Creamy Poblano Enchiladas

4.74 from 15 votes

Here's an easy way to make a delicious batch of Creamy Poblano Enchiladas. The sauce is loaded with that sweet roasted Poblano flavor -- so good!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Servings: (8-10 enchiladas)

Calories: 677kcal

Author: Mexican Please

Ingredients

For the Creamy Poblano Sauce:

4 Poblano chiles
3 cups stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons flour (optional)
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
pinch cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

For the enchiladas:

1 chicken breast
8-10 corn tortillas
1/4 onion, finely diced
1-2 cups cheese for the filling (I used Jack)
freshly chopped cilantro (optional)
cheese for garnish (optional, I used Queso Fresco)
lime

Instructions

I used the brine-and-bake method for this batch, but you are welcome to cook the chicken in your preferred manner. To brine, add 1/4 cup Kosher or sea salt to a mixing bowl along with a single quart of cold water. Add the chicken breast and let it rest in the brine for 30-60 minutes. Note: when I'm in a hurry I just put the chicken in the brine and grab it when I need it -- I've found that even a rushed, short brine still gives a nice bump in flavor.
Give the Poblanos a good rinse and roast them in the oven (400F) for 30 minutes or so. Tip: set a timer for 15 minutes when you initially add the Poblanos to the oven, this middle point is a good time to add the chicken.
The chicken will need about 20 minutes in the oven to fully cook, so I usually add it to the same baking sheet as the Poblanos once the Poblanos have been roasting for 15 minutes or so. Simply remove the chicken from the brine, pat dry, and add it to the baking sheet. Cook the chicken for 20 minute or until the insides register 160F.
Once the chicken goes in the oven I start working on the sauce. Dice up 1/2 onion and cook it in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Cook for a few minutes until softened, then add 2 minced garlic cloves, cooking briefly. Then add 3 tablespoons flour and combine well, giving it a minute or so in direct contact with the heat to neutralize its flavor. This flour step will thicken up the sauce, but you can consider it optional.
Add 3 cups stock to the onion-garlic mixture along with: 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, pinch cumin (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper. And by now the Poblanos should be roasted enough -- remove them from the oven, then de-stem and de-seed them. If there are puffy bits of skin on the Poblanos you can remove and discard those, but don't worry about getting rid of every last bit. Add the Poblano pieces to the saucepan and bring this mixture up to a simmer, stirring regularly.
Add the saucepan mixture to a blender and combine well. Return the sauce to the same pan, reducing heat to medium-low. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and combine well. Take a final taste for seasoning. Yum! I added generous pinches of salt and Mexican oregano to this batch, but keep in mind that I used a zero sodium stock so you may not need to add as much salt as I did.
I usually test the temp of the chicken around the 20 minute mark. It's usually around 160F in the thickest part at that point so that's when I remove it. Set it aside and let it rest for a few minutes, then shred it using two forks.
To build the enchiladas, start by warming up the corn tortillas. I put them in the oven for a few minutes, but you are welcome to nuke them. Other ways to warm up corn tortillas. Add a thin layer of the Poblano sauce to the enchilada baking dish, this will prevent sticking. Finely dice 1/4 onion and slice up (or shred) some melting cheese (I used Jack). Each enchilada gets plenty of cheese, 2-3 tablespoons of shredded chicken, and a sprinkle of raw onion. Roll tight and place enchiladas seam side down on the baking dish. I rolled 8 enchiladas for this batch and made them abundantly cheesy, so there was still some chicken leftover after rolling.
You can goop the creamy Poblano sauce on your enchiladas either before or after the bake. I wanted to make sure all the cheese melted so I baked this batch plain for 10 minutes, keeping the Poblano sauce warm on the stove. Once baked I served them up immediately: each plate got a few enchiladas and loads of the creamy Poblano sauce, I garnished with crumbled Queso Fresco, freshly chopped cilantro, and a final squeeze of lime. Yessssir :)
Enjoy!

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