As part of my 50 Freezer Meals in a day menu I wanted to share my enchilada freezer meal recipe. Usually the day before I start cooking all my freezer meals I will add a bunch of chicken breasts to the crockpot so they can roast slowly on low all night. That way when I wake up in the morning all the chicken is ready to be shredded or diced for the various recipes I am making.
This enchilada freezer meal recipe is one of my favorites because it is just so super easy! You can make your enchiladas as mild or spicy as you like, add sides like cilantro lime rice or beans. It is so delicious. For ease you make them up, add them to your 9×13 pan and freeze. Thaw and bake for a really short time for a quick dinner.
ENCHILADA FREEZER MEAL RECIPE
Make sure you have some Enchilada Sauce. I have quite a few great Mexican friends who have shared with me this secret: It is possible to make homemade Enchilada sauce, but honestly this stuff tastes exactly like their homemade. I have never tried to make homemade sauce before, so I am going to stick with these cans. If any of you have a different opinion or a recipe to share that makes better homemade enchilada sauce please share by leaving a comment.
Take your shredded chicken breast and add it to your shredded cheese.
Mix it up a bit.
Add in some onions if you like that sort of thing. I usually never put onions in because I am pretty much the pickiest person on the planet.
Then add in your can of Enchilada Sauce. I like the mild because these can get a bit spicy for me – I am a gringo you know..LOL.
Then you just get out your flour tortillas, heat them in the microwave a bit so that they don’t crack/split when you fold them. Have your enchilada making station all ready to go.
Add a little bit of enchilada mixture to your tortillas and wrap them up. I had way too much chicken mix I think on this one.
Wrap them up and add them to a nice 9×13 or baking dish.
Pour over some enchilada sauce on the top.
Sprinkle your cheese.
Cover with foil, label and freeze. Or bake right away at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or till melty and bubbly.
Enjoy with some homemade salsa, sour cream, lettuce, beans and rice!
Now if you really want to spice up the flavors a notch you can add in some jalapenos with your mix.
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts
- 1 Medium Onion diced
- 3 cups Cheddar Cheese Shredded
- 10 Medium Flour Tortillas
- 2 Cans Red Enchilada Sauce
- Optional:
- 1 Can Black Beans
- Jalapenos
- White Rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Place 4 raw chicken breasts into a pot of water.
- Boil on high for 20 minutes, or until chicken is shreddable.
- Then using a cutting board, shred the chicken.
- Mix cheese, onion, chicken and 1 can red enchilada sauce in a bowl. (Optional ingredients can be added at this point.)
- With a large scooper, fill each tortilla with mixture. Roll it up and place it in large 9x13 baking dish with seams down. Repeat until all chicken mixture is used.
- Pour the second can of enchilada sauce over the top.
- Top with cheese.
- Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until melted and bubbly.
- Serve with sour cream, salsa, lettuce beans or rice.
Notes
Nutrition
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About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Krista says
It’s hard to tell from the picture…how many oz are the cans of enchilada sauce? It’s nearly impossible to find in Canada so I’m going to have to make my own!
Joy says
The user recipe at the top looks tasty, but for freezer cooking multiple meals, I use this for my enchilada sauce.
1 (29 oz.) can tomato sauce
7 cups Chicken Stock
4 Tbls vegetable oil
7 Tbls cornstarch
8 Tbls chili powder
2 Tbls cumin
1 Tbls sugar
Whisk the liquids together in a stockpot and heat over high heat until it is combined and starts to get little bubbles. Spoon a little bit of it into a bowl, and add the cornstarch and whisk until combined. (I probably use 3/4 cup liquid.). Once it makes the little sauce, pour the whole thing back into the stockpot. (It really just keeps the cornstarch from being lumpy.) Add the spices to your pot, and simmer for 8-10 minutes. You can add salt if you like, but I don’t usually add pepper because I’ve found it gets bitter in the freezer. This makes enough for me to make 30 enchiladas. EnJoy!
Andrea says
You list white rice as an optional. Do you add that into the frozen recipe or just make it as a side item? If you add it in do you cook it first? I am excited to give it a try!!
