Our fourth meal is finally here, and I'm so excited to tell you about it. Green Chicken Enchiladas took a lot longer to get right than we expected, and I had a front-row seat for all of it. I ate every single version, over many, many months.
Where it started: a plate of comfort
This meal begins with Brett. He grew up in West Texas, where Tex-Mex isn't just a cuisine, it's the water you swim in. Enchiladas were a staple of his childhood: satisfying, tasty, and hitting every right note. When I asked him why we made this one, he called Tex-Mex the ultimate comfort food, and said he'd like to see Bowl & Kettle explore more Mexican-inspired cooking in the future.
It also felt right for where we are now. Our business started in Texas, and our home today is Colorado, where green chilies show up in just about everything. Green chicken enchiladas let us put both places in one bowl.
The version that didn't work
I'd love to say we nailed it on the first try, but we didn't.
Our original plan was a green mole. Brett wanted more depth of flavor, and he knew he wanted chicken, mostly because it delivers the protein backpackers need and keeps the meal cost-effective. But the mole never came together. His take is that a green mole would work better with something lighter, like fish, which lets the herbaceous, nutty flavors come through. Someday, maybe. Just not this meal.
So we paused and went back to our roots. Why not make a classic chicken enchilada, with everything you'd expect and maybe a few things you wouldn't? Once we started down that road, it was clear it was the right one.
Why enchiladas belong in a backpacking meal
Enchiladas are hard to do on the trail. They're famously not pretty, and a traditional plated enchilada doesn't exactly travel. But the more we worked on it, the more sense the flavors made for a long day outside. The dish is hearty, warm, and soulful, but the tomatillos make it bright and tangy. You get acidity and salt, which are welcome after miles of hiking.
The ingredients that make it
If you ask Brett what one ingredient makes this dish, he can't pick just one, so here's the lineup:
- Three kinds of green chilies. Authentic Hatch Valley green chilies, Anaheims, and jalapenos, which are Brett's favorite pepper. Colorado's love for Hatch chilies was a big part of the inspiration here.
- Tomatillos. As Brett says, you can't have a chile verde without them. They give the sauce its bright green color and its tang.
- Smoked chicken thighs. We smoke them ourselves in our kitchen, which adds a little extra depth and interest.
- Toasted tortillas. More on these below.
- Fresh onions and Monterey Jack cheese. We love our dairy at Bowl & Kettle, and this meal is no exception.
(To our lactose-free friends: I know, I know. We promise a dairy-free meal is coming.)
The tortillas are my favorite part
This meal is different from our others. There's no rice or big carby base. Instead, you get tortillas that stay a little crunchy even after they rehydrate, and the char on them adds something I haven't had in a trail meal before. It's the part of the dish I'm still thinking about.
About the heat
We did a lot of work to make sure this isn't too spicy, while still leaving a good amount of heat. We de-seed all the jalapenos and all the Anaheims. The sauce is super flavorful, and the heat builds slowly and then settles into a nice plateau, similar to our Chicken Tikka Masala. We think most people will find it very palatable.
Give it a try
Green Chicken Enchiladas is a mix of Brett's Texas childhood, our Colorado home, and a lot of months of testing (and eating). We're excited to get it into your hands and out on whatever adventures you take it on. If you give it a try, we'd love to hear what you think.
See you out there.
Sarah