Monday, September 17, 2007

Green Enchiladas

Ok, Lisa, here you go! I warn you all though... I was going to make these and attempt to get more 'exact' measurements, but I am now fearful for my life, so I will post it as I remember it. All things are approximate. I'm not the most 'exact' cook.

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds tomatillos (those green tomato things with the husks)
1 bunch cilantro
1/2 onion
6 cloves garlic
1-3 serrano chiles (depending on your spicy preferences)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4-6 chicken breasts, shredded (or about 1/2 of a Costco rotisserie chicken, shredded)
12-18 tortillas

Directions:
1 - Boil a large pot of water. Remove husks from tomatillos and then place in boiling water. Remove when they begin to turn from a bright green to a dull army green color. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the water you boiled them in.
2 - Slice serrano chiles and remove seeds and membranes. Do not, under any circumstances, touch your eyes while handling these things. I have found that three de-seeded serrano chiles make it spicy, but not too spicy. For those who are adventurous, you could try up to five... or use 1 or 2 with the seeds and membranes intact. For those who aren't big on spicy, you could use one, or just leave them out altogether. Now wash your hands really well. You will inevitably touch something (eyes, nose, child) that will make you regret it if you don't.
3 - Place tomatillos, serrano chiles, onion, garlic, cilantro (stems and all), and 1/4 cup water in the blender. Blend. If needed, you can add more of the water.
4 - Heat oil in a saucepan. Pour sauce into oil, stir. Allow to simmer until the sauce becomes thicker, bubbly, and frothy. Remove from heat.
5 - Preheat oven to 350F.
6 - In 9x13 pan, pour about 1/3 cup of sauce into the bottom and spread to barely cover the bottom of the pan.
7 - Assemble enchiladas as follows: one small handful of shredded chicken, one even smaller handful of shredded cheese, and a little less than 1/4 cup of sauce. Roll, place seam-down in the pan. Do this until you are out of chicken. You may need another pan. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cheese. You should have about 1/3 of the sauce left.
8 - Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese.
9 - Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.

Preparation Time: 45 minutes-ish

Servings: 6-12

FYI... this green sauce works for just about anything. It's a great salsa for chicken, nachos, Cafe Rio burritos, or whatever else you feel like using it for. YUM.

2 comments:

Lisa said...

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for threatening your life, but I was getting kind of desperate. Hooray for Liz!

Lesley said...

These are fantastic. I heart real enchilladas.