Cornbread Crepe Chicken Enchiladas
Chef John's cornbread crepe chicken enchiladas may be the best chicken enchiladas you've ever had. These taste like thin pieces of cornbread wrapped around succulent slow-simmered green chile chicken. The cornbread crepes are tender and supple, but still sturdy enough to hold the chicken.
Ingredients
Method
- For filling, add green salsa, chicken broth, chicken thighs, and salt to a saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is falling-apart tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove chicken to a bowl, letting any sauce drip back into the pan, and set aside.
- Turn heat to high, and boil sauce until it reduces and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, ladle out 1 1/2 cups of sauce, and reserve to top enchiladas.
- Use 2 forks to finely shred chicken and add to the sauce left in the pan. Stir well and keep warm on low if ready to use, or cool and reserve until needed.
- For crepes, combine egg, salt, sugar, baking powder, and cayenne in a bowl, and whisk thoroughly to combine. Add cornmeal, flour, and milk, and whisk until a smooth, thin batter is formed. Let rest 5 minutes before using.
- Place a nonstick 10-inch pan on medium-high heat, and once hot, brush with melted butter. Pour in 1/4 cup of batter, and swirl the pan to cover the bottom. Cook crepes until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer onto a plate and cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing the pan with butter each time, until all the batter is used. You should get at least 6 or 7 crepes. After the first crepe, once the pan is hot, you can probably reduce the heat to medium for the rest.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Cover the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan or casserole dish with a thin layer of the reserved sauce.
- To assemble enchiladas, lay 6 crepes out on a work surface, and scatter over about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese on each. Divide the chicken filling evenly on each crepe, and roll up, finishing with the seam at the bottom. Transfer enchiladas into the pan. Ladle some of the sauce down the middle, leaving the ends of enchiladas exposed. Some sauce should be reserved to serve with the enchiladas once plated. Top sauced enchiladas with remaining grated cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot, 10 to 15 minutes, if you begin baking while filling is still warm. If you make the filling ahead, it should be warmed up before filling the enchiladas.
- Garnish the tops of the enchiladas with red chili sauce, sour cream, and torn cilantro leaves. Serve with extra sauce, sour cream and cilantro once plated if desired.
Leave a Reply