Every time I make a fix and freeze meal or something in the crockpot, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. They are the perfect type of recipe to double so you can eat one that night and put one in freezer for a later date, or give one away to a friend! I have a good friend who was recently diagnosed with cancer. In addition to this, her and her husband have a newborn baby. So I thought that some ready made meals would help take some stress out of this trying time. I found a great post with a variety of recipes on Good Housekeeping’s website. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food/quick/make-ahead-meal-recipes
The first recipe I made was the Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas. I made a few changes to the ingredients, and the recipe listed below reflects that. There are just some modifications to make the recipes a little lower in fat content. The link above will take you to the original recipe, with nutritional information.
Ingredients, yields 2 casseroles
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 1 package Sazon (this can be found in the Mexican food isle of your grocery store)
- 4 cups water
- 2 jar(s) (16- to 17.6-ounce) mild salsa verde
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup(s) fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1/2 cup(s) (loosely packed) fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 16 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- 1 container(s) (8-ounce) reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 package(s) (8-ounce) reduced-fat (2%) shredded Mexican cheese blend
Directions
- Put fresh or frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot and fill with the water and 1 packet of sazon. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until chicken starts to shred easily. Drain water and shred chicken. You will need about 5 1/2 cups of the shredded chicken. Stir 1/2 cup salsa verde into chicken to evenly coat.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 13″ by 9″ glass or ceramic baking dishes; set aside. In 12-inch skillet, heat remaining salsa verde, green onions, and lime juice to boiling on medium-high. Boil 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 tablespoons cilantro; keep warm over very low heat.
- With tongs, place 1 tortilla in salsa verde mixture; heat 10 seconds. Place tortilla on waxed paper; top with about 1/3 cup shredded-chicken mixture. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture, arranging 8 tortillas in each dish.
- Stir sour cream and broth into remaining salsa verde mixture in skillet; spoon over filled tortillas. Cover one baking dish with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Meanwhile, sprinkle remaining cheese and cilantro over second casserole and prepare for freezing.
This recipe turned out really tasty. I actually made a little extra chicken and used the excess to make a pot pie. There are so many ways you could spice up this recipe as well, like adding mushrooms or other vegetables to give them a different flavor. I will definitely be making this one again, as my husband couldn’t stop talking about how good it was too! This is the first of what will probably be many make-ahead meal posts this winter.
