Enchiladas Suizas

I'm an Italian girl living in central Georgia so naturally ... I'm sharing one of my favorite Mexican recipes with you on the blog today. 😂🇲🇽  I feel like everyone loves good Mexican food though ... even Italians.  I've been blessed to have had some amazing people in my life who have spent time in Mexico and selflessly invested their time to teach me how to prepare truly authentic Mexican dishes.🌮 That in no way makes me an expert but I'll forever be grateful for all of the lessons I've learned from my Mexican friends.  I may never master homemade tortillas or a chili stuffed turkey but I feel confident enough in my skills to tackle fresh tomatillos for the verde sauce for enchiladas suizas.

The name alone "Enchiladas Suizas" loosely translates to Swiss Enchiladas.  I will admit that I did a deep dive on google today to find the origin of these enchiladas that may or may not have taken an hour out of my day - totally worth it though.🤣 Turns out, there are several theories about how these chicken stuffed enchiladas came to get it's unique name.  The most basic theory is that the cheese on top resembles the Swiss Alps.🗻  The more believable theory, in my opinion, is that they were invented by a Swiss chef from Zurich who was living in Mexico.🇨🇭 

I found a version of this recipe in a Cook's Illustrated magazine and it peaked my interest immediately.  Maybe it was because I had a half container of Mexican crema  and some leftover cojita cheese in my refrigerator that needed to be used up or maybe it was the rich and creamy green sauce that drew me to it.  Either way - I'm so glad that I made these Enchiladas Suizas because they are AMAZING!! 

Enchiladas Suizas
Chicken
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

Sauce
3 serrano chilies
1 white onion, havled
1 pound tomatillos, husks and skins removed
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Mexican crema

Enchiladas
1/3 cup canola oil
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup crumbled cojita cheese

Bring 2 1/2 cups water, chicken, garlic, bay, salt and peppercorns to a simmer.  Cook until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken.   Let cool.  Shred into 1/2" pieces. 

Cut serranos in half.  Remove seeds.  Add to empty saucepan with a 1/2" slice of onion, garlic and tomatillos.  

Add water to cover vegetables and bring to simmer.  Cook 20 minutes or until tomatillos are tender. 

Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatillos, onion, garlic to blender.  Add cilantro, sugar, salt and crema.  

Blend until smooth.

Heat oil in skillet.  Add 1 tortilla at a time and cook 5 seconds on each side until puffed.  

Transfer to paper towel lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining tortillas. 

Discard oil and wipe skillet dry. Season chicken with oregano, salt and pepper. 

Spoon 1/4 cup sauce into bottom of skillet. 

Place 1/4 cup chicken in on each tortilla and roll tightly.  

Place enchiladas in skillet.  

Spread 1/3 cup sauce over enchiladas. ​

Sprinkle Monterrey Jack cheese over top.

Put in a 425 oven and bake until cheese is melted.  (12 minutes)

Simmer remaining sauce in saucepan.  Divide between 4 meal bowls.  

Arrange 4 enchiladas over each bowl of sauce.  Garnish with cilantro, cojita and chopped onion.  

​Ciao!

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