It’s 4pm on very long Tuesday in the office, and I’m already thinking about dinner.  I’ve switched gears from creating formulas in Excel to planning my dinner via Google search.  “Enchiladas Verde”…no not quite.  “Enchiladas with Tomatillos”…getting warmer.  After a half hour of intense searching, I now know of Enchiladas Suiza.   

Still, there are many variations to Enchiladas Suiza.  The consensus is that it includes chicken, tortillas, cheese, and a sauce made from green chiles and sometimes, tomatillos.  Most of the recipes I found involved buying enchilada sauce or pre-made salsa verde.  I decided to make my own sauce, because I’ve been eager to cook more with tomatillos.  I’ve used them in salsas before and really like their tangy flavor and tomato-like texture.  The salsa recipe below is from Tyler Florence, but I’ve modified it by grilling the peppers instead of broiling, as well as changing some of the proportions.

When I was assembling the enchiladas, I noticed that there wasn’t as much salsa as I would have expected.  There’s nothing worse than a dry enchilada, but thankfully the cheese, chicken, and salsa had released enough moisture while in the oven to create a delicious enchilada.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some sliced tomatoes, and a lime wedge.  This is quite a filling dish, so expect to have leftovers (even better the next day)!
 
Chicken Enchiladas Suiza
Makes 6 enchiladas
 
Chicken
1 1/4 pounds bone-in chicken breast halves, skin removed
1 medium onion, quartered
1 whole garlic clove
1 teaspoon salt

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and washed
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves
1 poblano pepper
1 jalapeno
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 lime, juiced

Enchiladas
Extra-Virgin Olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
6 flour tortillas
3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Sour cream
Lime
 
Preparing the Chicken
1. Place chicken, onion, garlic and salt in a large saucepan. Add water to cover the chicken by 1/2 to 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until chicken is completely cooked through.

2. Remove chicken from the pan and let cool on a plate. Do not cut through immediately or juices will escape.  Once cooled, removed chicken from bone and pull apart in shredded pieces.
 
Making the Salsa
1. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Place tomatillos, poblano, onion, and jalapeno on grill. Rotate as they start to blacken, for about 10 minutes. Let cool.

2. Transfer grilled peppers and onion to a food processor. Add garlic, cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice. Pulse mixture until combined, but still chunky.
 
…Now We’re Making Enchiladas
1. Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cumin, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Slowly begin adding the flour and mix well with the other ingredients. Finally, add chicken stock and stir over low heat. The liquid will begin to thicken.

2. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo salsa to the saucepan and the cooked shredded chicken breast. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Heat over to 350 degrees F. In a 13×9 baking dish, spread some of the reserved tomatillo salsa on the bottom. Add some of the chicken enchilada mixture to a flour tortilla, and sprinkle with cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll. Place the tortilla seam side down on the baking dish, and repeat for the remaining tortillas.

4. Once all tortillas are rolled, pour the remaining salsa over the tortillas and top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Broil for an additional 2-3 minutes to give the enchiladas a golden color.

5. Serve immediately along with sour cream, tomatoes, and lime.

A few nights ago, my sister offered up one of her world-famous recipes for The Midnight Cook: Thai Chicken Summer Salad.  Well, maybe not world-famous (yet), but definitely a popular recipe among my family and others who have tried it.  My sister is a serious Asian food lover - her pantry filled with every type of sauce you’d find in Chinatown: hoisin, fish, and even wok vinegar.  Not to mention, she even owns a Le Creuset wok. That being said,  I quickly jumped at the opportunity to join her in the kitchen, and witness her Asian culinary magic.

Her Thai Chicken Summer Salad was the perfect meal for a hot summer evening.  This salad is best served as a dinner salad, and the recipe below is enough for two large servings.  One of the best qualities of this recipe is the short amount of time needed to put the salad together.  The step which takes the most time is marinating the chicken.  She recommends marinating it for 2 hours for maximum flavor.  If you do this step first, that gives you plenty of time to cook the noodles, prep the vegetables, and make the Sweet & Spicy sauce.  As with most Asian recipes, there is a fair amount of chopping and slicing so you can do this while your chicken is marinating.  

Each element in this recipe is simple enough to be used with other Asian recipes you may have.  For example, the Sweet & Spicy sauce would be delicious as a dipping sauce for potstickers.  The sauce is actually more of a syrup, but can be thinned out with some lime juice and fish sauce, as the recipe calls for below.  Also, the coconut-marinated chicken could be served sliced over noodles or brown rice.  I’m sure my sister would agree that Asian cooking is far from boring, given the many variations you can create.  Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Summer Salad
Makes 2 large dinner salads
 
Coconut chicken:
2 chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil or sesame oil
 
Sweet & Spicy Sauce:
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
6 garlic cloves, minced
 
Salad:
1/4 cup Sweet & Spicy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup finely grated carrot
2 cups mixed greens
1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
4 ounces thin rice noodles (vermicelli)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

 
1. Place the chicken breasts in a large, shallow bowl.  In another bowl, combine sliced garlic, shallots, coconut milk, fish sauce, rice wine, soy sauce, and peanut oil.  Pour over the chicken and coat evenly.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate. 
 
2. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  Place rice noodles in a large bowl, and pour boiling water over the noodles.  Cover bowl with a plate, and let stand for 15 minutes. 

3. While noodles are cooking, prepare the Sweet & Spicy Sauce.  In a small saucepan, toast red pepper flakes over medium-high heat until fragrant (about 1 to 2 minutes).  Watch closely to make sure they don’t burn.  Add salt, sugar, and rice vinegar.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved.  Add garlic.  Remove the saucepan f rom the heat, and let cool completely.
 
4. To cook the chicken, preheat a grill to 450.  Remove the chicken from the marinade, and discard the marinade.  Place chicken breasts on the grill over direct heat.  Turn once; total grilling time is about 10-12 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, drain the rice noodles and rinse with cold water.  Let drain. 
 
5. In a mixing bowl, combine the Sweet & Spicy Sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, and grated carrot.  Arrange mixed greens on the bottom of a bowl or plate.  Add cucumber and onion slices.  Top with rice noodles.  Slice the chicken and arrange over the salad.  Sprinkle cilantro, mint and peanuts over the top.  Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.