Do you love to have meals ready to go in your freezer? Then this is the recipe for you. During this next month, I will concentrate on recipes that are great for freezing so I can help my sister, who is expecting her 3rd daughter next month, load her freezer with great meals. The first freezer friendly dish that I will focus on is Chicken Enchiladas. It’s easy to make and loaded with flavor. This recipe has a wonderful blend of delicious chicken, melted cheese, a savory sauce with green chiles, and corn tortillas. So let’s get started filling our freezers!
Start by cooking the chicken. I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and then I baked it in the oven at 350 for 1 hour. Your chicken might take less time since I used thick chicken breasts. Make sure your chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees before taking it out of the oven. Once it is cooked, shred the chicken and put it into a bowl that you will set aside.
Next you need to make the sauce. In a pan heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Remove the oil from the heat. Mix in the flour.
After the flour is mixed in, put it back on the heat.
Pour in the chicken stock.
Add the tomato paste.
Mix in the can of green chiles, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of oregano,1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Then simmer for 20 minutes.
Now you can start making the filling. Chop the onion and brown it in a pan with some vegetable oil.
In a bowl mix the shredded chicken, onion, 2 cups of cheddar cheese and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Now that the filling is done you are ready to assemble the enchiladas.
Spread 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9″x13″ casserole dish.
Dip tortillas in the sauce.
Spoon 3 tablespoons of filling onto each tortilla.
Roll up and arrange, seam side down, in the 9″x13″ dish.
Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove foil and bake for 5 minutes. Let it cool, and there you have it! It’s ready to be served.
Serve with sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, olives, and any other taco fixings. Now you have a yummy enchilada meal for the whole family to enjoy. And don’t forget you can freeze them for later. To freeze, assemble enchiladas and then before you bake them wrap with foil and freeze. When you go to bake them later, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and cook 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven covered and then 5 minutes uncovered.
Ingredients
- Filling
- ---------
- 1 lb. cooked chicken
- 1/2 of an onion chopped
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ----------------------------------
- Sauce
- ---------
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- 1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (4 oz.) can green chiles
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- -----------------------------------------
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups of cheddar cheese for the top
Instructions
- Start by cooking the chicken. I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper and then I baked it in the oven at 350 for 1 hour. Your chicken might take less time since I used thick chicken breasts. Make sure your chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees before taking it out of the oven. Once it is cooked, shred the chicken and put it into a bowl that you will set aside. Next you need to make the sauce. In a pan heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Remove the oil from the heat. Mix in the flour. After the flour is mixed in, put it back on the heat. Pour in the chicken stock. Add the tomato paste. Mix in the can of green chiles, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of oregano,1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Then simmer for 20 minutes. Now you can start making the filling. Chop the onion and brown it in a pan with some vegetable oil. In a bowl mix the shredded chicken, onion, 2 cups of cheddar cheese and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Now that the filling is done you are ready to assemble the enchiladas. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9"x13" casserole dish. Dip tortillas in the sauce. Spoon 3 tablespoons of filling onto each tortilla. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, in the 9"x13" dish. Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove foil and bake for 5 minutes. Let it cool, and there you have it! It's ready to be served. And don't forget you can freeze them for later. To freeze, assemble enchiladas and then before you bake them wrap with foil and freeze. When you go to bake them later, thaw overnight and cook 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven covered and then 5 minutes uncovered.
