Enchiladas Suizas

Enchiladas Suizas

Poultry
Mexican, Main Dish

Serves 4-6

These wonderful enchiladas — as delicate and delicious as a French crepe dish — were invented in 1950 at Sanborn’s in the Casa de Aulejos in Mexico City. Suizas means Swiss, a reference to the unusual inclusion of dairy.

Ingredients #

  • For the sauce: #

    • 1 lb tomatillos, husks removed, cored
    • 2 serrano chiles, stemmed
    • 1/2 white onion, chopped
    • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
    • 3/4 bunch cilantro
    • 1 tbsp oil
    • 1 cup crema Mexicana
    • Kosher salt to taste

  • For the filling: #

    • 2 cups poached and shredded chicken

  • For the assembly: #

    • 12 white corn tortillas
    • 1 cup vegetable oil for softening the tortillas
    • 2 cups queso asadero or queso Chihuahua, grated

  • For the garnish: #

    • 1 cup crema Mexicana
    • 1/2 white onion, chopped
    • 1/4 bunch of cilantro, minced

Instructions #

Prepare the sauce #

Place the tomatillos, chiles, onion, and garlic in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the tomatillos change color but do not burst.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a blender, reserving the cooking liquid. Blend the vegetables until smooth (be very careful, holding a towel over the lid and pressing down firmly!), adding cooking liquid as needed to achieve a medium sauce consistency. Add the cilantro and process it for a few seconds more.

In a saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil. When it is hot, add the sauce and cook for a few minutes until warmed through and slightly thickened. Reduce to a bare simmer and stir in the crema Mexicana. Heat the sauce through, but don’t let to boil again after you add the dairy.

Remove from heat and season to taste with salt. Cover and keep warm.

Assemble the enchiladas #

Mix a few large spoonfuls of the sauce with the drained shredded chicken. Taste and correct seasoning if needed. Also spread a couple spoonfuls of sauce across the bottom of 9-by-13 baking dish.

Combine the chopped onion and minced cilantro. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Pour oil to a depth of 1/2” in a small skillet over medium high heat, and warm to a low frying temperature. Pass each tortilla quickly through the hot oil, just to soften. Drain on paper towels.

Fill the lower third of a softened tortilla with 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling. Roll it up and place it, seam-down, in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Generously cover the enchiladas with the sauce, making sure the edges of the tortillas are covered. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese is melted and brown in spots.

To garnish, drizzle crema Mexicana over the top, and sprinkle with the onion-cilantro mixture. Serve while hot.