Poblanos Enchiladas

Someone asked me for the recipe for this, and when I checked this blog, I couldn't believe I hadn't posted it already!

This is essentially like Mexican lasagna, but with tortillas. No rolling, low effort, high reward. Sooooo good. And it makes great leftovers, too!

The recipe calls for chicken, but turkey is actually even better. Great way to get rid of Thanksgiving leftovers! (Plus, starting with cooked bird lets you skip step 3 entirely.)

Ingredients:
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast
garlic salt (or garlic powder and salt) to taste
24 oz low-fat sour cream
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3-4 poblano peppers (the big green ones)
1 28 oz can green enchilada sauce (Las Palmas is good, or you can make your own if you're inclined. I'm not.)
1 jalapeno
half bunch cilantro
1-2 tsp lemon juice
22 fresh corn tortillas, cut in quarters. (A small package should cover it.)
16 oz shredded cheese - Colby/Monterey Jack is good.


Directions:
1. Roast poblanos on foil-covered cookie sheet under broiler. 10-15 min, turning once, till they blister. Cool and peel, and remove stems.

2. Preheat over to 350. Grease large casserole.

3. Chop raw chicken into chunks. Brown with a little olive oil and a healthy sprinkle of garlic powder.

4. Rough-chop cilantro and jalapeno. Add to food processor with the lemon juice and the can of enchilada sauce. Blend till smooth-ish.

5. Chop browned chicken into tiny pieces. Add to bowl with 8-12 oz sour cream, cayenne, and a little more garlic powder and salt to taste. Mix well.

6. Dice cooked poblanos.

7. Cut tortillas in quarters.

8. Dip tortilla pieces in sauce and line bottom of pan. Add 1/2 chicken, 1/2 poblanos, 1/3 cheese, and 1/3 sauce.

9. Add another layer of the tortilla quarters (don't need to dip), other half chicken, other half poblanos, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 sauce.

10. Finish with layer of tortillas dipped in sauce. Cover with remaining cheese and whatever's left of the sauce (shouldn't be much).

11. Cover with foil and cook 45-55 min at 350. Remove foil to brown for last 10 min.

12. Let it set for a few minutes, then serve with dab of remaining sour cream.

This is GREAT with a side of refried beans. Here's an easy way to make them taste less canned, too: Heat a can of fat-free beans slowly, adding in skim milk till creamy. Throw in 1/2 tsp or so of either red chile flakes or cayenne. Not as good as fresh-made, but a lot easier. Serve with a little sour cream and some of the remaining cilantro.

Updating an old favorite

Made an old favorite tonight - my dad's Rum Chicken.

A little background: Dad was a Scotsman who didn't discover "cooking" till he came to the US. Even then, it was pretty much limited to Julia Child on PBS, where this recipe might well have originated. And the original recipe tastes like the 70s, too - low on spices, heavy on salt and fats.

Still, it's really easy, and really good. And it's a family heirloom. So here's the makeover:

One fryer, cut up
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup orange juice (see below)
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 tsp orange rind zest (consider juicing the orange for your 1/4 cup)
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 - 1 tsp pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter over low heat. Mix in garlic, ginger, zest, salt and pepper. Move off heat.
Add in the rum and OJ, and whisk.
Put the chicken in as small a baking dish as you can.
Pour the rum/orange/spice mix over the chicken.
Bake for 1 hr to 1:15, basting twice. Then increase the temp to 400 degrees for 15 minutes more to brown the skin.

Serve over rice, dressed with the pan juices/sauce. Acorn squash is also great on the side with this - ladle some sauce into each.