1½cupsroasted green chiles(skinned, seeds removed, and chopped)
2cupschicken broth(low sodium)
1yellow onion(diced)
1jalapeno(diced, include seeds for extra spice)
2clovesgarlic(minced)
Spices: cumin, dried oregano, salt, pepper(add to taste)
3tbspflour
Nonfat Greek yogurt(optional, add to taste)
Chicken Filling
16ozshredded or chopped chicken(see notes)
½cuproasted green chiles(diced)
½cupnonfat Greek yogurt
8ozshredded cheese, half reserved(see notes)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep the Collard Green "Tortillas"
De-stem the collar green leaves, and rinse, leaving them whole. To de-stem, fold the leaf in half, and slice down the middle to cut out the thickest part of the stem. Leave attached at the top so you can use them as tortillas.
Blanch the leaves - cook in boiling water for ~2 minutes until they feel tender, then transfer immediately to an ice bath.
Once chilled, lay out on towels to dry.
Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
In a medium sauce pan, saute the onions with a dash of salt until tender, adding the jalapenos toward the end. (I've found that if you cook the jalapenos too long they loose much of their spicy kick.)
Add in the garlic and stir for ~30 seconds.
Add in the roasted green chiles, and cook for another couple minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the sauted veggies until they are thoroughly coated, and then continue to cook until the flour turns golden brown and starts to smell like pie crust.
Whisk in the broth slowly, mixing well to minimize lumps.
Simmer ~30 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon.
Taste and adjust the seasoning as the sauce cooks, adding the cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper ~½ tsp at a time. I like to let the sauce get warm and simmer for a bit before I add much seasoning; I think the flavors change as it heats up.
I blitzed the cooked sauce with an immersion blender to smooth it out a bit. A blender would work as well. Blend to whatever consistency you prefer, or leave it chunky!
At the end, if desired, stir in a couple spoonfuls of nonfat Greek yogurt to turn this into a creamy green enchilada sauce.
Chicken Filling
Mix all the ingredients together, reserving half of the cheese for the topping, until the taste and consistency is what you want.
Stir in the Greek yogurt to get a creamy binding sauce, but don't overdo it.
Assemble the Enchiladas
Take a collard leaf, dip it in the enchilada sauce, and lay it on a plate.
Slightly overlap the inside edges to fill in the gap left from de-stemming.
Spoon on the chicken mixture, ~1/3 cup.
Sprinkle a pinch of cheese on top.
Roll and set in pan, seam sice down.
Continue until you fill all the collard leaves, or the pan is full. For me, this recipe filled 6 leaves, and fit nicely in a 10"x6" rectangular baking dish. (My favorite Le Creuset Baker.)
Top with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with a light layer of cheese.
Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is starting to bubble around the edges.
Notes
For the chicken: I smoked a whole chicken (read about smoking a whole chicken here), and then chopped it up to use in this recipe, but you could also use a rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, baked or boiled chicken. Just get it cooked and chopped or shredded, however you prefer!For the cheese: I used a pepper-colby-jack, but pick your favorite here, or substitute in a low-fat option.