Enchilada Suizas

By request, I'm posting my recipe for Enchiladas Suizas. These have been a favorite of my children and guests for several years.

If I'm not mistaken, this style of enchilada first appeared (commercially, at least) at Sanborn's restaurant in Mexico City.

The tomatillo sauce is tart, and acidic, and pairs wonderfully with the Monterrey Jack cheese and crema, a cultured cream often used in Mexican cooking. Unlike sour cream which clumps when baked, crema melts into the dish, wedding itself to the other ingredients.

After posting this recipe, I will post instructions for making the crema.

In this recipe, I recommend using Herdez Salsa Verde for convenience. When time permits, I DO make my own salsa for the dish from fresh ingredients. I will post my recipe for that later, as well.

In the meantime, for your culinary delight...

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Enchiladas Suizas

4 cups shredded chicken
1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
16 oz. jar Salsa Verde (tomatillo and green chile sauce—Herdez is my favorite), extra salsa is a plus
1 cup minced onion
12 - 6 in. corn tortillas
1 pint crema

2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce for garnish


In a skillet, warm about 1/2 inch vegetable oil over medium heat. Using tongs, immerse the tortillas one at a time in the oil, turn them, and transfer them to absorbent paper. The tortillas should be in the oil no more than a few seconds, and the oil should be hot enough to soften the tortillas but not so hot that the edges begin to crisp.

Spread some of the tomatillo sauce in the bottom of a large shallow baking dish. A standard 9 X 13 inch baking dish is a tight fit for 12 rolled and filled enchiladas. Or you can make the enchiladas on 4 individual oven proof serving dishes.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Warm some of the salsa in another skillet. Using the tongs, dip a tortilla into the tomatillo sauce, then lay the tortilla on a plate. Spread about 1/3 cup of the shredded chicken across the lower third of the tortilla. Season the meat lightly with salt, sprinkle some of the minced onion on the meat, and top it with some of the grated cheese. Roll the enchilada and lay it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, chicken, etc., leaving about a cup of the cheese. Spread the remaining tomatillo salsa over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the enchiladas, and drizzle the crema over them.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the enchiladas are heated through, the cheese is melted, and the sauce is bubbling. With a wide spatula, transfer the enchiladas from the large baking dish to heated plates and serve immediately.

When serving these as a pre-plated meal, I assemble the enchiladas right on individual oven-proof plates and pop them in the oven. Then the other sides and garnishes are added after they come from the oven.