Tomatillo?! Clearly they just misspelled tomato.

That was my first naive thought upon coming across an enchilada recipe that called for tomatillos. But if you, like me, thought that tomatillo was simply the result of sloppy proofreading, allow me to share my new discovery.

Tomatillos are often the main building block of "green" or "verde" sauces in mexican cuisine, just as a tomato is the building block for a marinara sauce. Tomatillos can be found in most large grocery stores (they make come packaged in groups of 4, so look around or ask someone). Tomatillos grow inside of a husk that must first be removed prior to cooking. The fruit inside looks like a small green tomato. After removing the husk be sure to give it a good rinse to get rid of the stickiness. Ok...now comes the super hard part...cut the tomatillo in quarters. Yep, that's it, no peeling, no prep, just cut them up and you're reading to make some amazing enchiladas!

Enchiladas Verdes

The most amazing part of this recipe is that if you have a stick blender you can cook and puree the sauce all in one pot! Barring that, after you simmer the salsa verde, put it in a blender or food processor. This is also a fantastic use of left over chicken (remember, I like to cook 5-6 breasts on Monday and then use them throughout the week).

Salsa Verde:
1 pound tomatillos (about 15)
1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (optional, I find 1/2 a pepper is enough spice for me)

Filling:
2 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded asadero cheese or Asiago cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Remaining ingredients:
Cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare salsa verde, discard husks and stems from tomatillos; cut into quarters. Combine tomatillos, 1 1/4 cups broth, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and chopped jalapeño in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tomatillos are tender. Cool slightly. Puree with a stick blender or place salsa verde in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth, or mash with a potato masher. Return to pot and simmer till reduced to 2 cups in volume. Then allow to cool slightly.

To prepare enchilada filling, combine chicken and next 9 ingredients (chicken through black pepper) in a large bowl.

Spread 1/2 cup salsa verde in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish (alternatively you can use an 8x8 and just cram it full) coated with cooking spray. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Arrange enchiladas, seam sides down, crosswise in dish. Pour remaining salsa verde evenly over enchiladas. Cover and bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with sour cream.