You may love it or hate it, but Texas won’t go away. And most Texans wouldn’t give an armadillo’s rear end what you think anyway. They have their own style. Analogous to how we described the Army approach to things back when I was in the Army: “There’s the right way, the wrong way, and the Texas way.” As illustration, this gently assertive but delicious Texas-Anglo enchilada dish flouts old norms.
I learned it during my Atlanta days from a friend who had grown up in Dallas. Pat, a professional woman and avid soccer player, professed to dislike cooking. She certainly disliked being fussy or spending unnecessary time in the kitchen. But her go-to guest dish, a Mexican-influenced family favorite from her childhood, made Pat seem quite the chef. Her dish’s style reflects the past century, and maybe even Wednesday night covered dish socials. Those were quieter times.
Enchiladas, traditional in Mexico and the American Southwest, and a mainstay at Tex-Mex restaurants, are basically tortillas wrapped around a filling and baked covered with a chile-containing sauce and cheese. The word “enchiladas” is a linguist’s dream. It’s Mexican-Spanish, subsequently borrowed into English. It’s the plural noun derived from the past participle of the verb enchilar, meaning “to add chile pepper to.” Enchilar, in turn, is a fusion of Spanish (the “en” and the first-conjugation verb suffix “-ar”) with the Nahuatl noun “chilli,” the Aztec name for their indigenous hot peppers. Wrapping food in a tortilla was common among the Aztecs well before the Spanish arrived in Mexico, as was their heavy use of chile peppers and sauces.
Classically, Mexican enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. Pat used flour ones. And enchiladas would generally be baked covered with cheese plus a red or green chile sauce. Pat’s are covered with a dairy and cream soup mixture. In Mexico, white enchiladas, though infrequent, are actually made, with corn tortillas. They are sometimes termed “Suizas” (meaning “Swiss-style”), indicating milk and cheese rather than red or green salsa.
Pat’s time-saving ingredients included prepared foods: canned soup, canned green chilies, packaged shredded cheese. And if it were available back then, she probably would have used a rotisserie chicken. I haven’t done the “take a can of Campbell’s cream of chicken soup” routine much recently, but I will for this dish. The mildly spicy chicken enchiladas below are based on Pat’s recipe, but I modified it somewhat.
Beer would be the drink for a dish like this in either Texas or Mexico, a lager type of beer, not a hoppy IPA. As for wine, which I prefer, something white, cold and crisp with a little acidity would stand up to the richness of the cheese and sauce. And if the full amount of green chile pepper is used, which I would definitely do, something slightly sweet would help. The dish pairs well with a Riesling – not too sweet – or an Alberiño, Chenin Blanc, or Sauvignon Blanc.
This enchiladas recipe serves a crowd, at least six people, generously. Leftovers are nice. A colorful vegetable, some avocado, and maybe a simple lettuce and tomato salad would be attractive accompaniments.
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Tim Dondero, co-owner and Executive Chef of Donderos’ Kitchen is a culinary enthusiast who has taught international cooking in Atlanta and Athens for years. His blog is timsspecialrecipes.com.
Texan Chicken Enchilada Casserole, based on Pat’s recipe
1 rotisserie chicken
1-1/2 teaspoons salt for chicken
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (4-ounce) cans jalapeño peppers, diced or sliced
8 (8-9-inch – fajita size) flour tortillas
1 (10-1/2-ounce) can Campbell’s condensed cream of chicken soup (if unsalted, add extra 1/2 teaspoon salt)
1 soup-can’s volume of water
1 soup-can’s volume of milk
1/2 teaspoon salt for the sauce
12 ounces shredded Mexican-style cheese or mixed mozzarella and cheddar cheese
Sour cream for serving
Cut meat off chicken. (Reserve skin and bones for broth for other uses.) Pull meat apart into long pieces. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Toss to mix.
Drain jalapeños. If slices, chop them coarsely.
Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish or pan. Set the oven for 375 degrees.
Lay tortillas out on flat surface. Place chicken down the middle of each. Sprinkle evenly with canned chilies. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Roll up tortillas and arrange in a single layer in the pan, seam side down.
In bowl, whisk together condensed soup, water and milk, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spoon mixture evenly over enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. (If desired, the casserole can be refrigerated at this point and baked closer to dinner time.)
Bake until thoroughly heated, bubbling and beginning to turn golden on top, 35-45 minutes.
Serve with sour cream.
