Cooking Lesson #1090: Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chile Sauce

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? This is my go-to El Cholo-style recipe for chicken enchiladas with green chile sauce. My cheese-filled corn tortillas baked with a creamy sauce infused with green peppers. Adjust the amount of chopped chiles to suit your taste!
 
The El Cholo Spanish Cafe is a Los Angeles restaurant serving Mexican food. Founded in 1923—102 years old—the restaurant is credited with the introduction of the burrito to the United States in the 1930s. My dad took me there for the first time when I was eleven years old and I have been going there ever since.
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Cook time:  30 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients 
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 6-inch corn tortillas
1 can green chile sauce (I prefer Las Palmas brand)
6 cooked boneless, skinless, cooked chicken thighs or 3 cooked boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves, shredded
12 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
3 ounces longhorn cheddar cheese
3/4 cup white onion, minced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salsa Fresca garnish
 
Directions

1. Measure all ingredients and have at your side. Read the recipe first, and set up your workstation.
2. Preheat an oven to 375° F.
3. Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with food release.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Fry tortillas (one at a time) for 10 seconds on each side to soften and make them pliable. Add more oil to the pan as needed.
6. Pour the green chile sauce into a shallow bowl. Immediately dip the tortilla in the green chile sauce and set aside ready to roll.
7. Divide the chicken, 10 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, all the long horn cheddar and onions to fill 12 tortillas.
8. Roll up each tortilla and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
9. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
10. Add the flour and whisk until mixture begins to boil.
11. Slowly add chicken broth, stirring with a whisk until thickened.
12. Mix in the sour cream and green chiles, stirring occasionally. Heat thoroughly but do not boil.
13. Pour the sauce mixture over enchiladas in the pan.
14. Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and heated through, about 20 minutes. Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese and bake for 5 more minutes to brown the cheese.
15. Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro.
16. Serve with salsa fresca.

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ChefSecret:  I prefer to use thigh meat as it is moister and more flavorful… I leave that choice up to you. Frying and dipping the tortilla before rolling adds structure and texture preventing the enchiladas from becoming soggy.
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Quip of the Day:  An Irishman, a Mexican and a blonde guy were doing construction work on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building.

They were eating lunch and the Irishman said: "Corned beef and cabbage. If I get corned beef and cabbage one more time for lunch, I'm going to jump off this building."

The Mexican opened his lunch and exclaimed, “Burritos again! If I get burritos one more time in my lunch, I'm going to jump off, too."

The blonde opened his lunch and said, "Bologna again! If I get a bologna sandwich one more time, I'm jumping off, too."

The next day the Irishman opened his lunch box, saw the corned beef and cabbage and jumped to his death. The Mexican opened his lunch, saw a burrito and jumped, too. The blonde guy opened his lunch bucket, saw the bologna sandwich and jumped to his death as well.

At the funeral the Irishman's wife was weeping. She said, "If I'd known how really tired he was of corned beef and cabbage I never would have given it to him again!" The Mexican's wife also wept and said, "I could have given him tacos or enchiladas! I didn't realize he hated burritos so much." Everyone turned and stared at the blonde's wife. "Hey, don't look at me," she said. "He makes his own lunch".
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

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