Midway through July and it’s already been one of the hottest, driest Pacific Northwest summers to date. If you have a green thumb, you may have noticed this reflected in your garden. With the hot, dry days, tomatoes, peppers and other members of the nightshade family have been growing well—and early.
A sucker for anything spicy and wanting to put my peppers to good use, I decided to turn to the pages of my favorite Rick Bayless cookbook for some inspiration and found an exceptionally appealing recipe for enchiladas verdes loaded with tomatillos and serrano chilies.
The recipe essentially calls for leftover rotisserie chicken as the filling, but, not having any in my fridge, I opted to pan-sear and bake chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin before shredding to perfection. Use this, cheese, or another kind of meat for the filling.
For the sauce, I stayed true to the recipe, minus one “small” modification—beer. The recipe, which is simple and can be made in a matter of minutes, calls for chicken stock. I decided to keep the stock but cut it by half, substituting Double Mountain Brewery’s Green Neck Lager (it only seemed appropriate) for the rest of the liquid. The beer, which is described to pair well with “barbeque and bare feet” is light, balanced and mildly boozy. Throw a splash in the sauce, then save the rest for your pint glass and enjoy while devouring these undeniably epic enchiladas.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed
6 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
3 Serrano chilies
1 large white onion, sliced thick
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup cilantro, chopped
8 ounces chicken stock
8 ounces Double Mountain Brewery’s Green Neck Lager
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
16–20 white corn tortillas
Sour cream and cilantro for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to broil, adjusting oven rack as close to broiler as possible.
On a large baking sheet, spread out tomatillos, garlic, Serrano chilies and onion. Place under broiler and cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until ingredients are soft and lightly charred.
Remove baking sheet from broiler and allow the tomatillos, garlic, Serrano chilies and onion a few minutes to cool.
Once mixture has cooled, blend together using an immersion blender until mixture is thick and an even consistency throughout.
Next, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once heated, add tomatillo-base to pan and cook sauce until has reduced and thickened, about 6 minutes. Add the cilantro, chicken broth and beer and continue cooking on a simmer for about 15 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
Once sauce is ready, it’s time to prepare the enchiladas. Do this by first preheating the oven to 400 °F and then warm the tortillas in the microwave until they can be folded without breaking. (I like to wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel before heating.)
To assemble each enchilada, add a small scoop of chicken, a drizzle of tomatillo sauce and a sprinkle of cheese to the tortilla. Roll it up and place in a large baking pan. Continue until all enchiladas are prepared (you will likely fill two large baking pans). Once all enchiladas have been formed, place in oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until cheese inside has melted.
Next, drizzle the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and top with a generous sprinkle of cheese. Turn oven off and turn the broiler back on. Broil enchiladas until sauce is bubbling and cheese melts and just begins to brown.
You can top these enchiladas with sour cream and fresh cilantro, or enjoy as-is alongside fresh guacamole, rice and beans.
