Creamy Enchilada Casserole

My friend Erin gave me this recipe last December when we went to visit and she made this for dinner. It was easy and yum-o.

You can use canned chicken breast or some that you have cooked. I bought a whole chicken on sale, boiled it and then separated the chicken into several batches to be used in a few recipes. Plus, I strained the broth and now have frozen, healthier chicken stock in my freezer.

After making this dish a half dozen times now, I think I might add a few things to the "insides" of the enchiladas. More chicken and some cheese inside each enchilada might be nice.

Ingredients

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T. margarine
1/2 medium onion chopped (about 1/4 c.)
1 t. chili powder
5-6 oz can of chicken breast, drained
4 oz. can chopped green chiles
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 c. cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix soup and sour cream. Spread 1/2 c. of mixture into a 2 qt. dish (8 x 8 pan; not enough for a 9 x 13).
3. Over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and chili powder. Cook until tender. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in chiles, chicken, and 2 T. soup mixture.
5. Spread 1/4 c. of mixture on each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in dish.
6. Pour remaining soup mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheese.
7. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts. (about 30-40 minutes)

This recipe freezes well. I made a double batch two weeks ago. We ate one batch that night and I froze the second batch and we ate it last night. Make the recipe as directed and then seal the dish with two layers of heavy duty foil. It's best to pull the casserole from the freezer the night before you plan to eat it and let it thaw in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. However, mine was still a little frozen in the middle when I placed it in the oven yesterday and it was fine; it just took twice as much time to bake (with foil covering it for the first 30 minutes).

Make sure to leave a comment if you make this dish. Let me (and others) know what you think!

Chicken Fajitas

I buy boneless, skinless chicken breast in bulk when it's on sale and then prepare the meat in a variety of recipes and freeze them. When it's time to decide what to eat for dinner, I have meals already half prepared and not just packages of frozen meat. It's my "sort of" freezer cooking method.

One of our favorite chicken recipes is this fajita marinade. I prepare the meat and freeze it, then when it's time to cook it, I made sure I have tortillas, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. We like to have tortillas chips, refried beans, Mexican rice, and/or a salad alongside these yummy fajitas.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3-4 large breasts)
• green pepper (I use 2)
• onion (I use 2)
  

marinade:

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Worchestshire sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 cup oil (any kind)
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley
  

DIRECTIONS

Mix marinade ingredients together and pour in a ziploc bag. Add chicken, green pepper strips, and onion strips. Seal and double bag if freezing. This full recipe serves 6-8 adults, depending on appetite.

Last night I made 1/2 the recipe and fed 4 adults and 4 young children. Yum. Yum!