i usually love making dinner. i love chopping vegetables, i love sauteeing them, i love making a mess in the kitchen. (i don’t love cleaning it up.) but i know i’m not the only one that has busy days when making dinner is just another daunting task on the to-do list, and i know i’m not the only one that sometimes just wants to have dinner already made because i simply do not feel like making it.
slow cooker meals and freezer meals are both excellent ways to get the job done without having to spend your precious time in the kitchen. it may take a little bit of work at some point, like, say, on a saturday or sunday, or even in the morning on a weekday. but it can be done when it’s convenient for you and not at 5:00 pm when everyone’s hungry.
chicken enchiladas are one of our favorite freezer meals – we make a double batch, eat half of it for dinner that night, and stick half of it in the freezer for those busy/i-do-not-feel-like-cooking days.
here is the recipe for 1 batch (it makes 8-10 enchiladas, depending on how much of the chicken filling you put in each one).
- 2½ cups chopped (or shredded), cooked chicken
- 1 (4oz) can diced green chilies
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups grated monterey jack cheese
- small flour tortillas
- mix chicken and chilies in a bowl. set aside.
- heat soup to a boil and add sour cream and ½ cup of grated cheese, and stir until smooth.
- stir ¾ cup of soup mixture into chicken mixture.
- dip each tortilla into soup mixture. fill with ¼ cup of chicken mixture, top with a sprinkling of cheese, and roll up. place in a 9x13 baking dish.
- repeat until all the chicken mixture is gone. put extra cheese on the top of all the rolled enchiladas.
- bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. enjoy!
- *if freezing, place enchiladas in a freezer-safe dish. cover with tin foil after topping with extra cheese. freeze. to bake, remove from freezer and let thaw in fridge all day. bake as normal. if you do NOT remember to remove from freezer, add more time to baking when baking from frozen - bake for 45-60 minutes, instead of 30.
what are some shortcuts you use for dinnertime? do you have any favorite freezer meals?? please share in the comments! i love to hear what you have to say!
Super idea and looks soooooo good!
Yum! Can’t wait to try this!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! We don’t really have diced canned chillies so I added a diced red capsicum, corn and parsley. Also subbed in parmesan cheese because we don’t really have Monterey Jack. It was really nice – thanks for sharing!
Awesome, Symone! So glad you liked them! I’ll have to try them with your substitutes next time – great ideas!
Question! Do you bake them before freezing?
The chicken is baked/cooked, but the enchiladas – once they’re assembled – are frozen unbaked. I think the texture turns out way better if you freeze them unbaked and then just bake them when you’re ready to eat! Thanks for the question!
When you boil the soup, do you add the recommended amount of water or just the condensed soup alone?
Just the condensed soup – no water!
Thanks Katie, You answered my question as well. Keep the soup undiluted.
Thanks, Sherri! I’ll update that info in the blog post!
How long can it be frozen for?
I’d freeze them for 3-4 months.
Hi
I’ve just found this recipe and really hoping for a reply. What would I do with any left over soup mix?
Do I pour it over the enchiladas before freezing or just throw it away?
You can do either! Though I would personally put the rest of it over the enchiladas before freezing 🙂
Hi! I am confused about dipping the tortillas in the soup mixture. Do you really dip the entire tortilla into the soup? So one side is completely wet before putting in the filling? I am planning on making this tomorrow for dinner 🙂
Hi Meredith! Yes, you take the tortilla and dip it in the soup mixture! You don’t completely submerge it, you just kind of lay it flat on top of the soup so that you just get a thin layer of the soup on the tortilla. Kind of like I do with my french toast (because I don’t like it eggy I just dip it very lightly, flat, in the batter). I even dip both sides of the tortillas. The soup mixture is really thick and it will stick to it. You’ll probably get your hands really messy making these, but the mess is half the fun 😉 Hope you like them! They are always a hit at our house.
Thank you so much!!
Of course! Enjoy!
The tortillas don’t get soggy when freezing this dish?
They stay soft, but not soggy – just like they would be if you baked them sans freezing. Hope that helps!
Can I make today and keep in the fridge for a few days? (Plan on warming up early next week) Or would it be better to freeze it, even if it’s just for a few days?
Thank you!
I’d probably freeze it so the sauce doesn’t make it too soggy, but I don’t see any other reason why you couldn’t let it sit in your fridge for a few days. Hope that helps!