Recipe Sharing: Zesty Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe on another friend's blog and picked up the ingredients to make it this week (it's from Real Simple). I ended up making the sauce the night before and cooking/dicing the chicken breasts (my substitution of shredding a cooked rotisserie chicken) in advance.

Also, I made a few substitutions, which I'll note below. The verdict is that we loved this dish and would make it again. Very good!

Zesty Chicken Enchiladas
Yield: 4 servings (definitely could be more, depending on the size of your enchiladas)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil (I used olive)
• 1 pound tomatillos (papery skins removed), chopped
• 1 onion (preferably white), chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used 5 - we love garlic!)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream (I used ¾ c. 1% milk, a couple tablespoons of melted light butter and a tablespoon of flour, mixed together)
• 2- to 2 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken, meat shredded (I used 1 lb. of boneless chicken breast, cooked and diced)
• 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (I used a can of Rotel)
• 1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack (5 ounces)
• 8 6-inch corn tortillas
• Pico de Gallo or salsa

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatillos, onion, poblano, garlic, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Transfer to a food processor, add the cream, and puree.
3. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, tomatoes, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/2 cup of the tomatillo sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
4. Warm the tortillas according to the package directions (I didn’t warm them in advance).
5. Spread 1 cup of the remaining sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roll the chicken mixture in the tortillas and place them in the dish, seam-side down.
6. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake until beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with Pico de Gallo.

Real Simple Tip: Tomatillos resemble small green tomatoes with papery outer skins and a delicious tart flavor. Can’t find them? Try a shortcut version of the sauce by mixing a 16-ounce jar of mild green salsa with 1 cup of cream.