Chicken Enchiladas

This is a recipe from my new favorite cookbook: "The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook." It feels more authentic than your average enchilada. Tim, my resident Mexican food lover, really liked these. I chose to make their homemade enchilada sauce which made the meal a little more complex, but it was a Sunday and I had a bit more time to prepare than usual. I may try to use store bought enchilada sauce if I ever make them on a weekday. A bit of work to put together, but worth it in the end.

Chicken Enchiladas

Notes from the cookbook:

"We prefer the flavor of our homemade enchilada sauce; however, you can substitute 20 ounces (2 1/2 cups) of canned enchilada sauce if desired. Make sure that the chicken is finely shredded or the edges of the large pieces will tear through the enchiladas."

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 to 3), trimmed, pounded if necessary

Salt and pepper

2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (recipe to follow)

1 cup finely crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese (I recommend the queso fresco, it was dynamite! You can find it near the cream cheese and other cheeses at the grocery store)

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas

V egetable oil spray (such as PAM)

1 cup shredded monterey jack (about 4 oz)

Lime wedges (for serving)

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Combine the chicken and enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, 10-15 minutes. When the sauce is simmering, flip the chicken over, cover, and continue to cook until the chicken registers 160-165 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 10-15 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to a plate and shred it into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle. Combine the chicken, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, queso fresco, chiles, and cilantro in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover to keep warm while heating the tortillas.

4. Lightly coat both sides of the tortillas with vegetable oil spray. Place 6 tortillas onto a baking sheet and bake until the tortillas are soft and pliable, 2-4 minutes.

5. Working quickly while the tortillas are still warm and pliable, spread them out over a clean counter. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them, seam-side down, in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

6. Pour 1 cup more sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the monterey jack. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Serve, passing the remaining sauce and lime wedges separately.

Make ahead tip: Assemble the enchiladas through step 5, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Before topping with the sauce and cheese and baking as directed in step 6, spray the enchiladas lightly with vegetable oil spray and bake until warm and lightly toasted on top, 10-20 minutes.

Green Enchilada Sauce

makes 2 1/2 cups

Notes from the cookbook: "If you can't find poblanos, substitute 5 jalapenos, stemmed and seeded. Two 1-ounce cans of tomatillos, rinsed, can be substituted for the fresh tomatillos. This sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

3 poblano chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 pound tomatillos (about 12) husked, washed and dried

Vegetable oil spray

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 onion, minced

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper

1. Position oven rack 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the poblanos, skin-side up, and tomatillos on the prepared baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray. Broil until the vegetables blacken and begin to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking.

2. Remove vegetables from the oven, let cool slightly, then remove the skins from the poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact). Process the broiled vegetables, broth, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and sugar together in a food processor until the sauce is almost smooth, 30-60 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I used my Vitamix...it worked lovely)