Creamy Chicken Green Chile Enchiladas

Wow, where do I start? (FYI, the picture above is my exact current view)

I finished my last week of work and it was considerably more stressful than I thought. Then (not 100% sure of the cause but stress must be a factor) I broke out in a full-body itchy rash with no apparent cause and so between the two I had a hell of a week.

But finally...I am on vacation. I took a week off between jobs with every intention of doing nothing more than relaxing and absorbing the feeling of closure as one chapter ends and another one begins.

So here I sit, overlooking the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, listening to some vintage Dave Matthews and waves crashing, sipping a young Bordeaux and finally, finally letting some of the tension melt away.

Oh, and in what will likely be a relief to worried loyal readers, I am cooking again.

Starting things off is a recipe that is just cursed. Not the recipe per se - that always turns out delicious - but the poor un-photogenicness that it is.

I made this first way back in May for a Mexico trip, and I made it again tonight and both times was rich, spicy and delicious and both times barely survived looking better than you-know-what (hint, all the tequila drinking going on down here leads to this activity).

Also, this time I was forced to use whatever cooking gear resides in the beautiful condo I rented and sadly a baking dish was not part of standard issue, so I made it in a large saute pan. Frittata-pie-enchiladas is about what it looked like.

Anyway, I will share the recipe but please understand it tastes WAY better than it looks!

Creamy Chicken Green Chile Enchiladas:
(serves 6-8)
9 small corn tortillas (or as needed, buy a dozen to be safe)
2 c shredded cooked chicken
8 large poblano chilis
6 serrano chilis
6-8 tomatillos
1 clove garlic
1 medium yellow onion
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 c chicken broth, water or beer (trust me, any of these work)
1 c shredded Monterey Jack, Cheddar or your favorite cheese (more if you like)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil as needed for sauteeing

Directions:
Cut chilis in half, scoop out seeds and membranes and tops (stems). Toss with olive oil and combine with peeled and washed whole tomatillos, broil until bubbling and blackened. Gently scrape off blackened skin of chilis and roughly chop, then add all chilis and tomatillo flesh (and juice) to saute pan with onions and garlic, using olive oil as needed for sauteeing. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add chicken to mixture after it softens. Saute and bring everything to heat, add liquid and cream cheese. Bring to a gentle boil.

Line bottom of baking dish (or saute pan) with sauce mixture lightly, then layer corn tortillas. Repeat, creating 2-3 layers of sauce mixture and tortillas, then top with grated cheese.

Either cool and hold (refrigerate or freeze) for cooking, or bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes at 350 until bubbling and browning on top. Let stand 10 minutes, cut into squares (or slices) and serve. (I will spare everyone seeing a slice on a plate - trust me, it's best just to dive in and eat it, not photograph it!)