Chicken Enchiladas with roasted poblano salsa

Enchiladas have long been one of my favorite items at Mexican restaurants. These are really simple to throw together, as long as you have time to let them bake in the oven. The poblano salsa has really nice flavor and can be made several days in advance.

Roasted Poblano Salsa (makes about 3 cups)

4 roma tomatoes
1/2 medium onion (about 1/2 cup)
2 fresh poblano peppers
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. black pepper
Salt to taste (~1 tbsp.)

Warm a caste iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic in the skillet, rotating frequently until the onions soften and the tomatoes feel warmed through (8-10 minutes). Seed the poblanos by slicing around the seeds and stem, and core the roma tomatoes. Place ingredients in a blender or food processor (I use a blender for this one) and pulse until smooth. Add the black pepper and salt to taste.

Chicken Enchiladas (serves 4-6)

1 lb boneless chicken breasts
8-10 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded Colby jack or Monterrey jack cheese
3 cups of the roasted poblano salsa above

Place the raw chicken on a greased sheet pan, season with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken at 350° for 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. (I usually prepare the salsa while the chicken is baking.) When chicken is baked, remove it from the oven and let it sit for 5-10 minutes (this helps keeps the meat moist and brings the temperature down so you can handle the meat). Using two forks, pull the chicken apart into small clumps. This works best if you pull against the grain.

Once all the chicken has been pulled, it is time to prepare the enchiladas. In an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish, pour a layer of poblano salsa, just enough to thinnly coat the bottom of the dish. Layer 3-4 tortillas so they cover the entire dish. Sprinkle a cup of cheese over the tortillas and place about half the chicken on top. Pour about 3/4 cup of poblano salsa over the chicken. Repeat the process, placing tortillas, 1 cup cheese, remaining chicken and 3/4 cup salsa. Make one final layer of tortillas and top with remaining cheese.

With the oven still heated to 350°, bake the enchiladas for around 40 minutes, or until the cheese on top is browning and the sauce is bubbling at the sides. Remove and let stand for five minutes. Serve with the remaining poblano salsa and sour cream. We also serve it with this simple refried beans recipe from the Food Network.