The Daring Cook’s challenge this month was Stacked Chicken Enchiladas.  The challenge part of this month’s recipe was making green enchilada sauce from scratch.  It wasn’t a difficult challenge and the results were great for our monthly poker night! 

Blog-checking lines: Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

Ingredients

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) 24 ounces 678 grams – roast, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely. Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size!)
7-8 ounces Tomatillos (about 4-5 medium)212 grams – peel, remove stems
4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces/920 grams)
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)
¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)
Hot sauce, your favorite, optional
2 Boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs)
3 tablespoons Olive oil or other neutral vegetable oil (use more as needed)
Kosher salt and pepper
12 Small Corn tortillas (5-6 inch/13-15 cm). (you can also use wheat tortillas or other wraps)
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack, 170 grams (other cheeses (cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican cheeses) can be used. Just be sure they melt well and complement the filling)
Cilantro for garnish, chopped and sprinkled optional

Directions:

Roasting Fresh Chiles

1. Coat each chile with a little vegetable oil. If you are doing only a couple chiles, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster.
2. Lay the oiled chiles on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chiles so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered.
3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool.
4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it.
5. DO NOT RINSE!

Green Chile Sauce

1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft.
2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor.
3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes a side for boneless chicken breasts.
3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred.
4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately.
5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most).
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done.
8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce.
9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup (4 ounces/112 grams) of sauce over the tortillas.
10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and 1/3 of the grated cheese.
11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese.
12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese.
13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks and sprinkle with cilantro, if you wish. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes.

The story of my life. 

Don’t you love when people say that?  You expect some eloquent sad tale of the tragedies that have befallen the poor bloke.  Well, here is mine.  Tragic?  Probably not.  But if you have eaten as much mascarpone as I have in the last few weeks, you would definitely feel a twinge of sympathy beginning to take hold.   

I ate tiramisu… twice.  Once for a Daring Baker’s challenge and then for a baking class.  Then mascarpone and fig ravioli.   Then mascarpone panna cotta.   And I used up all of the mascarpone that had been quietly taunting me each and every time I opened the refrigerator.    Yippee.  No more mascarpone.

And then I looked at the menu chosen by a group coming in for a private party.  Yes folks.  They had opted for the Spring Fling menu which meant Mascarpone Stuffed Chicken.  If only I would learn to look ahead.  I would have simply tossed a dishtowel over the taunting mascarpone and used it for this party.  But no.  I had to go and buy more mascarpone.  The story of my life.   I know. I know.  If only everyone had such tales of woe the world would be a happy mascarpone filled place!

MASCARPONE STUFFED CHICKEN

1 cup mascarpone

1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, mined

1 tbsp thyme, minced

1 tbsp. chives, minced

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 whole fryer, about 3 lbs.

Preheat oven to 400.  In small bowl, mix mascarpone with the herbs, lemon zest, garlic and salt and pepper.  Starting at the neck of the chicken, gently loosen the skin being careful to keep the skin nearest the cavity opening attached.  Spread the filling under the skin, working it toward the drumsticks.  Season the cavity with salt and pepper. 

Put the chicken in a pan and bake for about 20 minutes.  Reduce the temperature and cook for an additional hour or until the temperature registers 170 degrees.  Let the chicken stand for about 15 minutes and carve. 

And now.  Anyone want to guess?  Yep.  There is mascarpone sitting in my refrigerator once again.  Does anyone have any more ideas for me to try?

We love, love, love blue cheese at our house.  It was a love I didn’t fully accept for many years.  As a matter of fact, it was I love I resisted.  I insisted I could survive without the stinky cheese and preferred to leave it to others.   But gradually this stinky cheese ingratiated itself into my life.  Like a bad penny, it kept showing up.  Until, finally, one day, I realized it made it to the list of my favorite things:  worn and soft LSU sweatshirt, coffee mug with Taylor’s mug on it, fuzzy purple houseshoes which resemble Gonzo on a bad hair day, my blue fine line pens and the most adorable cocker spaniel ever.   Stinky blue cheese.  I add it to mashed potatoes, dips, salads, gratins,  bread.  And after I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, I added it to herbed balsamic chicken breasts.  

The dousing in the balsamic makes the chicken breast so moist and flavorful.  The herbes de provence (an herb mixture which differs by the maker but which usually contains some combination of savory, fennel, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage and/or lavender) provides that “what is that unusual flavor” kind of pause after a bite or two.  And, of course, the blue cheese which melts over the cooked chicken breast.  It is a magical combination.  I think it will make your list of favorite things as well. 

HERBED BALSAMIC CHICKEN WITH BLUE CHEESE adapted from Bon Appetit June 2009

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp herbes de provence

4 ounces blue cheese

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag.  Add vinegar, oil, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.  Seal and refrigerate for at least two hours.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saute pan.  Remove chicken from marinade and add to hot pan.  Sprinkle breasts with 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp herbes de provence.  Cook until chicken is cooked through, about six minutes per side.  Transfer to plates and top each with blue cheese. 

Linked to Magazine Mondays at Cream Puffs in Venice.    Thanks Ivonne!