Mexican Fiesta Part Dos: Roasted Poblano Chicken Enchiladas

While we waited for the tres leches to finish, we decided that we should probably have an actual meal too (one day I will realize my dream of an all cake diet, and then you'll be treated to posts like how to make insulin smoothies). I tested the chopping skills of sous chef extraordinaires Nancy and Maconda to the limit, and the result was some of the finest enchiladas ever (and trust me, I once drove over an hour just to get enchiladas).

One of the best things about living in Texas: poblanos are readily available

Roasted Poblano Chicken Enchiladas
Time: 45 minutes

3 poblano peppers
2 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
Sour cream
Flour tortillas
Mexican cheese, shredded
Cooked shredded chicken
Cilantro, chopped for garnish

The secret inner workings of an enchilada (shocker: it's like a taco).

1. Roast the poblanos then remove the stems and seeds. You can find a tutorial here. This time I roasted them under a broiler instead of over an open flame. I found this went far faster and involved much less effort.
2. Preheat the oven to 375.
3. Puree the peppers, chicken broth, 1/4 cup onion and garlic in a blender. Add sour cream to change the desired thickness and spiciness of the sauce (I recommend about 1 healthy dollop for a good level of heat).
4. Cook your chicken. I used leftover Beer Can Chicken that Kevin made the night before. You can just boil the chicken in water with garlic, onion, cumin, salt and pepper (note: this will also give you chicken broth for the sauce) or grill it, but I highly recommend trying the beer can chicken.
5. Heat the tortillas in a frying pan to make sure they won't fall apart when you try to roll them.
6. Fill a tortilla with chicken and onion then top with a spoonful of sauce and roll tightly.
7. Pack the enchiladas folded side down into a large baking pan then top with the remaining sauce and shredded cheese.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
9. Top with cilantro and serve.

Nancy's rolling dexterity was superb.

When making these enchiladas, I decided I wanted to try to make a sauce reminiscent of my poblano bisque. The roasted poblanos have a great bold flavor that blends together perfectly with the chicken and melty cheese, but the cilantro really makes it pop. Oddly enough, the following day, the enchiladas absorbed most of the sauce and somehow became even tastier. To finish things off, I added some Mexican corn and rice, and we washed the deliciousness down with Sacha's world famous margaritas.

Sacha working hard as our official taster.

But his true calling is making margaritas.

After the amazing Mexican fiesta we put on, I'm sure that Nancy, Maconda and I are well on our way to conquering the culinary world. Now we just need a killer group name. Sadly, "Jem and the Holograms" is already taken, so please feel free to give me suggestions.