Hedden Family Recipes

Chicken enchiladas verdes

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

1⅓ pounds skinless chicken thighs, boneless (1¾ lbs if bone-in)
2 cloves garlic, halved
¼ medium onion
2 teaspoons sea salt

For the tomatillo salsa:

1½ lbs tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed
1-2 serrano chilis or 2-3 jalapeño chilis, top cut off to remove stems
2 cloves garlic
1½ cup chopped white or yellow onion
1½ cup chopped cilantro, stems included
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt

For the enchiladas:

corn tortillas (use sturdy 100% corn tortillas)
¼ cup sour cream
½ cup crumbled cotija or queso fresco cheese or shredded cheddar cheese
⅓ cup chopped red onion for garnish
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems for garnish

Directions:

Cook chicken thighs. This is best cooked by poaching: Put chicken thighs in a medium-sized saucepan and just cover with cold water. Add the halved garlic, ¼ of an onion, and 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to very low to maintain the heat at just below a simmer, and cook, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is just barely cooked through. Alternatively, cook in a different way or just use a rotisserie chicken. Remove cooked chicken to a separate bowl and allow to cool.
Cook tomatillos. Put tomatillos and chilis in a separate sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tomatillos are cooked and have changed color, but are not mushy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Alternatively, tomatillos can be baked. Set oven to 400°F. Put tomatillos, chilis, and onion in a bowl, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and mix to coat everything. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Turn with tongs, then bake another 5-7 minutes.
Make salsa verde. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatillos and chilis to a blender. Add ¼ cup of water to blender. (If tomatillos were boiled, use tomatillo cooking liquid.) Also add 2 cloves of garlic, a half cup of chopped onion, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and about ½ cup chopped cilantro, and 1 teaspoon salt. Purée until blended, 15 to 30 seconds. Taste mixture. If not spicy (hot, picant) enough add another chili pepper (it doesn't have to be cooked). Add salt to taste. This should make about 3 cups of salsa.
Shred chicken meat, put in a bowl, and add 1 cup of tomatillo sauce. Add salt to taste. Mix.
Soften tortillas by covering them and microwaving them or by heating them on medium-high heat in a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil or by placing tortilla very briefly on the burner of a gas stove.
When the tortillas have been heated, preheat oven to 250°F.
Put about 1 cup of salsa into the bottom of a casserole dish or any baking dish with high walls.
Put about ¼ cup of chicken into the center of each tortilla and roll it up. Place rolled up tortillas seam side down in a casserole dish.
Smother tortillas with the rest of salsa. Then, add sour cream and cheese, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro. Cover with foil and warm in oven for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.