Lately, like much of the country, we’ve been thinking about the role of immigration in the US. Matt and I are both lovers of history, and one of the most interesting aspects of researching and developing recipes is discovering the origins of ingredients and the flavors of varied cuisines.
Except for the native population, the US is a nation of immigrants. Throughout history when people came to our shores, they brought the flavors and techniques of the foods they were familiar with. Over time, many of those foods evolved and became so integrated into our culture, they stopped being “foreign”.
What would a kid’s birthday party be without pizza? Thanks, Italy! How many American households do Taco Tuesday? We appreciate you, Mexico! Who doesn’t love a little General Tso’s takeout on a rainy night? China, you’re awesome.
And we won’t even go into the immigrant population that is the backbone of both our farming and restaurant industry. In Andrew Zimmern’s words, every meal in this country has gone through the hands of an immigrant. Without them, our food would be more scarce, more expensive and a lot less flavorful. Thank you for coming to my Taco Tuesday Ted Talk.
Check out the video for this recipe!
All this is a lead up to the disclosure that this recipe is not intended to be a traditional variation of enchiladas. In fact, since they’re made with flour tortillas like a burrito, and then sauced on top, they’re closer to wet burritos (burritos mojados). It’s our American weeknight kitchen version of enchiladas, and we are thankful to the incredible Mexican chefs and home cooks who have introduced us to green enchilada sauce and cheesy stuffed, rolled tortillas.
Among other liberties and time-savings, we use the shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken, and we’ve upped the protein by using cottage cheese in place of sour cream in both the sauce and the stuffing. You can use whatever you have on hand. It’s very adaptable.
You don’t have to make your own enchilada sauce, but you probably should.
Making fresh enchilada sauce takes 15 minutes. We really think it’s worthwhile to put in the effort. But if you really don’t have time, jarred/canned enchilada sauce is okay. Some brands are better than others (we’ve liked Macayo’s, though it can be hard to find. Las Palmas, and Hatch are also decent options).
But making your own is really easy (and likely more affordable) and also delivers more vibrant flavor. Unlike our Salsa Verde, this version of enchilada sauce doesn’t use tomatillos, or even fresh peppers (except for jalapeños). To save a little time, we rely on canned mild green chiles. These are typically roasted, peeled and chopped Anaheim, California or Hatch peppers.
To make the sauce, start by sweating down chopped onions and jalapeños in a medium saucepan. Season them with salt and pepper, and stir them often. You want the onions to turn soft and translucent but you’re not looking to brown them. This will take about 5 minutes or so. Add a little chopped garlic and some ground cumin and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute.
We like to add a little flour to help the sauce thicken, but it’s not strictly necessary if you want to keep it gluten free. Obviously use corn tortillas later as well for a gluten free dish.
Add the chiles and stock, stirring well to break up any lumps of flour. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it becomes slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Allow it to cool a few minutes, then transfer it to a blender or food processor. Add the roughly chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems (if using them) along with your dairy of choice (sour cream, Mexican crema, or cottage cheese) and blend the mixture until smooth. Taste and season it with salt and pepper, as needed. We like to make our enchilada sauce a little thicker than store-bought sauce, but you can add more liquid if you want a thinner sauce.
Note that in our video, I forgot to add the dairy to the sauce and added it off-camera.
MAKE AHEAD TIP: Green enchilada sauce keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. It can also be frozen up to a month or two if well sealed in an airtight container.
Make the filling and roll the tortillas
In service of making this a weeknight recipe, we take advantage of using shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken. You’ll need about 2 1/2 cups, which is the majority of a medium-sized bird, with the skin discarded. Add the chicken to a large bowl and add in 3/4 of the grated cheeses (about 3 loosely packed cups).
We love a combination of three cheeses: mozzarella for stretchiness, cheddar for sharp flavor and Monterey Jack (or pepper jack) for its melty creaminess. You don’t have to use all three, but we find it results in the best flavor and texture combination. You could choose one or two, and it would still be great.
We often use a fourth cheese — cottage cheese — in place of Mexican crema or sour cream. It adds the same creaminess, but with more protein and a bit less fat. Use whichever you prefer. Along with the cheeses, add some taco seasoning (homemade, if you can), and stir it all together until it’s combined.
Pour about a cup of the enchilada sauce into a 9×13-inch baking dish and spread it out so it coats the bottom. Note: You could also use 2 smaller baking dishes if you want to bake one at a later time.
Scoop about 1/3 cup of the enchilada filling into a flour* tortilla and roll it tightly, placing it seam side down in the dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Pour another cup and a half of the remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas followed by the remaining cheese. If you made homemade sauce, you might have a little left over which is great for serving along-side.
Flour tortillas come in many sizes, and we went with 8″ diameter, which are labelled “burrito size”. This fit our baking dish nicely.
Bake , uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes in a 375ºF oven, until the cheese is melted and the center is hot. Let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.
And hey, when you’re enjoying these chicken and cheese enchiladas, please raise a glass to the cooks, farmers and other food workers who help to make your food possible. Thank you!
NOTES
If using corn tortillas, you must soften them before rolling. You can either coat them with the enchilada sauce (by dunking them into a shallow bowl filled with sauce) or you can wrap them in very slightly damp paper towels and microwave them on half power until they are warm and soft, about 2 minutes or so. You must keep them warm as you roll, or they will crack.
You can refrigerate the assembled enchiladas for up to three days before baking. Cover the tray well in foil or plastic wrap. Preferably, allow it to come to room temperature before baking, but if you bake straight from the refrigerator, cover it loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10, until the cheese is bubbling and the center is hot. Make surety foil is not pressed tightly against the cheese or it will stick.
Easy Green Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients
(OPTIONAL) For the green enchilada sauce: (makes about 3.5 cups) Or use store-bought
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion (1 medium)
- 1 or 2 jalapeño (or serrano) peppers seeded and finely diced (optional)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large garlic cloves grated or minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 16 oz canned diced mild green chiles (don't drain) (4 small cans)
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup cilantro (or more, as desired) from 1 small bunch chopped leaves and tender stems (optional)
- 1/2 cup sour cream, Mexican crema, or cottage cheese
For the Enchiladas
- 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken (from 1 rotisserie bird)
- 4 loosely packed cups (about 350g) shredded cheese (ideally a mix of mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and Monterey (or pepper) jack
- 3/4 cup Mexican crema, sour cream, or cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning store bought or homemade
- 8 to 10 flour or corn tortillas 8-inch
- 1 28 oz jar green enchilada sauce (if not making homemade) Optional
Optional Garnishes:
- Cilantro leaves
- Lime quarters
- Sour cream or Mexican crema
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Thinly sliced jalapeños
- Pickled red onions Homemade
Instructions
Make the Sauce (if not using store-bought):
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. When shimmering, add the onion, jalapeño, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are soft and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, stirring often, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the flour and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the (un-drained) chiles and broth, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan smooth out any lumps of flour. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool a few minutes, then transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the cilantro (if using) and sour cream (or other dairy) and blend until smooth. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Make the Enchiladas:
- Preheat oven to 375°F and set a rack in the middle.
- In a large bowl combine shredded chicken, 3/4 of the cheese (3 cups), sour cream (or other dairy) and taco seasoning. Mix until well combined.
- Pour about a cup of the sauce into a 9X13 baking dish. If using corn tortillas, wrap them in very lightly dampened paper towels and microwave on low until they soften, about 1 to 2 minutes. If using flour, no need to soften.
- Scoop about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the enchilada filling into a tortilla and roll tightly, arrange seam side down in the dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas followed by the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbling. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.