Enchiladas Verdes

In one of our Mexican Packs from Bountiful Baskets we got Tomatillos.  My husband and I had never cooked with them and really didn’t know much about them so we went on the hunt to find a recipe to use them in.  Enchiladas Verdes is what we found and it has been a huge hit ever since.

Now for those of you that don’t know what a Tomatillo is it is similar to a tomato but has a paper-like husk around the outside of it.  When they are ripe they can be any number of colors but for most cooking you want a firm green Tomatillo. In Utah a lot of places would serve a Tomatillo salad dressing that was very similar to a ranch and I have also seen people use their Tomatillos to make salsa as well.  For us it was a Verde sauce to go with our chicken enchiladas.

This recipe is pretty simple, you just boil your chicken and Tomatillos and when they are done you shred the chicken and puree the Tomatillos.  That is the simple version but you get a great dish with lots of flavor and heat depending on how spicy you like things.

Enchiladas Verdes

~ 2 chicken breasts, boneless or bone in works

~ 2 cups chicken broth

~ 1/2 white onion

~ 2 clove garlic

~ 2 tsp. salt plus a pinch

~ 1 lb. fresh tomatillos, husks removed

~ 5 Serrano peppers

~ 12 corn tortillas

~ 1/4 cup vegetable oil

~ toppings of your choice queso fresco, onion, cilantro, sour cream

1. In a saucepan combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil and then boil for 20 minutes. Reserve broth, set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.

2. Place tomatillos and Serrano chilies in a pot with water, enough to cover them. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until tomatillos turn a different shade of green (from bright green to a dull army green). Strain tomatillos and chilies, and place in a blender with another quarter piece of onion, 1 clove garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pour in reserved chicken broth so that the liquid just covers the veggies in the blender by about an inch. Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed. Pour salsa in a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil.

3. Pour oil in a frying pan and allow it to get very hot. Slightly fry tortillas one by one in oil setting each one on a paper towel afterwords to soak some of the oil up. Finally dip each tortilla in low-boiling green salsa until tortillas become soft again. Place on plates.

4. Fill or top each tortilla with shredded chicken and extra green sauce. Top with cheese, onion, cilantro, or sour cream.

* To make this dish hot keep the seeds in your Serrano peppers. To make this dish with less heat remove the seeds and membrane from your Serrano peppers and only add as many Serrano peppers as you wish.

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Enchiladas Verdes