- Rating:
- Servings:
- 4 - 5
- Difficulty:
- Total Time:
- Recipe By:
- Heidi Allison
Ingredients
- 10 Chicken Thighs
- 1 medium White Onions quartered and skin left on
- 1 Bay Leaves
- 6 Black Peppercorns from Organic Grinders
- 1 clove Organic Garlic smashed
- 6 cups Water
- 1 cup Pre-Shredded 3 Mexican Cheese Blend
- 1/3 cup Cotija Cheese
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil (for frying tortillas)
- 3 large Poblano Chiles roasted peeled and seeded
- 8 thick Corn Tortillas
- 1/4 cup Black Olives chopped Roasted
Red Chile Sauce
- 8 New Mexico Chiles (mild)
- 2 Anaheim Chile
- 1/2 cup Chicken Stock (preferably homemade)
- 1/2 cup Chile Soaking Water
- 6 Plum tomatoes or Roma Tomatoes
- 1 small White Onion sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 8 cloves Peeled Garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper from Organic Grinders
- 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar (unfiltered)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9x13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
Place the chicken, onion, bay leaf and garlic in a heavy 4-quart pot and simmer on medium-low heat until almost done, about 12-15 minutes, Remove from heat and let chicken cool in its own broth (It’s important to finish the cooking process in the warm broth, which prevents the meat from getting tough). Remove the skin from the thighs and shred meat with two forks or pull apart with your fingers. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with a bit of the broth to keep meat moist. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Throw away vegetables from broth. Skim the fat from the broth; then strain through two layers of cheese cloth and set aside.
Pull off the stems from the chiles and shake out the seeds. Place chiles in a bowl and cover with hot (not boiling) water. Top with a small plate to keep the chiles submerged. Let chiles sit for 20 minutes (no longer than 30 or chiles lose flavor) until soft.
Place chiles, stock, chile soaking water, onions, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin in the blender and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender periodically. Let run at least 2 minutes on high setting. (This takes several times since chile skins can be tough.) Add vinegar and blend.
Mix chicken meat with 1/3 cup of red chile sauce and set aside.
Heat two medium skillets (side by side) on medium heat. Warm the red chile sauce in one skillet and the oil in another. Using tongs dip the corn tortilla first into the hot oil for several seconds until soft; then turn the tortilla over and heat the second side till soft. Place the tortilla in the red chile sauce for several seconds on each side, then shake of excess. Place in a 9x13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish and top with 1/3 cup of chicken mixture, 1 tablespoon of chopped poblano chile, and 2 tablespoons of Mexican cheese. Roll into a cigar and place seam side down. Repeat this process with the rest of the enchiladas. Top with 1 cup of red sauce, making sure the ends are covered with extra sauce. Top with the remainder of Mexican cheese blend, cotija cheese; and then olives. Bake till hot, about 12 minutes.
Notes from Author, Heidi Allison:
Cotija cheese, often called “Mexican parmesan,” is a salty, dry cheese that doesn’t melt---it’s added for flavor, and shines when mixed with a good melting cheese, then sprinkled on top (rather than inside) the enchilada. BTW: Remove the inner plastic cap from the blender, and hold a kitchen towel over the hole while pureeing…this trick prevents the blender from spraying chili sauce all over the walls even when almost full!
