Happy Friday!

One of my all-time favorite dishes is my mom's green chicken enchiladas, and they've quickly become one of J's favorites too! I don't know what it is about tortillas, chicken, and salsa verde blanketed with cheese but when they come together it's magical. Top the fresh-out-of-the-oven enchiladas with fresh onion and sour cream and you have yourself a bonafide flavor explosion. I also love enchiladas for breakfast with an over-medium egg. I just love enchiladas, can you tell?

Since I find myself craving my mom's enchiladas more often than I'm proud of, I started experimenting with my own salsa verde recipe. My mom doesn't write down any of her recipes so she just gave me some basic instructions and told me to play around with the ingredients. Sounds easy right? Well it wasn't. I'll be honest, the first two..or three times the salsa didn't turn out very good (something J wasn't afraid of pointing out, lol!), but I think I've finally figured it out.

What you'll need:

12 tomatillos (medium-sized) - remember to peel them and wash them well if this is your first time working with them

1 jalapeño or serrano (add more if you want it spicier!)

1 hatch chile

1/2 white onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 bushel of cilantro - chopped

1/4 tablespoon sea salt

A saucepan, an oven & a blender

Directions:

1. Turn the oven to broil and place the hatch chile on a baking sheet. Make sure to turn it every two minutes. Don't let it burn! When it has toasted, pull it out and let it cool.

2. While the hatch chile cools, add tomatillos and jalapeño/serrano peppers to a saucepan and cover with water. Turn the heat on high and wait until the tomatillos turn from their original green to a lighter color. As soon as this happens remove the pan from the heat and drain the water - if you cook the tomatillos too long the skin will burst and you'll end up with a sour salsa.

3. Peel the hatch chile once it has cooled.

4. Add the cooked tomatillos & jalapeño to a blender along with the onion, garlic, cilantro, and salt.

5. Blend the ingredients until the mixture is an even consistency.

6. Serve and enjoy!

All in all, preparing and making the salsa verde takes less than 15 minutes. I use it on enchiladas, for dipping tortilla chips, on eggs, and even as a sauce for chicken breast.