Creamy Roasted Poblano and Sweet Corn Chicken Enchiladas Verdes Tips, FAQ & printable recipe

Tips for success

Char the poblanos harder than feels comfortable. Pale blisters peel badly and leave papery skin behind; true blackening steams off in sheets. Work the peeling with fingers or a paper towel, never water.

When blending, give the sauce a full minute at high speed — the difference between a good sauce and a velvety one is thirty extra seconds of blending. Taste before the sauce touches the tortillas; salt reads differently in a cool sauce than in a baked pan, so season slightly boldly at the blender stage and let the bake mellow it.

Shred the chicken while it is still warm; warm meat pulls into long, tender strands, while chilled meat breaks into chunks. If the sauce thickens while the other components wait, loosen it with tomatillo cooking water.

Grate the cheese from a block rather than buying pre-shredded — anti-caking starch in bagged shreds can make the topping grainy as it melts. And serve the radishes cold from the refrigerator: the contrast between the crisp, cool slices and the bubbling pan is what makes the finished plate memorable.

Variations

• Rotisserie Shortcut: Skip the poaching step and use about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken. Warm it briefly, roll as directed and shave about twenty minutes off the total time.
• Spicier Verde: Add one or two jalapeños or serranos, stemmed, to the blender with the poblanos. The heat builds gradually, so start with one and taste before adding the second.
• Cheese-Only Pan: Leave out the chicken and increase the Chihuahua cheese to 3 cups, rolling each tortilla around a spoonful of charred corn and cheese for a meatless bake.
• Salsa Verde Speed Run: Replace the from-scratch sauce with 2 cups of jarred salsa verde blended with the crema. The bake and assembly stay exactly the same for a faster weeknight version.

Storage and make-ahead

Fridge

Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days; keep the radishes separate.

Freezer

Freeze the baked enchiladas, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Reheat

Reheat covered at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or microwave individual portions until heated through.

Cool the pan for no more than two hours, then cover the dish tightly or transfer the leftovers to an airtight container. The enchiladas keep in the refrigerator for up to three days, and the flavor settles in and deepens slightly overnight. Store the radish slices separately so they keep their crunch, and add fresh crema after reheating rather than before, since the drizzle is best applied to hot enchiladas at the table.

The sauce is the ideal make-ahead component: blend it up to two days in advance and refrigerate it in a covered container, stirring before use. The chicken can be poached and shredded a day ahead as well.

Assemble the full dish up to the point of baking, cover it and hold it in the refrigerator for up to eight hours, then bake straight from cold, adding about five minutes to the bake time. Warm the tortillas and roll just before the long hold, never after, or they will crack.

Serving ideas

Serve straight from the baking dish at the table, one enchilada per person for generous appetites or two lighter portions with rice and beans alongside.

A wide spatula lifts each roll out cleanly; a short rest after baking keeps the first serving from dragging the sauce into the second. The crema drizzle can go on per plate rather than over the whole pan if the table is mixed, since the tang reads stronger on some palates than others.

Radish slices finish every plate, but thin-sliced onion, extra cilantro or a scattering of the reserved charred corn all work in the same slot. The dish pairs naturally with a simple cabbage slaw dressed in lime, which echoes the sauce's tang, or with warm tortillas for scooping up the sauce left in the pan. Cold beer, agua fresca or a tart limeade balances the richness of the cheese and crema.

Frequently asked questions

Recipe card

Creamy Roasted Poblano and Sweet Corn Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Prep 30 minCook 40 minTotal 1 h 10 minServes 4

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers, roasted and peeled
• 1/2 lb tomatillos, husked
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema
• 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup sweet corn kernels, charred
• 2 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese
• 1/4 cup Mexican crema, for drizzling
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced, for serving

Instructions

1. Set the poblano peppers on a foil-lined sheet pan and slide them under a hot broiler. Turn them with tongs every few minutes until the skin blisters and blackens all over, about 10 minutes, then drop them into a bowl and cover it tightly so they steam as they cool.
2. Husk the tomatillos and rinse away their sticky film. Drop them into a saucepan of water, bring it to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until they turn from bright green to a duller olive color and yield when pressed gently with a spoon.
3. Lower the chicken breasts into a saucepan of gently simmering water, adding more if needed to cover. Poach for 15 to 18 minutes, until the thickest part of the breast registers 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
4. Spread the corn kernels in a dry skillet set over medium-high heat and leave them undisturbed for a minute or two before stirring. Toss occasionally for 4 to 5 minutes total, until the kernels pick up brown, blistered spots and smell toasty and nutty.
5. Peel the steamed poblanos, pull out the stems and seeds, and tear the flesh into the blender. Add the drained tomatillos, cilantro, garlic and crema, then blend on high until completely smooth and velvety, about 1 minute.
6. Wrap the corn tortillas in a damp kitchen towel or a stack of damp paper towels and microwave them for 45 to 60 seconds, until they are pliable. Keep them wrapped while filling, pulling out one at a time so the rest stay warm and flexible.
7. Shred the poached chicken with two forks. Spoon a line of chicken down the center of each tortilla, roll it up and set it seam-side down in the baking dish, fitting all 8 enchiladas snugly side by side with no gaps between them.
8. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Pour the green sauce evenly over the enchiladas, scatter the charred corn across the top and cover everything with the shredded Chihuahua cheese. Bake for 18 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese is melted and golden in spots.
9. Drizzle the extra crema over the hot enchiladas in loose ribbons, then scatter the sliced radishes across the top. Lift out one enchilada per plate with a wide spatula and bring the dish to the table while the cheese is still glossy and stretchy.

Contains: milk

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories

610

Protein

42 g

Carbohydrates

38 g

Fat

32 g

Sugar

6 g

Sodium

780 mg

Automatic estimate from the ingredient list, not laboratory-verified.