Flipping through my recipe books the other day, I came across a recipe for chicken nachos using green salsa and cheese sauce, and I thought “That would make great enchiladas!” Turns out, I was right! They’re delicious! It’s a little time-consuming, but if you’re in a hurry, you can use precooked chicken breasts and a jar of tomatillo salsa from the store.

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless,skinless chicken breasts
• 5 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 jalapenos, seeded
• 1 large onion, divided (half chopped, half cut into chunks)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp cumin
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2, plus 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• dash white pepper (Optional)
• salt
• 12 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Trim any excess fat from chicken breasts, and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes or until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, place tomatillos, 1 half of the onion, jalapenos, and garlic in a medium sauce pan with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, until veggies are soft. Remove from pan with slotted spoon to a food processor or blender, and pulse until smooth. Add cilantro and cumin and mix well.

When chicken is fully cooked, remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before shredding, pulling apart with 2 forks.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, and add chopped onion and bell pepper, and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, and add chicken, 1/2 cup chicken stock, and all but 1/2 cup of salsa verde. Stir and simmer while making cheese sauce.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cooking and stirring continuously, for about 3 minutes, then stir in 2 cups chicken stock. Stir constantly until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in reserved 1/2 cup of salsa, 1 cup of cheese, salt to taste, and add white pepper (if desired).

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Spoon two heaping spoonfuls of chicken mixture into a flour tortilla, roll up, and place in a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, and pour cheese sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cup of shredded cheese, cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned. Serve with sour cream, and fresh pico de gallo. Enjoy!