Enchiladas Queretanas para Almuerzo

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal for toasting chiles and warming tortillas
• •Heavy skillet or clay cazuela for frying the salsa
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Wide platter or Dolores Hidalgo majolica plates for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the chicken

   Put the chicken pieces in a pot with the onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and enough water to cover by one inch. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the broth tastes like something you would drink. Do not boil it hard. Tough chicken on top of enchiladas is punishment, not breakfast.

2. 2

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the guajillo chiles a few seconds per side until they darken slightly and smell fruity. Toast the ancho chiles separately because they are fleshier and need a little more time. Do not let either chile blacken. Burned chile makes bitter salsa, and no amount of cheese fixes that.

   The guajillo is the Queretaro color here: clear red, mild heat, clean fruit. The ancho rounds it out. Do not replace them with chile powder from a jar.
3. 3

   Soak and blend

   Put the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water for 20 minutes. Drain them and blend with the garlic clove, cumin seeds, Mexican oregano, vinegar, and 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth. Blend until completely smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. The sauce should be red, silky, and thin enough to coat a tortilla without tearing it.

4. 4

   Season the salsa

   Melt 1 tablespoon of manteca in a wide skillet over medium heat. Pour in the strained chile salsa. It will sputter, so stand like someone who has cooked before. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the color deepens and the raw garlic smell disappears. Taste for salt. The salsa must be assertive because the tortillas and cheese will soften it.

5. 5

   Cook the vegetables

   While the salsa cooks, simmer the potato and carrot cubes in salted water for 8 to 10 minutes, just until tender. Drain well. Heat 1 tablespoon of manteca in another skillet and fry the potatoes and carrots until their edges take a little color. Spoon in 1/3 cup of the red salsa and toss until the vegetables are stained orange-red and glossy.

6. 6

   Brown the chicken

   Pat the cooked chicken pieces dry. Heat the remaining tablespoon of manteca in a skillet and brown the chicken skin-side down first, turning once, until the edges are golden. Spoon a little salsa over the pieces and let it cling to the skin. Whole chicken on top is part of the Queretaro plate. Shredding it into the filling makes a different dish.

7. 7

   Dip and fry

   Warm the tortillas just enough to make them flexible. Dip one tortilla into the hot guajillo salsa, coating both sides, then lay it into a skillet with a thin film of hot manteca. Fry 10 to 15 seconds per side. You want the tortilla supple with lightly fried edges, not crisp like a tostada. Repeat in a steady rhythm. No me vengas con atajos.

8. 8

   Fill and fold

   As each tortilla comes out of the skillet, fill it with crumbled queso ranchero and a pinch of chopped white onion. Fold it in half and set it on a warm platter. Work quickly so the tortillas do not stiffen. If the salsa thickens, loosen it with a spoonful of warm chicken broth.

9. 9

   Build the plate

   Serve three enchiladas per person. Spoon the red potatoes and carrots alongside or partly over the enchiladas. Set one browned chicken piece on top of each plate. Finish with lettuce, more queso ranchero, a little crema if your table uses it, and pickled jalapenos and carrots on the side. This is almuerzo, not a garnish exercise. The plate should feed you.

Chef Tips

• •Buy pliable corn tortillas from a tortilleria if you can. Supermarket tortillas crack because they are old and dry. Day-old tortilleria tortillas are perfect because they can take the salsa and the skillet without falling apart.
• •Queso ranchero is the right cheese because it is fresh, salty, and crumbly. Queso fresco works. Cheddar does not belong here. Sour cream does not belong here either. Use Mexican crema if your family uses crema.
• •If your guajillos look dusty, brittle, or brown instead of deep red, leave them at the stall. Good dried chiles should bend a little and smell like fruit and sun-dried skin. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •The salsa is not supposed to be hot for the sake of being hot. Guajillo carries color and flavor. If you want sharper heat, put pickled jalapenos on the table. Do not distort the salsa.
• •Manteca de cerdo gives the tortillas their proper sheen and flavor. Vegetable oil will cook them, yes. It will not give you the same plate. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken can be cooked one day ahead. Refrigerate the pieces in their broth so they stay moist, then dry and brown them before serving.
• •The guajillo salsa can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently and thin with warm chicken broth until it coats a tortilla easily.
• •The potatoes and carrots can be parboiled a day ahead, but fry them with salsa shortly before serving so they keep their edges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)