Enchiladas Verdes (Green Chicken Enchiladas)

Chef notes

This is one of those classic crowd-pleasing dishes that we just had to slide in here, even if it didn't exactly conform to the initial premise of this cookbook. (FWIW, we have encountered at least one vendor in Mexico selling enchiladas from the trunk of his car, but not quite like these.) Enchiladas hardly need any introduction at all; they are, in fact, right up there with tacos and tamales as some of the most heavily sought-after recipes on the internet. If this is somehow your first time encountering them, think of baked enchiladas as a tortilla casserole with generous amounts of salsa, cheese and protein — often chicken, as is the case here. This recipe is of the green variety, which comes from the tomatillos, and is of the suiza (i.e., enchiladas suizas, or Swiss enchiladas) persuasion, on account of having cream mixed into the salsa.

This boiled tomatillo salsa verde is our go-to for enchiladas, but it's also perfect on chilaquiles, tacos, burritos, most tamales and whatever else you feel compelled to put it on. Think acid-forward with a subtle hit of umami and a medium dose of green heat.