Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Like all good New Mexico food, these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas are simple, earthy, and delicious. Its heat depends on the chiles; go with Anaheims if you scorch easily. Prep and Cook Time: 50 minutes. Notes: You'll need about half the meat from a roasted 2 1/2- to 3-lb. chicken. Baked enchiladas can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Total: 50 minutes
Yield: Makes 5 servings; 10 enchiladas (serving size: 2 enchiladas)

Ingredients

• 1  pound  roasted skin-on green New Mexico chiles
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 5  large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3  cups  reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 10  (7- to 8-in.) corn tortillas
• 2 1/2  cups  shredded cooked chicken (see Notes)
• 2  cups  coarsely shredded cheddar or jack cheese, divided
• Sour cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Peel, stem, seed, and chop chiles.

2. Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chiles, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth and simmer until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare tortillas: In a small frying pan, bring remaining 2 cups chicken broth to a gentle simmer. Working one at a time, very briefly dip tortillas into broth to barely soften. Transfer each tortilla to a large baking sheet (you may need 2 or 3 sheets). Do not overlap or tortillas will stick.

4. Divide 1 1/4 cups cheese equally among tortillas and top each with shredded chicken, dividing evenly. Wrap tortilla around filling and transfer, seam-side down, to a 9- by 13-in. baking dish.

5. Pour chile sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake until cheese is bubbling and browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Cooking with chiles

This recipe is best when made with New Mexico chiles, preferably northern varieties such as Chimayo. Anaheim chiles, which are a New Mexico variety, are widely available throughout the West and make a fine substitute for northern green chiles—roast them over a stovetop burner or under a broiler to blacken the skins. (And if you're sensitive to chiles, wear gloves when handling.) Canned green chiles just don't cut it here.

See "Finding New Mexico Chiles," (below) for mail-order sources.

Finding New Mexico chiles

Native Seeds/SEARCH. Grow northern New Mexico chiles from heirloom seeds. www.nativeseeds.org or 866/622-5561.

New Mexican Connection. We couldn't find a reliable mail-order source for roasted northern green chiles, but we did find good roasted Sandia chiles here. $56 for 5 lbs., including shipping; www.newmexicanconnection.com or 800/933-2736.

Santa Fe Farmers Market. The best place to find northern New Mexico chiles, both fresh and dried. Various locations and hours; contact www.santafefarmersmarket.com or 505/983-4098.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

526 (50% from fat)

Protein:

32g

Fat:

29g (sat 13)

Carbohydrate:

38g

Fiber:

4.2g

Sodium:

1402mg

Cholesterol:

117mg