Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas {freezer meal}

Here’s yet another freezer meal I tried: Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas. I froze both batches, but you could always prepare one right away, and freeze the extra! I used red sauce in the mixture of both, then topped one with green sauce, and the other with red. Because those are the 4 cans of sauce we had in the pantry. 😉

recipe adapted from happymoneysaver.com

CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS (makes 2 batches)

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts – uncooked
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6 c. shredded cheese (I used a mixture of of marble cheddar & Mexican style)
• 20 flour tortillas
• 4 cans enchilada sauce (red and/or green – I used 2 red for the mixture, and 1 red on top of one, and 1 green on top of the other ’cause that’s what was in our pantry) or homemade enchilada sauce
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 7-oz can chopped green chiles, drained
• Optional toppings/sides: sour cream, olives, salsa, lettuce, beans, rice

WHAT YOU DO:

If preparing right away…

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Place raw chicken in a boiling pot of water. Boil for 20 mins, or until chicken is shreddable. Then using a cutting board and fork, shred the chicken.
• In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, cheese, onion, chiles, black beans, and 2 cans enchilada sauce.
• With a large spoon, fill each tortilla with mixture. Roll it up and place it in large baking dish with seams down (I used foil lasagna pans from the dollar store; 9×13 pans will also work). Repeat until all chicken mixture is used. Half of the enchiladas will be in one pan, and half in the second pan.
• Pour one can of enchilada sauce over the top of each batch.
• Bake 25-30 mins, until melted and bubbly. Add optional toppings/sides.

If freezing…

• Place raw chicken in a boiling pot of water. Boil for 20 mins, or until chicken is shreddable. Then using a cutting board and fork, shred the chicken.
• In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, cheese, onion, chiles, black beans, and 2 cans enchilada sauce.
• With a large spoon, fill each tortilla with mixture. Roll it up and place it in large baking dish with seams down (I used foil lasagna pans from the dollar store; 9×13 pans will also work). Repeat until all chicken mixture is used. Half of the enchiladas will be in one pan, and half in the second pan.
• Pour one can of enchilada sauce over the top of each batch.
• Cover with heavy duty foil and label with a permanent marker. Wrap in plastic wrap (I put them in jumbo 2.5 gallon zipper bags). Store in freezer.
• To prepare, bake from frozen, at 400F for 45-60 mins, until melted and bubbly. Add optional toppings/sides.

Want to use homemade enchilada sauce instead? Try this: