Enchiladas Verdes & Mexican Rice

Earlier this summer my husband and I vacationed in Mexico. We had some delicious food while we were there. I wanted to try to recreate the taste of Mexico at home. The enchilada recipe came together nicely. It had a great smoky flavor thanks to the charred tomatillos and pablano chiles. These two recipes were definitely a hit!

Enchiladas Verdes

Source: Cook's Illustrated

4 tsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped medium

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 to 3 breasts), trimmed of excess fat

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos (16 to 20 medium), husks & stems removed, rinsed well and dried

3 medium poblano chiles, halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded

1 -- 2 1/2 tsp. sugar

table salt

ground black pepper

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

8 oz. pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, grated (2 cups)

12 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Garnish

2 medium scallions, sliced think

Thickly sliced radishes

sour cream

1. Adjust oven racks to middle and highest positions and heat broiler. Heat 2 tsp. oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 2 tsp. garlic and cumin; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Decrease heat to low and stir in broth. Add chicken, cover, and simmer until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to large bowl; place in refrigerator to cool, about 20 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup liquid from saucepan and set aside; discard remaining liquid.

2. Meanwhile, toss tomatillos and poblanos with remaining 2 tsp. oil; arrange on rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, with poblanos skin-side up. Broil until vegetables blacken and start to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Cool 10 mins., then remove skin from poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact). Transfer tomatillos and chiles to food processor. Decrease oven temp. to 350 degrees. Discard foil from baking sheet and set aside for warming tortillas.

3. Add 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, remaining tsp. garlic, and reserved cooking liquid to food processor; process until sauce is somewhat chunky, about eight 1 second pulses. Taste sauce; season with salt and pepper and adjust tartness by stirring in remaining sugar, 1/2 tsp at a time. Set sauce aside (you should have about 3 cups).

4. When chicken is cool, pull into shreds using hands or 2 forks, then chop into small bite-sized pieces. Combine chicken with cilantro and 1 1/2 cups cheese; season with salt.

5. Smear bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish with 3/4 cup tomatillo sauce. Place tortillas on 2 baking sheets. Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake until tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake until tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake until tortillas are soft and pliable, 2 to 4 minutes. Increase oven temp. to 450 degrees. Place warm tortillas on countertop and spread 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly and place in baking dish, seam-side down. Pour remaining tomatillo sauce over top of enchiladas. Use back of spoon to spread sauce so that it coats top of each tortilla. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and cover baking dish with foil.

6. Bake enchiladas on middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with scallions, and serve immediately, passing radishes & sour cream separately.

Mexican Rice

Source: Allrecipes

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt & cumin.

2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce & chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover & simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.