Karrie says
Either or… If you like having rice in your enchiladas then feel free. I usually just use the rice as a side item. Hope you like the recipe!
sarah says
I use black beans and rice in my enchiladas all the time i usually cook the rice first and use 1/2 a cup in my enchiladas than leave the rest for an optional side. If you use 5 min rice you can add it in without cooking but it will suck up a bit of sauce.
Tanya says
Hi, when you make these for freezing, do you add all the ingredients (i.e., the sauce over the top)?
Thanks!
Jeri says
What do you think about adding a can of Rotel Tomatoes to the chicken?
I’m just starting out with the freezing dinners as my job has changed to 10-12 hr days and I’m in no mood to cook when I get home. This would be easy for hubby or my daughter to put on. Thank you for posting so many great recipes. I’m going to work my way through them. 😀
Lizarde says
Do it. My guy adds rotel and it’s pretty good. Or he did until we had a toddler. One day again, I hope.
Kristy says
I mix my mild enchalada sauce with a can of tomato soup and a can of cream of chicken soup. It seems to help with the spicyness and helps it go further. I mix all three cans together and whisk until blended, over low heat.
vankelly says
Great recipe! I tried out, and love it! easy and quick!
Thank you for sharing!
Julie says
SUCCESS!! I made 2 chicken pot pies, 2 chicken enchiladas, 2 lasagnas, 9 hamburgers and 1 chicken broccoli alfredo:)))) I messed up and forgot to double the enchilada sauce so I had one can for the mixture and one can to go over both batches but I just put extra cheese over top so hopefully it will be fine. Also, I doubled the lasagna recipe but it really barely made one and a half. next time I will triple the recipe except for the gr. beef to make 2 lasagnas. We ate the smaller lasagna last night. I found classico sauce on sale and got the sweet basil kind, my family LOVED it!!! They said it was the best lasagna I had ever made. Thanks again!!!
Karrie says
Way to go Julie! I am so impressed and excited for you. Enjoy all those nights of easy cooking now.
Julie says
Oh!! and a large batch of chocolate chip cookies will be made Thursday :)))
Julie says
Thank you so much for all the great freezer recipes!! Got the chicken breasts in the crockpot and the ground beef is defrosting. Making Chicken pot pies, lasagna, chicken enchiladas, chicken & Broccoli alfredo and hamburgers tomorrow:)))Next week beef french dip sandwiches:)))
Karrie says
Woo hoo – go Julie go!
Liz. beasley says
If you use tin foil pans they can go straight from freezer to oven, put keep a tin foil cover on til last 10 minutes as to not over bake tortilla. If you use glass dishes, definetly let thaw overnight or during day! I also do this with the white sauce enchiladas, until we had to go dairy free
H says
Thank you!
H says
If I freeze it; do I have to pull it out and thaw it? Then 350 for 25-30?
Keep it frozen and double the time?
What are your guidelines for cook timeswhen using a frozen meal vs a fresh one?
Karrie says
You can if you have the time, or if you are a last minute person like me you can also just stick it in the oven frozen. Yeah, it does take a little bit longer this way, I just watch it after the initial 30 minutes on this recipe – checking every 10 minutes or so until it’s done. From frozen this usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.
veronica says
I was wondering the same thing with all of the freezer meals. There are no tips for for how you reheat when you are ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Amanda says
I am going to make this with ground beef too! And freeze!
Thanks for the ideas!
Nicole says
You say you can freeze this. If I do that, do I have to thaw it before I stick it in the oven, or can it go in frozen and just bake until heated through?
Jennifer says
Hi Karrie,
You mentioned that you put a lot of chicken breasts in a crock pot so they can roast overnight. Do you just stack them on top of each other put on the lid and you’re set? Do you add any liquid? Is there a limit to the number of breasts you can put in there at one time? I have seven of your recipes to prepare and I’m already at 17 chicken breasts. I have a large slow cooker, so it would be great if I could squeeze most of them in there and get them cooked in advance.
