Enchiladas Verdes (Green Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas)
Corn tortillas passed through hot oil, rolled around shredded chicken and baked under a tart green sauce of simmered tomatillos, serranos and cilantro, then finished with crema, queso fresco and raw onion.
Spanish Wikipedia describes enchiladas verdes as enchiladas in a spicy sauce of tomatillo or green tomato, typical of central Mexico. English Wikipedia's version is salsa verde, white corn tortillas, poached chicken and queso fresco. The sauce is the whole difference from the red version: no dried chiles at all, just tomatillos cooked until soft, blended with fresh serranos, cilantro and onion, then fried briefly so it thickens and darkens.
This recipe is Pati Jinich's, the Mexican-born chef and host of the public television show Pati's Mexican Table. She boils the tomatillos rather than roasting them, softens the tortillas in hot oil and finishes the dish the way it is usually served in Mexico: a drizzle of crema, crumbled fresh cheese and chopped white onion. Add more cream to the sauce and more cheese on top and you have enchiladas suizas.
Why it works the kitchen science
Simmer, don't boil hard
Tomatillos cooked just until they turn pale green stay bright and tart; boiled to collapse, the sauce goes dull and watery.
A quick dip in hot oil
15 seconds a side softens the tortilla and seals the surface, so it rolls without tearing and holds its shape under a lot of sauce.
Step by step
- Step 1
Put the tomatillos and garlic in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer over medium heat about 10 minutes, until the tomatillos turn pale green and soft but still hold their shape. Drain, saving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
- Step 2
Blend the tomatillos, garlic and saved water until smooth. Add the serranos, cilantro, onion and salt and blend again until smooth.
- Step 3
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Pour in the sauce (it will spatter), bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat about 6 minutes, until slightly thicker and darker. Taste for salt and keep warm.
- Step 4
Heat the oven to 375°F. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat about 3 minutes, to about 350°F. Pass each tortilla through the oil about 15 seconds per side, just until soft and pliable, and drain on paper towels.
- Step 5
Warm the chicken with 1/4 cup of the sauce (1 to 2 minutes in the microwave, covered). Roll 2 to 3 tbsp of chicken in each tortilla and lay them seam side down in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Cover generously with the rest of the sauce.
- Step 6
Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the center of the middle enchilada reads 165°F.
- Step 7
Drizzle with the crema, scatter the queso fresco and onion over the top and serve hot, with rice or beans if you like.
Enchiladas Verdes (Green Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas)
Serves 6 · 12 enchiladas · 1 hr total
Sauce
- 2 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 serrano chiles, or to taste
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped white onion
- 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Enchiladas
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (homemade or rotisserie)
- Vegetable oil for softening the tortillas (about 1 1/2 cups for a 1/2-inch layer)
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema (or heavy cream)
- 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco (or farmer's cheese, cotija or mild feta)
- 1/3 cup chopped white onion
Method
- Put the tomatillos and garlic in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer over medium heat about 10 minutes, until the tomatillos turn pale green and soft but still hold their shape. Drain, saving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
- Blend the tomatillos, garlic and saved water until smooth. Add the serranos, cilantro, onion and salt and blend again until smooth.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Pour in the sauce (it will spatter), bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat about 6 minutes, until slightly thicker and darker. Taste for salt and keep warm.
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat about 3 minutes, to about 350°F. Pass each tortilla through the oil about 15 seconds per side, just until soft and pliable, and drain on paper towels.
- Warm the chicken with 1/4 cup of the sauce (1 to 2 minutes in the microwave, covered). Roll 2 to 3 tbsp of chicken in each tortilla and lay them seam side down in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Cover generously with the rest of the sauce.
- Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the center of the middle enchilada reads 165°F.
- Drizzle with the crema, scatter the queso fresco and onion over the top and serve hot, with rice or beans if you like.
Adapted from Pati Jinich, "Enchiladas Verdes in a Tomatillo Sauce": (printable version:). We follow its amounts for 12 enchiladas (2 pounds tomatillos, 2 serranos, 1 cup cilantro, 2 cups chicken), its 10 minute tomatillo simmer, its 6 minute sauce fry, its 15 seconds per side in 1/2 inch of oil and its 375°F bake for 10 to 15 minutes. It gives 6 to 8 servings; we use 6. The 350°F oil reading, warming the chicken first and the 165°F check are ours. patijinich.com. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Pati Jinich says homemade and rotisserie chicken work equally well here.
- Taste a tomatillo: some are much sharper than others. A pinch of sugar in the sauce tames a very sour batch.
- Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it; reheat it to a simmer before assembling.
- Serve with Mexican rice, beans or a light green salad, as Pati suggests.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Boil or roast the tomatillos. Folklore: both are standard. Pati Jinich boils them; Rick Bayless broils them for his roasted tomatillo enchiladas.
- Cream belongs on verdes. Disputed: Pati drizzles crema over hers; Spanish Wikipedia reserves a cream-based green sauce for enchiladas suizas.
- Verdes are a central Mexican dish. Documented as Spanish Wikipedia's account.
- Rotisserie chicken is a shortcut that hurts the dish. Folklore: Pati Jinich says homemade and store-bought rotisserie chicken both work great here.
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