So this is my very first attempt at enchiladas. We have made all kinds of tacos, but it has never occurred to me to make enchiladas, burritos, tostadas, etc. Go figure. But tonight we decided to make enchiladas using Mario Batali's Leo Maya's Chicken with Green Sauce as both the stuffing and the sauce. Then we added some red onions, some cotija and Monterey Jack cheeses, and cilantro. And there you have it - our very first attempt at enchiladas ever.
These were delicious - absolutely insanely delicious. I even think these were better than the tacos we generally make with the chicken. The sauce permeates the entire dish far more than with the tacos, and this sauce is fantastic. As Alex said, his biggest pet peeve with enchiladas is generally that they are all about the cheese, but these were all about the chicken and that tomatillo salsa. The cotija cheese and the Monterey Jack were the perfect cheeses for these enchiladas, but we used limited amounts so as to not obscure the taste of the chicken. I originally wanted to dip the tortillas in the salsa before rolling and stuffing them, but I got a little lazy and just nuked the bare tortillas before filling them and then ladling sauce over the top. And I honestly don't think that dipping the tortillas in the sauce and then briefly pan-frying them to seal the sauce into the tortillas could have made these enchiladas any more delicious. I think that is mostly due to the fact that we already braised the chicken thighs in the sauce, so if I were ever to make enchiladas with a rotisserie chicken I would definitely take the time to dip the tortillas in sauce and fry them. These are so good - really so good that if I weren't incredibly full I would go back and eat more and more of them.
Recipe after the jump!
