Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

Gayle and Mike and Steve came over for dinner a couple of weeks ago. I indicated early on in my blogging that I love to experiment on them and they do keep coming back. I usually only experiment with one dish. This night I tried 3 new dishes! Well, they were all on the same page in the Food Network magazine and one was a salad so I thought it would be OK. There are 2 things I will do differently next time. I won't do the salad again because nobody liked it. It called for chayote, which is a mild Mexican squash. I found one at the local Mexican store. I thinly sliced the chayote, and avacado and some radishes and then tossed them in a nice lime vinegrette. I'm not sure what we all didn't like but I think it was the chayote. Anyway, not a keeper.
The other thing I will do differently next time is not invite anybody over because I ended up with one enchilada for leftovers! I did have leftovers of the beans because I made extra.
These two recipes are well worth the time and effort to make them. They are super yummy!
Bon appetite and stay well until next time!

Chicken Enchiladas Suizas
serves 6

2 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
3 to 5 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more for topping (optional)
Kosher salt
2 pounds plum tomatoes
1 or 2 serrano chile peppers. temmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plu 1/2 cup for frying
1 large white onion; 2/3 dices, 1/3 sliced into rings
1/2 Mexican crema or sour cream, plus more for topping (optional)
12 corn tortillas, preferably white
3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco

1. Put the chicken in a medium pot with 3 cups water, the broth, garlic, bay leaves and cilantro; season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and gently simmer, turning the chicken as needed, until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. Discard the bay leaves and cilantro and reserve the broth and garlic.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Put the tomatoes and chilies on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil, turning, until charred, about 12 minutes. Wrap in the foil to catch any juices, then cook slightly. Peel the chiles and transfer to a blender with the tomatoes and collected juices. Remove the garlic from the broth, add to the blender and puree until smooth.
3. Heat 2 tablspoons vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the dices onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and stir in the tomato-chile puree and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. Sir in the 3 cups of the reserved borth and bring to a simmer. Partially cover and cook about 20 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt; keep the sauce warm.
4. Discard the chicken skin and shred the meat. Toss the chicken with the crema and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Soak the sliced onion in a bowl of cold water while you prepare the enchilades.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1 cup of the tomato-chile sauce in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry a tortilla until puffed, about 15 seconds per side, turning with tongs. Quickly spoon 2 tablespoons chicken onto the tortilla, roll it up and put seam-side down in the baking dish. Fry and fill the remaining tortillas, arranging them side by side in the dish.
6. Pour 2 cups of the tomato-chile sauce over the enchiladas and top with the queso fresco. Bake until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Drain the sliced onion and scatter over the enchiladas. Divide among plates and top with more cilantro, sauce and crema, if desired.

Creamy Black Beans
serves 6

1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and picked over
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican
Kosher salt
Queso fresco and fresh cilantro, for topping (optional)

1. Soak the beans in a pot of water overnight. Drain.
2. Heat the oilve oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin and cook, stirrin occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and the beans, then add enough water to cover (about 9 cups). Increase the heat to medium hight and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are just tender, about 3 hours.
3. Add 2 teaspoons salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 45 minutes. Season with salt. Let sit 15 minutes before serving; top with queso fresco and cilantro, if desired.