The best Mexican food isn’t always in Mexico, but the good dishes that turn up here are usually just a step away from their place of origin.
And so it was with the chicken enchiladas that I came across recently at Miracle Springs Resort & Spa in Desert Hot Springs.
They were a special for lunch the day that I arrived for a short vacation, and because I adore Mexican food, I had to find out their origin and get the recipe.
The person responsible did indeed come from Mexico. Cecilia Ortega, who is a sous chef at the resort, grew up in Acatlan de Osorio in the state of Puebla, Mexico. And she certainly knows how to deal with chiles.
Her sauce is simple and straightforward, just dried red chiles soaked until soft, then pureed with onion, garlic and oregano. The filling is shredded chicken, mixed with a little of the sauce. The remainder goes over the top along with plenty of cheese and a scattering of sliced olives and green onions.
The recipe is long, but not difficult. The best procedure is to make the sauce one day, then cook the chicken and assemble and bake the enchiladas the next day. I’ve broken the recipe down into stages to make it easier to follow.
The California chiles that Cecilia uses are mild, so if you want a spicy dish, try blending a jalapeno chile with the sauce. Cecilia serves the enchiladas with beans and rice. Or you can lighten up as I did by substituting a lettuce and avocado salad for the heftier accompaniments.
CECILIA’S CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
12 dried California chiles (about 3 ounces)
¾ onion
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon oregano
7 1/2 cups water, about
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 1 ¼ pounds)
6 black peppercorns
8 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 large green onions, including some of the tops, chopped
¼ cup drained canned sliced ripe olives
The Sauce:
Place the chiles in a deep saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Press the chiles to submerge in the water. Turn off the heat and let them stand until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain
Remove the stems from the chiles and rinse out the seeds. Place the chiles in a blender container or food processor. Add 1/2 onion, cut in chunks; 2 cloves garlic, the oregano and 1 cup water. Blend until thoroughly pureed.
Place a sieve over a large bowl and pour the pureed mixture into the sieve, about 1/3 at a time. Press to extract the chile mixture and eliminate the skins. Rinse out what remains in the blender with another 1 cup water and put through the sieve.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the chile sauce and bring to a boil. Rinse out the chile sauce container with a little more water and add to the pan with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. The sauce can be made in advance to this point and set aside for later or refrigerated overnight.
The Chicken:
Remove the skin from the chicken thighs. Place in a deep saucepan and add 5 cups water, ¼ onion in one piece, 1 clove garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and the peppercorns. Bring to a boil and skim. Reduce the heat and simmer, loosely covered, for 1 hour.
Drain the chicken and reserve the broth for another use. With 2 forks, shred the chicken and discard the bones. There should be at least 2 cups. Stir 1/4 cup of the chile sauce into the shredded chicken and set aside.
Enchilada Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat ½ cup oil in a small skillet. Add 1 tortilla and fry just until softened. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Place 1/8 of the chicken mixture (about ¼ cup) on each tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in a 10x6 glass baking dish or other oblong baking dish.
When all the enchiladas are assembled, cover with the sauce, then with the Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with the green onions and sliced olives.
Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees until heated through, 45 to 50 minutes. Uncover and let stand a few minutes before serving.
Makes 8 enchiladas or 4 servings.
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