This tasty Tyler Florence recipe for Roasted Hatch Green Chile, Black Bean, and Chicken Enchiladas takes an ordinary roasted deli chicken from the supermarket and turns it into a spectacular Mexican treat. Everything else in the rest of the recipe is made from scratch, aside from the tortillas, so not having to worry about roasting a chicken makes this recipe a little easier. Although if you are super gung-ho, you can always make Carlo’s fail-proof roast chicken.

This recipe with guacamole makes a huge baking dish of enchiladas that easily feeds 8 people at $2.54 a serving, or you can make the full amount just for yourself and have some great leftovers for a few days.

Roasted Hatch Green Chile, Black Bean, and Chicken Enchiladas
Enchiladas:
12 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed
1 onion, quartered
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
2 limes, juiced
salt
3 Hatch green chiles, or poblano peppers if you can’t find any
extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups canned chicken stock
1 deli roasted chicken, about 3 pounds, boned, meat shredded
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 large corn tortillas
1/2 pound Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 pint sour cream

Chunky Guacamole:
4 ripe avocados
3 limes, juiced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 serrano chiles, sliced thinly
1 big handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Although you can roast your husked tomatillos and chile peppers over an open gas flame or in an oven, it is really easy to also throw them on a hot bbq grill until you get some nice char marks on their skins. Once the chile peppers are roasted, put them in a closed brown paper bag or in a bowl covered with clingfilm and let them steam so it is easier to skin and deseed the chiles under running water. You can also grill the jalapenos and onions for the salsa to add a nice grilled flavour to the dish.

To make the salsa for the enchiladas, put the grilled tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion into a food processor with the cumin. Whiz everything together and then add the cilantro, lime juice, and salt and mix together.

To make the enchilada filling, heat up some olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute it until it is softened and about to caramelize, around 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so, then add the cumin and cook for another minute.

Add the flour and mix it well into the onion and spice mixture. Slowly pour the chicken stock into the saucepan and stir constantly so the flour doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan or clump together. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let the liquid thicken. Then mix in the chicken, diced peppers, black beans, and cilantro, and season well with salt and pepper.

The end result is a nice soup-y filling. We had some filling leftovers after making enough enchiladas to fit into our baking dish, so I used it is as a sauce the next day in some incredible freestyle Huevos Rancheros.

To assemble the enchiladas, start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and getting a large glass or metal baking dish.

Dip a corn tortilla into the tomatillo salsa and place it on a cutting board. Use a slotted spoon to dollop some of the chicken mixture on to the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle with a little cheese on top and then roll the tortilla like a cigar to enclose the filling. Use a spatula to place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish, and continue to fill all of the tortillas in the same way and arrange them in the baking dish.

As the above photo demonstrates, it is a bit of a messy process but don’t get too discouraged about non-perfect enchiladas:

as they get hidden by a thick layer of cheese and no one will notice anything when the enchiladas are cooked and served.

Pour the remaining tomatillo salsa over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top to make a nice thick layer. Bake the enchiladas uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and cracked on top.

To make the guac, halve and pit the avocados and scoop out their flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash them with a fork to leave them a little chunky, then add the remaining ingredients and gently mix everything together. To prevent the guacamole from going brown before you serve it, place a piece of plastic wrap right on top of the surface of the guac and put it in the fridge until dinner.

Serve the enchiladas hot with a side of the guacamole and some sour cream.

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