Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Andy adores mexican food.... a lot! Because of his crazy work schedule lately, we wanted to make a delicious home-cooked Mexican meal on Sunday, and these enchiladas sounded great. I have never made enchiladas before, so I did a lot of research - this particular dish is a blend of several recipes, primarily one by Tyler Florence. This makes a pretty big batch (10 enchiladas) and they reheat really well for lunches or meals several days later. Next time I make these, I will make a double batch of the tomatillo salsa because it was very good and it would be delicious with chips as an afternoon snack! Enjoy :o)

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Makes 10 enchiladas

Tomatillo Salsa
Ingredients

1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic clove, peeled
2 jalapeno, halved and seeded
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 lime, juiced 

For the salsa: pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a baking sheet lined with foil, put the tomatillos (halve or quarter any bigger ones), onion, garlic and jalapeno. Roast for 15 minutes, then transfer vegetables and any accumulated juices to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until ingredients are blended well and the salsa is still a little chunky. Set aside.

Enchiladas

Ingredients
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken stock, storebought

Chopped cilantro leaves

1 deli roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

10 large corn tortillas

1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 

To make the enchiladas: pre-hear the oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the flour until there are no lumps, then gradually whisk in the stock, stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Increase the heat and continue stirring until the mixture comes to a simmer, then remove from heat. Add the shredded chicken, 1 cup of the tomatillo salsa, and cilantro and stir well to combine. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread a spoonful of the tomatillo salsa onto the bottom of a large casserole dish (13"x9") and also pour some of the salsa onto a separate plate. Warm the tortillas over the flame of the stove for about 10 seconds per side (if you don't have a gas stovetop just put them under the broiler in the oven for a minute or so). Once warmed, put the tortilla on the plate with the salsa and turn to coat both sides of the tortilla with the salsa. Spoon a tenth of the chicken mixture down the middle of the tortilla and top with a little Monterey Jack cheese. Roll like a cigar and put into the casserole dish seam side down. Continue with the remaining 9 tortillas. Top the enchiladas with some more tomatillo salsa and more cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with cilantro lime rice and black beans for a delicious Mexican-inspired meal! Yum :o)