With more than 600 recipes to choose from, compiling our annual list of favorites is no easy task. After making our list (and cutting it twice, no thrice!) we narrowed it down to a baker’s dozen — still double what we have space for in our digital replica edition. So, as we have in the past, we’re breaking it up into two installments. Because the recipes were easily split between sweet and savory, that’s where we drew the line.

First up: Savories.

We selected these recipes based on how often we made them again after publication and your feedback.

In chronological order:

From ‘Front Burner: Enchilada chicken soup recipe for the impatient’ by Kelly Brant, published March 24

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Green Enchilada Chicken Soup

• 2 cups canned or homemade green enchilada sauce (recipe follows)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 12 ounces shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie or leftover)
• ½ cup half-and-half OR 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided use
• ½ cup salsa verde plus more to taste
• Desired garnishes such as sliced avocado, cilantro and tortilla chips

In large saucepan, combine the enchilada sauce and chicken broth and heat over medium. Stir in the chicken, half-and-half or cream cheese and 1 cup of the Monterrey Jack cheese and cook until cheese is melted and chicken is heated through.

Serve soup topped with remaining Monterey Jack, salsa verde and desired garnishes.

Makes about 4 servings.

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Green Enchilada Sauce

• 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
• 1 white or yellow onion, quartered
• 2 to 4 cloves garlic, smashed but not peeled
• 1 serrano or jalapeno chile, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, or to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Cumin, to taste
• ½ cup cilantro leaves and stems
• 1 ½ teaspoons safflower or corn oil
• Sugar, to taste

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil. If any of the tomatillos are larger than a lime, cut them in half. Arrange tomatillos, onion, garlic and chile in a single layer on the baking sheet. Season lightly with salt and cumin. Roast 20 minutes, or until tomatillos and onion are tender. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic from its …….

Source: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/dec/29/sensational-savory/