Enchiladas Navideñas (Chicken Enchiladas with Red and Green Sauces)

Chicken and assembly

• 600 g Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
• 500 ml Chicken stock
• 1 medium White onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp Fine sea salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 12 pieces Corn tortillas

Red chilli sauce

• 4 medium Plum tomato, ripe
• 2 tbsp Guajillo chili powder
• 1 tsp Ground cumin

Green chilli sauce and finish

• 450 g Tomatillo, husks removed
• 2 medium Anaheim pepper
• 120 ml Mexican crema
• 120 g Queso fresco
• 15 g Fresh coriander
• 1 medium Lime

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Peel and finely chop the onion, then peel the garlic and roughly chop it. Set aside a small handful of coriander for serving, then chop the rest.
2. Put the chicken thighs in a saucepan with the chicken stock, half the onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp fine sea salt and the black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 15 to 18 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Lift the chicken out to a bowl and shred; reserve the poaching stock.
3. Make the red sauce: heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the remaining onion for 5 minutes until softened. Add the remaining garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the plum tomatoes, guajillo chili powder, ground cumin and a pinch of salt. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the tomatoes collapse and the mixture looks jammy.
4. Scrape the red sauce into a blender and add 150 ml of the reserved poaching stock. Blend until smooth, then taste and season with a little more salt if needed. Pour into a bowl and rinse the blender jug.
5. Make the green sauce: put the tomatillos and anaheim peppers in the same frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and cook over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes until softened and lightly blistered. Add a splash of the reserved stock if the pan looks dry, then scrape everything into the blender. Add 150 ml reserved stock, blend smooth, then stir in the chopped coriander and squeeze in half the lime; season with salt to taste.
6. Warm the tortillas briefly in the frying pan, 10 to 15 seconds per side, just until pliable. Stir 2 tbsp of the green sauce into the shredded chicken to keep it juicy. Spoon the chicken down the centre of each tortilla, roll up, and arrange seam-side down in a baking dish.
7. Pour the red sauce over one half of the enchiladas and the green sauce over the other half, keeping the colours distinct. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until bubbling at the edges and hot throughout. Rest for 5 minutes before topping.
8. Drizzle with the mexican crema, crumble over the queso fresco, and scatter over the reserved coriander. Serve with the remaining lime cut into wedges for squeezing at the table.

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