WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We love the bright, bold flavors of chicken enchiladas verdes. But too often, the green chile sauce that defines the dish is watery and lacks good chile flavor. We wanted memorable enchiladas verdes with moist, tender chicken wrapped in soft corn tortillas, covered by a sauce redolent with fresh citrusy flavors and topped with just the right amount of melted cheese. For easy, flavorful chicken, we poached boneless, skinless breasts in chicken broth enhanced with sautéed onion, garlic, and cumin. Next, we focused on the green sauce, which is based on tomatillos and green chiles. Although jalapeños and serranos added heat, we opted for the more complex herbal flavor of poblanos. For some characteristic char (which Mexican cooks achieve by roasting the vegetables on a comal), we broiled the tomatillos and the chiles until their skins blackened. For a chunky, well-seasoned sauce, we removed the bitter skins from the chiles and pulsed the tomatillos and chiles in the food processor. We also thinned the sauce with a bit of the chicken poaching broth for deep, chicken-y flavor. To enrich the filling, we chose pepper Jack cheese for its pleasant spice and mild flavor. Covering the bottom of the baking dish in a layer of sauce ensured that the enchiladas wouldn’t stick, and arranging the filled enchiladas in two columns allowed us to fit 12 in a single baking dish. Since we wanted to melt the cheese and warm the enchiladas but not brown the tops, we baked them covered. Serve with sour cream, diced avocado, sliced radishes, shredded romaine lettuce, and lime wedges.

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1½ cups chicken broth
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 1½ pounds tomatillos, husks and stems removed, rinsed well, dried, and halved
• 3 poblano chiles, halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded
• 1 teaspoon sugar, plus extra as needed
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 ounces pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 2 scallions, sliced thin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.
2. Add onion and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Stir in cumin and two-thirds of garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in broth and bring to simmer.
5. Nestle chicken into sauce.
6. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.
7. Transfer chicken to plate and let cool slightly.
8. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces; refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill.
9. Reserve ¼ cup cooking liquid for sauce, discarding extra.
10. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.
11. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
12. Toss tomatillos and poblanos with 1 teaspoon oil.
13. Arrange tomatillos cut side down and poblanos skin side up on prepared sheet.
14. Broil until vegetables are blackened and beginning to soften, 5 to 10 minutes.
15. Transfer poblanos to bowl, cover with aluminum foil, and let steam until skins peel off easily, about 10 minutes.
16. Using back of spoon, scrape loosened skins from poblanos.
17. Process broiled tomatillos with any accumulated juices, peeled poblanos, ¼ cup reserved cooking liquid, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining garlic in food processor until sauce is somewhat chunky, about 8 pulses.
18. Season with salt, pepper, and extra sugar to taste.
19. Combine chilled chicken, cilantro, and 1½ cups cheese in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
20. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
21. Spread ¾ cup tomatillo sauce over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
22. Brush both sides of tortillas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
23. Stack tortillas, wrap in damp dish towel, and place on plate; microwave until warm and pliable, about 1 minute.
24. Working with 1 warm tortilla at a time, spread ⅓ cup chicken filling across center of tortilla.
25. Roll tortilla tightly around filling and place seam side down in baking dish; arrange enchiladas in 2 columns across width of dish.
26. Pour remaining sauce over top to cover completely and sprinkle remaining ½ cup cheese over enchiladas.
27. Cover dish tightly with greased aluminum foil.
28. Bake until enchiladas are heated through and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes.
29. Let cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.