There’s something so gratifying about cooking using vegetables you’ve grown. Being able to have been a part of the entire process, from seed to dish, brings joy around the dinner table.
It’s knowing well, how much labor – out of love – goes into one meal to provide the best for ones family.
This year we’ve had a remarkable growing season. The extreme hot weather brought my family the best pepper harvest we’ve seen in years.
With the abundance of poblano peppers this year, little brother and I headed out to the garden to pick our share for enchiladas.
Little brother loves picking vegetables in the garden with mami.
Together we picked ripe tomatillo’s and tomatoes of all colors, shapes, and sizes to include in our meal.
I had him put them in order on the grass from smallest to largest and count how many vegetables we picked.
I’m learning that homeschooling can happen anywhere.
He was proud of his accomplishment but much more eager to grab his bike and ride with big brother and dad while I went inside to cook.
I decided to make rustic chicken poblano enchiladas with sweetened caramelized onions covered in a roasted tomatillo salsa verde.
Enchiladas are easy to make but do require a few steps.
For this recipe I roasted the poblano peppers for the enchilada filling and tomatillos for the sauce.
Roasting gives these vegetables a deep sweet flavor and cuts the spiciness of the peppers.
I made a filling of caramelized onions, chicken, and added the roasted peppers.
The flavor in the filling has just the right amount of spice with a hint of sweetness from the darkened caramelized onions.
Really, you could stop at the filling, warm up some tortillas, and have melt in your mouth chicken poblano fajitas ready to go.
I added a couple more steps by wrapping the filling in warmed corn tortillas for enchiladas and whipping up a quick roasted tomatillo salsa verde.
Either way, chicken poblano fajitas or enchiladas, this meal is sure to please.
Chicken Poblano Enchiladas or Fajitas with Poblano Peppers. The flavor in the filling has just the right amount of spice with a hint of sweetness from the darkened caramelized onions. Either way, chicken poblano fajitas or enchiladas, this meal is sure to please.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 medium sized fresh poblano peppers, roasted
- 3 tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 vidalia sweet onion, sliced thinly
- 4 chicken thighs, sliced thinly
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 14-16 tomatillos, sliced in half (enough to make 1 cup once processed)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- 1 tsp kosher salt to season
Method:
- Roast the poblano peppers and tomatillos on a baking dish at 425F for 15 minutes, turning them halfway through.
- Once done, place the poblano peppers in a brown paper bag or covered with a damp cloth in a dish until cooled. Remove the skins, seeds, and veins of the peppers and slice thinly.
- In a cast iron skillet or pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil and add the onions. Allow to blacken on the bottoms for about 4-5 minutes to blacken on the bottom. Turn the onions and allow to brown and caramelize for another 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken and brown until cooked through allowing all the juices to cook through.
- Add the sliced roasted poblano peppers, garlic powder, and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Mix through and allow the flavors to incorporate for a few more minutes.
- Eat as fajitas or set aside to use as the filling for enchiladas.
- Blend the roasted tomatillos in a food processor or blender.
- In a saucepan, add the processed tomatillos, 1 cup chicken stock, 1 garlic clove, and 1 tsp kosher salt.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Warm up the corn tortillas and add about a tablespoon or so of the chicken poblano filling to each placing them in a baking dish.
- Top with the roasted tomatillo salsa verde and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.
To Serve
Serve topped with grated queso fresco, thinly sliced onions, and cilantro. Don’t forget to add sour cream and diced avocados 😉
This dish pairs excellent with Mexican rice and fresh tomatillo salsa verde.
Buen provecho!
How’s your pepper harvest doing this year? If you have any excellent pepper recipes you’d like to share please do so in the comments below 🙂
You have outdone yourself Diana! These look and sound amazing! I will be sure to make this sometime. Salsa verde is my favorite.
This looks amazing and delicious. But it seems too spicy to me. I am thinking to add some sweet fruits like peach or mango to reduce the spiciness and increase some extra texture. At my home, we do have our own grow curry leave, coriander and lemon grass. It is so convenient when you need them in cooking, just grab some. 🙂
I love having my own herbs at home as well 😉 I can definitely see how this may be a bit spicy for some, but just perfect for my tastebuds. You can also cut the heat by adding some sour cream, but I love your suggestion on adding some sweet fruits. How creative! Thanks for sharing 😀