Enchiladas, like chilaquiles and scrambled egg tacos, provide quick, sure-fire comfort for me. They're the perfect balance of toothsome texture (supple corn tortillas and a little meat, seafood or vegetables), brightness (tomatillo sauce), savoriness (Mexican cheese) and freshness (onions and cilantro). Enchiladas, when well made, are simple perfection, which is why I've included them in my go-to meals.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, olive oil, bacon drippings or freshly rendered pork lard, plus more for the tortillas
- 2 cups Roasted Tomatillo Sauce Base
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley OR a large sprig of epazote
- 8 corn tortillas
- 2 cups (12 ounce) cooked, coarsely shredded, boneless chicken (this is a good place for rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted or braised meats)
- Dollops of Mexican crema, sour cream, crème fraîche or Greek-style yogurt thinned with a little milk
- A few tablespoons grated Mexican queso añejo or other garnishing cheese such as Romano or Parmesan
- A few slices of white onion
- A handful of cilantro leaves (if I have them)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the sauce. In a large (4-quart) saucepan, heat the oil or lard. When hot, add the tomatillo sauce base. Cook, stirring regularly, until reduced almost to the consistency of tomato paste, about 4 minutes. Stir in the broth and whichever herb you’ve chosen, then taste and season with salt (usually a generous 1⁄2 teaspoon, depending on the saltiness of the broth). Turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer a few minutes while gathering the rest of the ingredients.
Make the enchiladas. Turn on the oven to 400 degrees. Spray or brush with oil or lard both sides of the tortillas. Stack them up, slip them into a plastic bag, fold it over (but don’t seal) and microwave at 100% for 1 minute. Let stand for a minute (to uniformly absorb the heat). Stir a little sauce into the chicken to moisten it. Lay out the tortillas on the counter, top each with a portion of chicken, roll them up and fit them into a 13x9-inch baking pan. Spoon the hot sauce over the top (covering the whole tortilla to keep the ends from drying out), slide them into the oven and bake just until heated through, about 4 minutes. Longer in the oven means dry, mushy enchiladas.
Serve. Use a spatula to transfer the enchiladas to dinner plates. Dollop on the crema (or one of its stand-ins), sprinkle generously with the cheese and top with white onion and cilantro.
