Josef Centeno’s Recipe for Chicken and Pea Enchiladas

Josef Centeno’s Recipe for Chicken and Pea Enchiladas

With a filling of shredded chicken, tender peas, fresh mint and queso fresco, this recipe from L.A. chef Josef Centeno is a far cry from the heavily sauced, cheese-smothered enchiladas you might expect. Light yet satisfying, it’s an ideal early-spring meal

By Kitty Greenwald in the Wall Street Journal

FOR TEXAS-BORN chef Josef Centeno, the meals prepared by his great-grandmother were an education as well as a regular source of comfort. Amá, as he called her, was a native of Puebla, Mexico, and her light, simple cooking—a far cry from the melted-cheese-smothered version of Mexican food served in many stateside restaurants—reflected that. She was such an inspiration that Mr. Centeno named his restaurant Bar Amá after her, and it was on her enchiladas that he based this recipe, his third Slow Food Fast contribution.

 “I remember she’d dip a tortilla in oil so it was no longer dry, then she’d fill it, roll it up and top it off,” he said. “There weren’t a lot of ingredients, but they were so flavorful.” While Amá’s original contained only queso fresco, Mr. Centeno includes shredded chicken and smashed peas in his filling, and finishes with a topping of sautéed carrots, onions and potatoes as well as more queso fresco.

These enchiladas have been on the menu at Bar Amá since it opened, in 2012. “In the beginning a customer sent them back because he thought the cheese should be melted,” Mr. Centeno recalled. “We explained that these are different.” The goal was cooking as light and wholesome as his great-grandmother’s. “I’m not going to mess with that,” he said. “I cook food that feels personal.”

Chicken and Pea Enchiladas

Total Time: 35 minutes Serves: 4

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 large carrot, diced small
• ¼ medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1 medium Russet potato, peeled and finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ bunch cilantro, leaves and thin stems finely chopped
• Juice from ½ lime
• ½ small red onion, finely diced
• 1½ cups frozen peas
• 20 mint leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco, plus more for garnish
• 8-12 medium white corn tortillas
• 1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in a roasting dish and rub with salt and 1 tablespoon oil. Roast until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté carrots, yellow onions and potatoes until lightly caramelized, 2 minutes. Transfer pan to oven and roast until vegetables are fork tender, about 8 minutes.

3. Remove pan from oven and place over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in 2 tablespoons cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, toss together red onions and remaining cilantro and set aside.

5. In a small pot of boiling, salted water, blanch peas until just tender, 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to immediately transfer peas to a colander. Run peas under cold water, then remove and dry on paper towels. Transfer to a bowl.

6. Using a potato smasher or fork, lightly crush peas to form a coarse mixture. Stir in mint, shredded chicken and ½ cup queso fresco. Season with salt and set filling aside.

7. Gently warm remaining oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat. Once warm, use tongs to dip a tortilla into oil and cook, turning, until slightly puffy, 1 minute or less. Transfer tortilla to a work surface and repeat with remaining tortillas.

8. Assemble enchiladas: Spoon 1-2 tablespoons chicken-pea filling down center of each tortilla. Roll tortillas up around filling to form tight cigars, then transfer enchiladas to a serving platter and top with sautéed carrots, onions and potatoes. Garnish with onion-cilantro mixture and more queso fresco. Serve with sour cream on the side.