Just made these and they were pretty much perfect, so I thought I would share.
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 small white onions
5 cloves of garlic
tablespoon chicken bouillon
teaspoon marjoram
teaspoon thyme
salt
pepper
3 large plum type tomatoes
3 bay leaves
coriander (seed)
dried red chiles (guajillo, ancho, New Mexico, puya, etc.)
1 Trinidad Scorpion
5 chiltepins
cumin
oregano
sugar
butter or lard
oil
corn tortillas
I started by poaching the chicken. Bone-in skin-on chicken would be preferable but all I had was boneless skinless chicken breasts. I put 4 chicken breasts in a pot, filled with water until it was a few inches over the top, then added a small quartered onion, 2 cloves of garlic cut in half, about a teaspoon of Knorr's Caldo con Sabor De Pollo (basically chicken bouillon), about a teaspoon of marjoram, a teaspoon of thyme, some salt and pepper, a few bay leaves, and some roasted coriander. Once it was done poaching I turned the heat off to let it slowly cool so that it stayed moist and tender. Then I pulled the bay leaves out and discarded, pulled the chicken out and shredded it using my fingers, then lightly salted it.
The liquid and everything from the pot used to flavor the chicken is now basically flavored chicken stock which is used to make the enchilada sauce.
Next up is the most important part, the dried chiles.
I used about 6 guallijo, 6 New Mexico, and 3 Ancho.
Tear the dried chiles into pieces, discard the stems and seeds, and then toast them briefly in a dry pan until they become aromatic (don't burn them!). Then add them to the liquid, along with a fresh Trinidad Scorpion cut in half, and about 5 chiltepins cut in half.
Next, sauté a few more cloves of garlic and another small onion in butter until they're browned, and add them to the pot. Dice about 3 large plum tomatoes and sauté them on med-high in butter (or lard) and add them to the pot along with the butter. Add more butter (or lard).
Let it boil on med-high for about half an hour until the dried chiles become soft, then use an immersion blender if you have one, or transfer into a regular blender and purée. Add sugar and salt to taste. I used probably 1 tbsp sugar.
If the sauce is a little thin, add some flour and/or simmer to reduce it.
Next, fry the corn tortillas in oil briefly, just to make them softer and more malleable. Line the bottom of a glass or ceramic pan with some of the sauce, place some of the chicken in the corn tortillas, role the tortilla around the chicken, and place them seam side down in the pan.
Pour more sauce over them, place foil over the top, and then pop them in an oven heated to about 350F for about 20 minutes.
Take them out, plate them, and top with queso fresco, some Mexican sour cream, or whatever tickles your fancy. The finished product:
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 small white onions
5 cloves of garlic
tablespoon chicken bouillon
teaspoon marjoram
teaspoon thyme
salt
pepper
3 large plum type tomatoes
3 bay leaves
coriander (seed)
dried red chiles (guajillo, ancho, New Mexico, puya, etc.)
1 Trinidad Scorpion
5 chiltepins
cumin
oregano
sugar
butter or lard
oil
corn tortillas
I started by poaching the chicken. Bone-in skin-on chicken would be preferable but all I had was boneless skinless chicken breasts. I put 4 chicken breasts in a pot, filled with water until it was a few inches over the top, then added a small quartered onion, 2 cloves of garlic cut in half, about a teaspoon of Knorr's Caldo con Sabor De Pollo (basically chicken bouillon), about a teaspoon of marjoram, a teaspoon of thyme, some salt and pepper, a few bay leaves, and some roasted coriander. Once it was done poaching I turned the heat off to let it slowly cool so that it stayed moist and tender. Then I pulled the bay leaves out and discarded, pulled the chicken out and shredded it using my fingers, then lightly salted it.
The liquid and everything from the pot used to flavor the chicken is now basically flavored chicken stock which is used to make the enchilada sauce.
Next up is the most important part, the dried chiles.
I used about 6 guallijo, 6 New Mexico, and 3 Ancho.
Tear the dried chiles into pieces, discard the stems and seeds, and then toast them briefly in a dry pan until they become aromatic (don't burn them!). Then add them to the liquid, along with a fresh Trinidad Scorpion cut in half, and about 5 chiltepins cut in half.
Next, sauté a few more cloves of garlic and another small onion in butter until they're browned, and add them to the pot. Dice about 3 large plum tomatoes and sauté them on med-high in butter (or lard) and add them to the pot along with the butter. Add more butter (or lard).
Let it boil on med-high for about half an hour until the dried chiles become soft, then use an immersion blender if you have one, or transfer into a regular blender and purée. Add sugar and salt to taste. I used probably 1 tbsp sugar.
If the sauce is a little thin, add some flour and/or simmer to reduce it.
Next, fry the corn tortillas in oil briefly, just to make them softer and more malleable. Line the bottom of a glass or ceramic pan with some of the sauce, place some of the chicken in the corn tortillas, role the tortilla around the chicken, and place them seam side down in the pan.
Pour more sauce over them, place foil over the top, and then pop them in an oven heated to about 350F for about 20 minutes.
Take them out, plate them, and top with queso fresco, some Mexican sour cream, or whatever tickles your fancy. The finished product: