Stacked Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde and Cheese

We added this offering as the verde of choice to accompany our Sandoval legacy rojo recipe at our traditional Enchilada Christmas Celebrations. What a hit! As we have quite a few vegetarians in our brood, we omit the chicken and the recipe absolutely stands on its own with a few modifications. I cut the sour cream by half and agree with the reviewers who added cumin, coriander, a neutral oil (like grape seed), and lime juice to the salsa. If you really want a kick, add a few minced jalapeno or serrano chiles* to either the dish itself or the salsa. If many of your guests tend more toward the medium end of the spice spectrum, make two salsas - one from the original recipe and one with the chiles. *When handling chiles, remember to use disposable Nitril gloves and remove the bitter, spongey chile core along with many of the seeds. If you don't have gloves, be sure to wash your hands in cold or warm water with ample amounts of baking soda to neutralize the chile oil. Then dry your hands with a paper towel and throw it away. In case you didn't get all of the oil off and use a cloth hand towel, you or someone else may get a sting or transfer the oil to your eyes (or worse).

• Barbarella115

• Ventura, CA

• 5/19/2015

Sorry, I meant to give it four stars, as it was a great starting point for an awesome dish!

• akl7777

• WA

• 10/22/2014

So, I've made this about six times now, and have figured out what makes it great for me....First, I have to agree with other reviewers who stated that this dish, made exactly according to the recipe (I did that the first time), turns out disappointingly bland. This is surprising because when you make that salsa verde, it tastes wonderful, but the favors get lost in the baking. What shocked me, was the third time I made it, I didn't have time to make the salsa, so I used store-bought, and there was really not enough difference in flavor to justify all the work it takes. If I bother now to make the salsa verde, we enjoy it on its own. When I make this recipe I use store-bought salsa (use La Victoria mixed with La Costina for a medium spice, and all La Costina or Jardine's for very spicy). However, to give the recipe more flavor, I sauté freshly ground cumin and coriander in some oil, squeeze some lime juice on it, and mix it into the salsa. Leftovers taste even better!

• akl7777

• WA

• 9/16/2014

Add garlic, lime & zest, cumin & corriander to this recipe. I secon the vote to roast the tomatillos! Unecessary to warm the tortillas in oil: calorie savings!

• thatgirldeb

• Atlanta, GA 30350

• 12/2/2013

As someone from New Orleans, we're just used to more flavor--I just don't get BA's kitchen testers--the main recipe (not the salsa) doesn't call for garlic, lime, cumin, corriandar, or other Mexican LA spices. I too roasted the tomatilla's -- if you follow other reviewers recommendations this is a good recipe. I am also able to get cheeses and creams from Cent. America and it helps.

• cosmiccook

• NOLA

• 5/28/2013

First, this will be one of those reviews that I hate to read but please note I gave it 4 forks. I made all kinds of changes to use what I had on hand (and what DH mistakenly brought home) and my point is don't be afraid to make changes to this one. Used 2 large flour tortillas in place of the 12 small corn tortillas, Pepper Jack cheese, roasted hatch chiles and used both red and green salsas, the last because DH didn't know what salsa verde was. I pretty much cut the recipe in half and made only 2 layers and this still would have fed 3 hungry people. If I haven't lost you yet, I did a couple of technique changes that I will definitely do again. I brushed my tortillas with oil and warmed them in a 12" skillet; then assembled and baked my enchiladas in the same skillet. This cut down on oil and dirtying up a separate baking pan.

• Anonymous

• Roanoke, VA

• 2/11/2012

The recipe is decent, but not great. It is a bit bland. It needs more of a roasted / smokey flavor. And a little more bite wouldn't hurt either. And some lime would be great. If you make this, suggest you follow other reviewers recommendations about roasting the tomatillos and peppers, instead of boiling. Also, might cut back on the cilantro a bit. I love cilantro, but this has a lot.

• Phil61

• Dallas, TX

• 12/13/2011

Wowie! Such fresh flavor! Husband and I happily ate leftovers the next two days. Followed recipe exactly - but didn't plan ahead to make the Pickled Red Onion accompaniment - next time!! And there will be a next time.

• Lindacooks

• San Diego, CA

• 9/1/2011

I loved the flavor of this dish, although my tortillas were still soggy even though I fried them first. Should I fry them to the point where they are super crispy?

• thirdculturefoodie

• los angeles, ca

• 7/20/2011

I agree that homemade salsa verde is the way to go and roasted tomatillos are superior to boiled. On the other hand, I found this salsa receipe time consuming. Instead, I use the following and I think it is just as good. 3lbs. tomatillos husked and rinsed; cut in half; placed on a foil-lined baking sheet and roasted under the broiler for 5-7 minutes until moderately blackened. (No need to brush them with oil!) Place roasted tomatillos in blender with 2 T lime juice; 1 c. white onion; 1 c. cilantro leaves; 2-4 jalapenos or serrano peppers seeded and sliced; salt and pepper to taste. Store in refrigerator until ready to put the layers together. Next time I will roast the serrano or jalapenos per another reviewer's suggestion. I love the pickeled red onions. The enchiladas can be a tad dry and it is a great accompaniment.

• snzn777

• Coronado, CA

• 8/17/2010

首先,我强烈建议你把time to make your own fresh Salsa Verde...it is so worth the extra effort and the depth of flavor cannot be matched by any commercial salsa verde...I have adjusted the salsa verde recipe to my own taste and I also highly recommend roasting or broiling the tomatillos, peppers, onion etc before blending...then simmer on stovetop for an hour or so to let the flavors deepen...I also add cumin and coriander as well as some dried chili powder and salt and pepper. As for the enchiladas...definitely do fry the tortillas first like the recipe says...it seems to seal in the corn tortilla flavor and keeps them from turning into mush from absorbing the salsa...I also used monterey jack cheese and some Xoacaca (sp?) mexican cheese (a sharp, dry, crumbly cheese) in between the layers and left out the sour cream (served that on the top). I roasted some chicken breasts (after I rubbed them with mexican spices) and made sure I did not over cook them...then just put layers together...I and my family and company were extremely impressed with the depth and layers of flavor and I will definitely make this again. To those who have said they were disappointed or didn't like it...don't be afraid of tweaking the recipe but do not take the shortcut of using commercial salsa verde...once you have made the effort and made your own you will understand why this dish is so wonderful!

• Bestcookintown

• Live Oak, CA

• 7/11/2010

-- and add 2T lime juice to salsa-- perfection.

• toripelz

• 6/15/2010

One suggestion for the salsa verde: instead of cooking in water, broil peppers and tomatillos with olive oil until tender-- adds a sweet smokiness that you don't get by simmering. And throw in blender-- no need to reheat with oil.

• toripelz

• 6/15/2010

This is a fantastic recipe if you make the "salsa verde" from scratch using the link from the ingredients section. Once you do it this way you'll never go back; it packs a whallop of flavor. The second time we made it, we were in a hurry so we used a jar of "Salsa Lisa Tomatillo and Green Chile" (love their salsas right out of the jar), however, it turned out kind of bland and tasteless. Having the right salsa verde makes all the difference!

• pagedragon

• MInneapolis

• 4/28/2010

I loved this recipe. I substituted roasted salmon for the chicken and used jack cheese. It was very flavorful with just the right amount of spice. My husband loved it.

• pdonnellan

• Mill Valley, CA

• 11/10/2009