Chicken Chile Verde Tortas

I've had a mondo batch of Chicken Chile Verde in the fridge all week and I've been using it to make some fiery, delicious Tortas.   

When you've got leftovers on hand then these sandwiches will come together in a matter of minutes.  Perfect!

That's the beauty of making a big batch of this green goodness:

That's a pan full of savory Chile Verde Chicken that you can use for all sorts of quick meals. 

I'll put detailed instructions for making this Chile Verde in the recipe box below, but I'll go over all the key steps here as well if you're new to it.  

I usually start by brining the chicken:

I've been using this brine-and-bake method more often lately and it really does the job when shredded chicken is called for.  So that's three chicken breasts resting in salted water -- 2 quarts of water with 1/2 cup of salt dissolved into it.   More info on brining.  

Even a 30 minute swim in this mixture will give you a serious bump in flavor, so give it a whirl if you're new it.  Brining pork will upgrade your Carnitas too. 

Once you've patted the chicken breasts dry you can just plop them in a 400F oven for 20 minutes or until the inside temp registers 160F. 

And since the poblanos and tomatillos also need to be roasted we'll put them in at the same time.   

Poblanos typically prefer a half hour or so in the oven, so I usually take out the chicken after 20 minutes and then let the poblanos and tomatillos roast for a bit longer.   Are poblanos spicy?

Once roasted, we’ll combine the poblanos and tomatillos in a blender along with:

1-4 jalapenos
1/2 onion
4 garlic cloves
15-20 sprigs cilantro

For a milder batch, start with a single jalapeno.  After combining, take a taste for heat and keep adding jalapeno until it tastes right to you.  I made this batch ultra-fiery using four jalapenos, but I wouldn't recommend that as a starting point!

We’ll simmer this awesome green sauce over mediumish heat and add:

1 tablespoon Mexican oregano  What is Mexican oregano?
1/2 teaspoon cumin 
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
freshly cracked black pepper

If you brined the chicken breasts then you probably won't need to add any additional salt.

Once you're happy with the flavor of the sauce you can add the shredded chicken -- I find it easiest to shred the chicken using two forks. 

Yum!

For the Tortas, I have two methods that take turns depending on the day.  Both methods pull out some inner chunks of bread to keep the filling-to-bread ratio high:

The first method is to add some cheese to these rolls and stick 'em in the oven for a few minutes.  Want to make your own bolillo rolls?

Then once the cheese is melted you can add the Chicken Chile Verde to one side and the fixings to the other side:

For this batch I used:

Pickled Jalapenos
Chipotle Mayo
Avocado slices
Freshly chopped cilantro

But you can consider all of these fixings optional as your Chile Verde will be providing most of the flavor.

Smash 'em together and chow down.  Easy right?

Or your second option is to make them panini style by adding the chicken and cheese to a roll and giving them a few minutes per side in a skillet (mediumish heat).

You can also put some butter (or lard!) in the skillet if you want to crisp them up more.

An easy way to flatten them is to put a piece of parchment paper or foil on top and push down with a casserole dish:

Once cooked, simply open them up and add your fixings of choice. 

Either method will give you an ultra-satisfying sandwich.  My stomach usually demands I take the quicker route, so lately I just plop the rolls in the oven with cheese and go from there. 

And by the way, that Chipotle Mayo is super easy to make if you're new to it.

Here's a quick look at the ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotles in adobo, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 whole, peeled garlic cloves
pinch of salt (plus more to taste)
squeeze of lime

And you can always substitute plain Greek yogurt for some of the mayonnaise if you want.  Just keep in mind that if you use all yogurt you'll get a bump in flavor if you add a smidgeon of fat.   More info on making this Chipotle Mayo.   

You can store the leftover Chicken Chile Verde in an airtight container in the fridge where it will keep for at least a few days.  It'll probably be resting in some chunky liquid and it seems like that usually makes it last a bit longer. 

To reheat I usually just plop it in a saucepan along with plenty of the green sauce and give it a few minutes to warm up. 

And that means chowtime is always just a few minutes away 🙂

Buen Provecho. 

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