Chicken Tacos with Tomatillo Sauce

Tomatillos are a new discovery for me. I've seen them in stores and occasionally mentioned in recipes, but never tried them for myself. Today's dish was inspired by the tomatillos withering into oblivion in my former neighbor's garden . She recently moved, and I took it upon myself as my duty to eat them.

Tomatillos are in the tomato family, and in Spanish are known as tomate verde (green tomato). They grow with a husk around the fruit, and as they ripen, the husk slowly pulls away. You know they're ready when the husk is wrinkly and splits open at the bottom. I think they're very cute. And little did I know (until today) that they're also the key ingredient in green salsas...there's obviously not a whole lot of salsa-making at my house. 

This sauce is basically a green salsa. It's easy and delicious and infinitely improves your run-of-the-mill taco. 

Chicken Tacos with Tomatillo Sauce
Recipe very loosely adapted from Gourmet May 2004
Pictures by Kelly


For tomatillo salsa:

• 1/2 lb fresh tomatillos, husks discarded and tomatillos rinsed and quartered
• 3 fresh green serrano chiles, coarsely chopped (including seeds)
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, quartered
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Purée tomatillos, chiles, onion, garlic, salt, and water in a blender until smooth. 
2. Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat; add tomatillo purée and simmer, stirring until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. 
3. Stir in 3 tablespoons of cilantro and simmer 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl.

For Taco:

soft corn tortillas
1 can (14 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed, and warmed
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chicken breast, broiled and shredded (about 2 breasts)
sour cream for topping

1. Assemble taco with beans first, then chicken, tomato, and a large spoonful of tomatillo sauce. Sprinkle with some of remaining 3 tablespoons of cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.