Gloriously creamy, cheesy, and tomatillo-bright, enchiladas suizas are easy to love. The Mexico City specialty, whose name nods to the dairy-rich culture of Switzerland, features delicately seasoned shreds of chicken tidily rolled into subtly savory corn tortillas, topped with cheese, and bathed in a sauce spiked with Mexican crema, each distinct component shining through in every bite.
As I worked up my own recipe, I aimed to do justice to each of these elements, but I also wanted to address some classic enchilada pitfalls along the way. Making enchiladas is a project, and results can be mixed: Oftentimes, the tortillas crack, the filling pokes through the rolls, or the sauce sogs out the whole dish, resulting in a collapsed, mushy mess. I’d need to employ some strategy to ensure my recipe was both streamlined and structurally sound.
A Punchy, Creamy Sauce
When I spoke to Zarela Martínez, chef and co-host of the podcast, about the dish, she emphasized the importance of a lush sauce. “The creaminess is very important to enchiladas suizas,” she said, noting that cream is not usually used in
