Chicken Enchiladas Verdes 

Depending on how much time and effort you want to put into this classic Tex-Mex dish, it can be anything from super easy and pretty darn good to a little more time consuming and absolutely awesome.

For the mostly-from-scratch route, you’ll roast a whole chicken and make homemade roasted salsa verde. (Bonus: roasting a chicken gives you half a chicken for another use). To make a short-cut version, snag a roast chicken from the supermarket, or use leftover chicken, and use store-bought salsa verde. You can go one of two ways tortilla-wise as well: a quick zap in the microwave to soften them is OK; dipping them in hot oil before rolling them is a little more work and a little more fat, but well worth it on both counts. Counterintuitively, store-bought corn tortillas work better for these than home-made ones do. Go figure.

Makes 12 enchiladas, enough to serve 4 to 6.

Ingredients

2 cups shredded chicken, from a roast chicken (see below), or use store-bought roast chicken or leftover chicken

Pan sauce from roasting the chicken (if you made your own)

1 1/2 cups crumbled queso fresco, or grated Monterey jack and/or cheddar cheese, or any combination, divided

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 recipe of roasted salsa verde (see below) or 2 1/2 cups store-bought salsa verde, divided

Canola or other neutral oil for softening the tortillas

12 corn tortillas

Sour cream or crema for garnish (optional) or thinly sliced radishes and cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375 F. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, its roasting juices (if you roasted your own), 1/2 cup of the cheese, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Taste the mixture and, if necessary, add salt to taste. If you used store-bought roast chicken or leftover chicken and it seems a little dry, add a tablespoon or two of the salsa verde. Set aside.

2. Spread 2 tablespoons of the salsa verde over the bottom of a baking dish. (12x8 1/2-inch is ideal.)

3. Now soften the tortillas. Pour enough canola oil into a small sauté pan or skillet to go a little way up the sides — about 1/4-inch deep. Heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Using tongs, dip a tortilla into the oil for two or three seconds, then turn and dip for two or three seconds on the other side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or sheet pan to drain. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

4. Place a softened tortilla on a cutting board and place 2 or 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture down the center. Roll it up, and place it seam-side down in the baking pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until the baking pan is full. Pour the remaining salsa verde over all. Distribute evenly, but leave the edges uncovered to get little crisp. If you like, separate the enchiladas a bit to let the salsa verde go between them. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the heat to 400 and bake 5 minutes more, so the cheese gets browned.

6. Top with dollops of sour cream or crema or sliced radishes and cilantro leaves, if desired, and serve.

FOR THE ROASTED SALSA VERDE (note: this is based on our basic Roasted Salsa Verde recipe, but in the right proportions for the enchiladas)

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, papery husks removed, rinsed and patted dry

2-3 serrano chiles or jalapeños

1 large white onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices

7 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled

1/2 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, chopped, including some stems but not too many

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place the tomatillos, chiles, onion slices and garlic cloves on a baking sheet (line it with a Silpat mat, if you have one, for easier clean-up) and roast them for 10 minutes. Use tongs to turn the vegetables over, and roast another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Pull off and discard the stems of the serrano chiles or jalapeños. Place the chiles, onion slices, tomatillos and salt in the bowl of a food processor. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, pop the cloves out of their skin and add them to the bowl. Purée till smooth and stir in the cilantro.

Makes about 2 2/3 cups.

FOR THE ROAST CHICKEN

Ingredients

1 chicken (3 to 5 pounds)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Dry the chicken and generously salt it and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper inside and out. Truss it if you like, but it’s not necessary.

2. Set a skillet on top of the stove over high heat and let it get hot. Set the chicken in the pan, breast-side-up, and immediately transfer the pan to the oven. Roast 30 minutes, then carefully flip over the bird. Roast another 15-20 minutes like that with the breast down (15 minutes for a small bird, around 3 pounds, 20 for a larger one). Flip the bird over again and finish roasting breast up for 10 minutes.

3. Transfer the chicken to a board or sheet pan and let it rest 5 or 10 minutes before carving.

4. Meanwhile, deglaze the pan. Pour out the fat and put the skillet on the stove over high heat. Add 2/3 cup water, and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom. Let the liquid boil until nicely reduced, about 5 minutes. Pour into a measuring cup: You should have about 1/4 cup. Use this in the enchilada filling.

5. About half of a 4-pound chicken makes enough shredded chicken for one recipe of enchiladas.