Friday, September 16, 2011

Chicken Enchiladas

Have I mentioned that I am on a freezer meal kick right now? Well if not, I am. It has been a lot of fun making things and I have already started eating some of them! I knew I wanted to do chicken enchiladas. I have never made them to put in the freezer, but I thought they would work quite well. I realized that I had never actually made the traditional chicken enchiladas. I have made several different varieties of chicken enchiladas, some of which I am sure I will post on here eventually. Growing up my mom mostly made us cheese enchiladas (well at least that's all I remember). I always liked those enchiladas. I am sure there is absolutely nothing healthy about them and that is why I loved them. When I moved off to college I had a roommate that was very picky. She introduced us to a very simple, basic, non-mexican style enchilada. These were the two styles of enchiladas that I was used to. I have since started trying even more types of enchiladas and love them all! This recipe is one that I just threw together so I could put it in the freezer. I wasn't really sure how it was going to turn out. The other day we decided to eat some of the freezer enchiladas and I was very happy with the results!



Chicken Enchiladas

2 lbs shredded chicken
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 clove minced garlic
1 cup mozzarella (or cheddar) cheese
8 flour tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce

Combine shredded chicken and cream cheese. Mix until cream cheese is well combines with the chicken.  Mix in cumin, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. With a spoon or fork scoop out a small piece of chicken and taste it. If it isn't quite as flavorful as you would like ad a little more spices (I have a hard time using exact spice measurements) Mix in 1/2 cup mozzarella or cheddar cheese (whichever you prefer). Using one tortilla at a time place a couple tbs of chicken mixture along center of tortilla. Roll up tortilla around mixture. Place in a 9X13 pan or 2- 8X8 pans. Repeat with remaining tortillas until chicken mixture is gone. Drizzle enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and heated throughout.

Freezer directions: Prior to baking place pan in freezer and let freeze over night. You can then soak pan in warm water for a few minutes and remove frozen enchiladas from your 8X8 pan and slide it into a gallon size zip lock freezer bag. This frees up you pan and gives you more room in your freezer. Return bag to freezer until ready to use. On baking day remove frozen enchiladas from bag and place back in 8X8 pan. Place in cool oven and set temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

3 comments:

  1. Great idea to tuck these away for a rainy day when you need a quick meal solution. Yummy.

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  2. I love enchiladas! I have never frozen them though - great idea!

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  3. Yum! I love enchilada's! I never thought to put cream cheese in them, though, will have to give them a try.

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