic cloves, tomatillos and the chilies into another pot with enough water to cover the tomatillos. Let this boil for 8 to 10 minutes until the tomatillos are soft and cooked through.

3. Dice the remaining onion half.

4. Drain the boiled tomatillo and garlic mixture in a colander.

5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add the diced onion and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the onions become glassy, on medium heat. Add the boiled tomatillos, chili and garlic, and season with salt. Set aside once the mixture is well mixed and soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.

6. Remove the chicken from its stock--save the stock--and shred the chicken when it's cool enough to touch with your hands, discarding the skin and bones.

7. Blend the tomatillo mixture with a blender, adding some chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until it resembles a thin gravy or sauce. Transfer the sauce back to a saucepan and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt if needed.

8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

9. In a rectangle baking dish, lay each tortilla flat one at a time and fill it with the pulled chicken. Pour about a tablespoon of the tomatillo sauce over the chicken and fold the tortillas closed. Move the first completed enchilada to one side in the dish. Now assemble the rest.

10. Pour tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas. Garnish with cilantro. Crumble the cheese evenly over the top and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake 10 to 12 minutes and then broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned. Serve warm.