Suizas means the enchiladas get finished with cream and melted cheese stirred into a tart tomatillo sauce, which makes them milder and richer than plain salsa verde enchiladas. Poaching the chicken in the same pan you make the sauce in keeps this to one skillet, start to finish.

Skillet Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

Scale

Method

Pat the chicken dry and season with salt. Warm the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken until golden, about 3 minutes per side.
6 min
Pour in the broth, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) and shreds easily, about 10 minutes.
10 min
Transfer the chicken to a board. Add the tomatillos, jalapeño, chopped onion and garlic to the simmering broth and cook, uncovered, until the tomatillos turn from bright to dull green and soften, about 8 minutes. Shred the chicken with two forks while this simmers.
8 min
Mash the tomatillo mixture against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon until mostly broken down but still a little chunky. Stir in the cumin, lime juice and shredded chicken, and season with salt.
2 min
Dip each tortilla in the sauce for a few seconds to soften, lay it on a board, spoon in some of the chicken mixture, roll it and nestle it seam-side down back in the pan.
5 min
Spoon any remaining sauce over the rolled tortillas and scatter the cheese on top.
1 min
Cover and cook over low heat until the cheese melts and the filling is heated through, about 5 minutes.
5 min
Drizzle with sour cream and scatter the red onion and cilantro over the top before serving.

Substitutions

Tomatillos — Use 1 1/2 cups jarred salsa verde in their place and skip straight to simmering it with the chicken and aromatics for 5 minutes.
Chicken thighs — Shredded rotisserie chicken works too. Skip the poaching step and build the sauce directly in the pan with 1 cup of broth.
Monterey Jack — A mild cheddar or a Mexican melting cheese blend works the same way.
Corn tortillas — Flour tortillas can stand in, though the dish loses some of the texture and tang corn brings.

Storing leftovers

Keeps three days in the fridge in a sealed container. The tortillas soften further as they sit, which some people prefer. Reheat covered in the skillet over low heat with a splash of broth until warmed through, or in the microwave in 30-second bursts.

Questions

Can the sauce be made ahead?

Yes. The tomatillo sauce keeps three days in the fridge. Reheat it in the skillet before adding the chicken and rolling the tortillas.

How spicy is this?

Mild with the jalapeño seeds removed. Leave the seeds in, or add a second jalapeño, for more heat.

Can it be frozen?

Assemble through topping with cheese, then freeze in the skillet or a freezer-safe dish for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before the final covered simmer to melt the cheese.

What makes this "suizas" instead of regular enchiladas verdes?

Suizas means Swiss, referring to the cream and melted cheese finished into the green sauce. Plain enchiladas verdes skip both.