Thank You Google: Enchiladas Suiza

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.