Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a holiday held on May 5. The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War. In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico, which occurs on September 16th.
In honor of this day I always try to prepare something special for my husband since he is from the very town where the actual battle took place. This is what I made this year.
Enchiladas
20 oz bag of frozen chicken fajita strips (thawed)
12 oz (4 medium) tomatillos, husks removed
1/2 onion
2 jalapenos
1 14 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup packed cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 corn tortillas
8 oz monterrey jack cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to broil setting. Place tomatillos, onion and jalapenos on baking sheet and place under broiler and roast until edges start to char. Reduce heat on oven to 350 degrees. Stem jalapeno and place all vegetables, cilantro and salt in blender and puree until smooth. Add 3/4 cup of salsa to bottom of 9x12 baking dish. Chop chicken into small bits. In a bowl, mix chicken, 3/4 cup of salsa and 1/2 of the cheese and combine. Steam tortillas in a wet paper towel for 1 1/2 minutes in microwave until softened. Place a chicken mixture into a tortilla and roll, putting seam side down into baking dish. Repeat until all chicken and tortillas are complete. Add remaining salsa over the top of enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, avocado slices and chopped tomato.
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