Tex-Mex Togetherness

While I’ve always subscribed to the “food brings people together” school of though, I feel like there are some foods in particular that have an extraordinary ability to unite the hoi polloi. Tex-Mex is one of the foods. From tacos to tortilla soup, chimichangas to cheese dip, virtually everyone I know enjoys the blessed culinary union of the American southwest and our neighbor across the border.

Problem is, I know that many of the aforementioned people don’t think of Tex-Mex as something they can easily whip up in their home kitchens. I don’t know exactly why—the techniques are basic, the ingredients inexpensive and widely available and the combinations limitless. Ah hah! Maybe it’s that so many of the meats used in the dishes beg to be slow cooked until they’re rendered falling-apart tender?

If that’s your dilemma, I’ve got a solution—poaching. Now, I’m not going to claim to know anything about traditional Mexican cuisine, and it’s certainly possible that poaching is heresy to abuelas everywhere, but I think a hallmark of any good cook should be their ability to adapt recipes to fit their lifestyles. So, that’s what I’ve done for my Chicken Enchilada recipe. That, and rejected using canned enchilada sauce—it’s so easy to make from scratch, why don’t you save the cheating for something like, oh, I don’t know—Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes?

Worth-the-Wait Chicken Enchiladas

Serves 4.

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups chicken stock
½ dry white wine
2 bay leaves
¼ cup (plus 1 tbsp. reserved) fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 ½ tbsp. lime juice
2 cloves garlic, smashed
¼ tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp. flour
28 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 ½ tsp. ground cumin
1 lb. Mexican cheese blend, grated
3 chipotle chilies in adobo, seeded and finely chopped*
12, 6-inch corn tortillas
sour cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine the first 9 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and allow the chicken to cool in the poaching liquid for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and shred into bite-sized pieces.

In another medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 ½ cups of water, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, half of the cheese and the chipotles in adobo.

In a large casserole dish, spread 1 cup of the enchilada sauce. Dip a tortilla into the remaining sauce and thoroughly coat both sides; transfer to a plate. Fill with the chicken mixture, roll up and transfer to the casserole dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Top enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Serve with dollops of sour cream and reserved cilantro sprikled on top.

*Side bar- If you can’t find chipotles in adobo, you could substitute a sprinkle of chipotle chili powder (add it into the tomato sauce mixture), or just skip it.