Angel's classic Enchiladas Suizas

This is Angel's recipe for chicken enchiladas in green sauce.  A classic dish, and hers is better than I've eaten anywhere.  She makes them often and I will never get tired of eating them.  I love them.  I tend to overindulge whenever she makes them.

Now, this is Angel's transcription from the recipe box in her mind, so it's not too specific.  We'll tune it up as we practice and as Angel (or anyone else) gives us feedback.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 lbs. chicken breast
  
• one large yellow onion, halved
  
• 2 tsp. salt
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• 8 cloves garlic
  
• 2 lb. tomatillos, husks removed and washed
  
• 2 to 5 serrano chiles (quantity depending of the season and desired chile heat)
  
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  
• 2 tbs. vegetable oil
  
• 20 corn tortillas
  
• one small yellow or red onion, chopped, for garnish
• queso ranchero, monterey jack, or mozzarella cheese
  

DIRECTIONS

In a stockpot with the 2 1/2 quarts water, 2 tsp. salt, the peppercorns, one of the onion halves and 4 garlic cloves, boil the chicken until the it is just cooked through.  Remove the chicken and set the broth aside for use in the sauce.  Shred the chicken (a KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment works great for this) and set aside.

In about one quart of the reserved stock, boil tomatillos, serranos chiles, the other onion half, 4 garlic cloves. Keep remaining broth at hand to the side, so you can add back as necessary for desired consistency.  Boil until tomatillos and chiles soften.  Puree the mixture until smooth (use an immersion blender if you have one, or transfer the tomatillos, broth, and vegetables to a blender).  Add cilantro and salt to taste.

In the vegetable oil, fry the tortillas until medium soft, not crunchy. This should take about 15 seconds per side. Dip the tortillas in the sauce and roll with shredded chicken.  (If you make enough for leftovers, which I always encourage Angel to do, pack the rolls into an appropriately sized baking dish, cover, and refrigerate.  Reheat in the oven to serve.)

Top with queso ranchero or mozarella, chopped onion, and sour cream.  If you've made the sauce spicy, sour cream will never taste better than with these enchiladas.

You can also serve these with Angel's black bean sauce, which provides a nice contrasting dimension.

MAKE AHEAD

You can make it all a day ahead, putting the enchiladas in the baking dish, covered, and put into the fridge.  Reheat in a 35o°F oven, and then garnish and serve.

Wine Notes:

This is a classic meal for a lager or pale ale.  Wine can be tricky with the tomatillo and chile, in my experience.  I'd go with something aromatic, like gewurtzraminer or viognier.