Chicken Enchiladas with Verde Sauce ALL from Scratch, Rice and Sides

I guess I could have worked a little harder on presentation. haha

I was completely blown away by this meal. Wait, let me pat myself on the back. hehehe I've never had authentic Mexican food, but out of all the restaurants I've been to, this meal is better than most. Yes, I made corn tortillas. I really thought I would make them once and never again, but they are one of the easiest things I've made in a very long time. They are so easy to make that I don't even make them in advance. I cook them while I'm sauteing the chicken. The verde sauce is the same way, effortless. I'm never buying this in a can again. Oh and the rice!! Oh my, it was perfect. I loved every single part of this meal. I could go on and on.

And in case you're wondering, yes that is my portion of food. No, I wasn't sharing with a toddler, because she was napping through dinner. And no, this isn't a tiny plate. It's actually an over-sized plate that irritates me to no end because it will not fit in the dishwasher. And yes, I ate every single bite. haha!

Oh yes, and before I forget. I had to say adieu to my kitchenaid mixer. It went back. :( I ended up having to get the red instead, which works fine in my kitchen. I'm planning on getting a backsplash so that should fix the color problem (I have red walls). On the plus side, I saved over $100, so no complaints here! So let me introduce you to my replacement mixer.......

Big Red

Ok, food time!

Get out The Beast and use the griddle side.

Mix the flour and water together.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 balls, place one ball on the parchment paper
and cover with another piece of parchment.

Roll out with a rolling pin to form a circle.
Or use a tortilla press (I don't have one).

Immediately place on the hot griddle for about 30 seconds per side.

Finished corn tortillas

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Original Recipe

Serving Size = 12 (recipe says 15, but I think that's too small)

• 1 3/4 cups masa harina
• 1 1/8 cups of hot water (or so)

1. Place the masa into a bowl and slowly add the hot water while mixing with your hands. The dough should come together forming a ball, add water until this happens. Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth. If it's too sticky, add more masa. If it's too dry, add more water (sprinkle water on it). Place the dough back into the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave it for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the cast iron griddle a little above medium. 
3. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Place one ball onto a piece of parchment paper (from what I've read, plastic wrap will not work). Place another piece of parchment paper on top and using a rolling pin, roll out to form a circle. The size will be roughly 7 inches. I add a tiny amount of grape seed oil to the griddle and wipe off. Place the tortilla onto the griddle immediately. Cook about 30 seconds per side. Start rolling out the next tortilla while this one cooks. 
4. When I'm rolling out the dough, I like to keep the other dough balls covered with the plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. If they get too dry and fall apart while you're rolling them out, then sprinkle a tiny bit of water of them, very lightly. If your dough sticks to the parchment paper, then you might need new paper. If that doesn't work, add more masa. I've never had to add more masa though.
5. As each one finishes cooking, place them onto a plate and cover with a towel.

Tomatillos.

Place everything into a saucepan and simmer.

Puree the mixture.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Original Recipe

Serving Size = 8 servings

• 1 lb tomatillos, husked
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions (I made sure to reserve 1/4 cup for the rice)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (I didn't mince, just roughly chopped)
• 1 serrano chile pepper, minced (roughly chopped)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (I used 1/2 tablespoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 2 cups water

1. Place everything into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the tomatillos are soft (10-15 minutes)
2. Using a blender, puree the mixture until smooth.

Fill the tortillas with chicken.

Pour on the verde, sprinkle on the cheese.

Chicken Enchiladas

Serving Size = 12 tortillas (roughly 4 people)

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt
• Salsa verde
• Corn tortillas
• Muenster cheese (or anything similar)

1. Salt the chicken and then saute. Remove and cut into small pieces. If it's done cooking, then set aside, if not, then return to the pan and cook a little bit longer.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Place a very small amount of chicken into each tortilla and roll. The tortillas ends should touch, and overlap a bit. Fill each tortillas and place into a baking dish. When done, pour the salsa verde over the tortillas. You can use all of it, or reserve some. Baking the enchiladas will thicken the sauce slightly and it will seem like less.
4. Sprinkle the shredded cheese across the top.
5. Bake until the cheese melts (I start the rice at this point).

Cook the rice until puffed and golden.

Delicious rice.

Mexican Rice

Original Recipe

Serving Size = 4

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used grape seed oil)
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice (white)
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt (I don't own garlic salt. Just mix 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden (mine never puffed or turned golden). Sprinkle on the garlic salt and cumin.
2. Stir in the onions and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Sides

Tomatoes with lime and cilantro.

Tomato and cilantro: 
Chop some small tomatoes, any kind, and mix with cilantro (to taste). I squeeze a tiny bit of lime juice over the top.
Salad: 
I just chopped some iceberg lettuce up.
Sour Cream: 
1 cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons cumin (to taste), 1/2 lime or so juiced.

Linking to: Real Food Deals, Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday, Food on Fridays, Friday Potluck