Green Chicken Enchiladas

Just back from a Tex Mex cooking class I taught. It seemed so right to make up some fiery, healthy chow awakening our dormant mid-winter taste buds.
I love my cooking class students. Half are Americans the other half Brits; we all help each other with cultural words that are at once, unknown and interchangeable. Today it was 'green onion' common to Americans, completely foreign to the English. I finally held one up and one of the British ladies shouted (at least as loudly as British people ever DO shout... more of a forceful clearing of the throat), anyway, Caroline, one of the most loyal of British attendees said, 'Oh! SPRING onion!'.
We also mused about 'toilets' versus 'bathrooms' ('Why would you call it a bah-throom? There is no bahth in it?' Point taken. But you kindly then explain, 'loo'?)
Below are the recipes I made and we all sat down together to enjoy; Brits and Americans, except for a few words, we're not that different, really. 

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Sauce
6-8 Cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 Jar jalapeños, drained and chopped

4 Green onions, trimmed and sliced

1 Small container (320 grams/10 oz) half fat crème fraiche or sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Shred the chicken and mix it with everything else. Set in the refrigerator until ready to roll the enchiladas.


Green Sauce

3 green bell peppers

10 small mild green chili peppers

1 red onion, peeled

2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 bunch cilantro (coriander)

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup plain, natural yogurt

Salt and pepper to taste

1) Roast the bell pepper, chilies and onion in a 400F (200C) oven. Remove the small chilies first—as soon as they start to blister, as they will be done quicker than the bell peppers. Remove the bell peppers and red onion as they blister and go limp. Place in a Tupperware container, seal and allow the skins to steam lose. Remove the skins and seed the peppers.

2) Now dump everything into a food processor and whiz. Pour into a saucepan and bring just to a simmer—cook until it thickens slightly. Stash in the fridge until ready to pour over the enchiladas.

Assembly

8-10 Large soft, flour tortilla wrappers

Lite Philly Cream Cheese

Shredded cheddar cheese

Prepared chicken

Green sauce

Spread a bit of light Philly cream cheese on the flour tortilla, place some of the chicken over top and roll into a burrito shape. Lay into a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray and continue until everything is used up. Now, pour the green sauce over top and finish with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake, covered  at 375F (160C) until the cheese is melted, then remove the cover and bake until the cheese is goldenmmm.

The sauce can be made up ahead of time, frozen even, the enchiladas wrapped up-- just spreading the sauce over top minutes before placing in the oven to bake.

Serves 8