Thanks!
Karrie says
Hi Jennifer, Yes I fill that thing as full as I can. I usually add a cup of water so it all stays tender. Good luck.
Jennifer says
Thank you!
Alison says
Does the chicken start frozen or fresh? Mine would start with frozen. How do I do that? Sorry, I’m such a kitchen novice.
Karrie says
You should always try to buy fresh if you plan on using it as a freezer meal. My rule of thumb is to only freeze something once. You don’t want to freeze, then thaw then freeze it again.
Nan says
Will corn tortillas work? I am on strict gluten free diet.
Karrie says
Absolutely, I have used corn tortillas before and they are just as good.
Marsha says
What about whole wheat tortillas – has anyone tried them and if so, do they work as well as the flour and corn?
Karrie says
I tried whole wheat and the family hated it. It was too “wheaty” for them… but that’s just my fam.
Kari says
You could try making your own tortillas with this recipe and use half whole wheat. I used to think I hated whole wheat flour until I bought FRESH whole wheat from Wheat Montana. I opened up the bag and could have eaten a handful of flour. By itself. Fresh, good quality wheat makes all the difference. Store bought wheat tortillas suck plain and simple. Get organic good quality whole wheat and you will find yourself dreading using white flour.
Jenelle says
I found gluten free tortillas in the store, and they worked great!
Melissa says
I use this easy recipe at recipegirl.com It’s so good and easy it’s worth the extra bit of time; and you can claim all homemade, and get bragged on! Love your ideas on freezer meals and will be using them this summer!
Enchilada Sauce
Yield: About 2 1/2 cups
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet to medium heat. Whisk in flour and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in tomato sauce, chicken broth, cumin, garlic powder, onion salt and salt. Stir until smooth, and continue simmering over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
2. Serve immediately, or keep in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Leah says
I use this recipe for enchilada sauce as well. Superior to any canned sauce I’ve ever tried. And super easy 🙂
Happy.MoneySaver says
I will have to give that recipe a try!
Valerie Morris says
Hi Karrie,
I am new to freezer meals so this was my first attempt. They tasted amazing but the appearance was lacking a little when they were done. Maybe you could give me some tips. I made the enchiladas about 4 days ago and froze them. I went from freezer straight to oven without foil. Cooked for about 1 hr 15 min last 15 without foil. The top was beautiful but my corn tortillas were pretty gooey on the bottom. So with or without foil? Should I defrost in the fridge first?any suggestions on how to prevent soggy tortillas?
Karrie says
You could try defrosting in the fridge first, but because the sauce is on the tortillas so long you may get a little more sog than if you made them fresh.
Connie says
I always prepare freezer meals for my nephew when he stays at my house to watch my dogs when I am on vacation. He is a very good cook (as long as he is just heating things up in a microwave). Has anyone tried to bake these first (without the cheese on top) then freeze them? I think he can manage to put some cheese on top when they are hot from the microwave. What do you think?
Danielle says
I make my enchilada’s like this but I add sour cream to the meat mixture. Sooo good. It tames the spicy sauce flavor down for the kids. Make me hungry just thinking about it!
Karrie says
Wow – great idea Danielle!! I am going to try that next time.
Courtney says
Do you know how many calories one enchilada is?
jolene says
thanks for the idea!
Vera Moore says
I was wondering if I would be able to add cream cheese to these like I would normally before freezing? Usually I mix my shredded chicken with some of the green enchilada sauce and then mix in diced jalapeno or green chilies to the softened cream cheese which I spread on the tortillas before adding the chicken filling. Lastly I pour over the sauce, leaving no visible tortilla (so no edges dry out), and top with cheese.
Karrie says
That should work perfectly great with the cream cheese in the insides of the enchiladas!!
ashleigh says
This looks so yummy!!!! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Leah says
I LOVE your baking dish! Its amazingly fresh and adorable, I need one now! Also, I haven’t (ever) thought of adding jalapenos, what a brilliant idea! My husband is going to be in for a great surprise next time I make enchiladas. Thanks for sharing 😀