The Ultimate Enchilada

I am a food network junkie--with so many favorite shows, but my favorite guy is Tyler Florence. He's so cute and his recipes are always delish. A couple weeks ago I saw the episode for his "Ultimate Enchiladas" and have been craving them ever since. Finally I gathered up the ingredients and made this for dinner last night--a total hit with the hubber! He said it was the best enchilada he's EVER HAD! I have to admit they were super super good. My casserole dish was only big enough for 5 plump enchiladas--his recipe calls for ten...so I have a ton of the filling left...I'm thinking of mixing it with elbow macaroni and baking it off with cheese--for dinner tonight or tomorrow...I'm not sure what else to do with it, other than make more enchiladas. Anyway, here is the recipe!


Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa:

1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 lime, juiced

Enchiladas:

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
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 flour tortillas
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups sour cream (It doesnt mention what to do with the cream except to garnish--so im not sure if this was an error on the web, I mixed a cup with the chicken mixture and garnished with the rest)
Chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the salsa:
On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

Enchiladas:
Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes at 350 until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish, cilantro and tomato.

I really prefer this salsa verde over the usual red enchilada sauce. Soooo good!!!