Typical Mexican enchiladas arrive rolled up and stuffed, but at my favorite enchilada street stand—the inspiration for this recipe—they're stacked in a messy, luxurious pile, with separate individual layers of corn tortillas, fresh cilantro and onion, green enchilada sauce, shredded cheese and chicken. The whole thing is topped with a blanket of crema and more cheese. It's almost like a deconstructed lasagna. The dish is enough to make you fall deeply in love with Mexico City—particularly when the corn tortillas are homemade, and the green sauce is prepared with a slow-simmering pot of fresh chicken stock.
I recommend making your own light stock here, using the water in which you've cooked the chicken. If you can find a hen, which Mexican cooks consider to be the most flavorful stock base, use that. If you're vegetarian, this dish can still be pretty wonderful, especially if you use homemade vegetable stock.
Recipe notes
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