Make Ahead Chicken Enchiladas Recipes

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
• Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.
• Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
• Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
• Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Do ahead: Make the enchiladas.
• Prepare the pan and tortillas: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour about 1/3 of the can of enchilada sauce into a 9-by-13-inch casserole pan. (Make sure your pan is also freezer-safe if you plan to freeze the finished dish.) Line the tortillas up crosswise in the pan, folded open like taco shells for easy filling.
• Fill the enchiladas: Scoop about 1/2 cup of cooked chicken into each tortilla. Divide the diced bell pepper evenly between the tortillas, sprinkling the pieces on top of the chicken. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon shredded cheese over the bell pepper. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce over the filling.
• Roll and bake: Starting at one end of the pan, roll the tortillas up so the seamed side of each tortilla is face-down in the pan. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly across the top of the tortillas, then top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Cool to room temperature.
• Store the enchiladas: To keep the enchiladas up to 2 days in the refrigerator, tightly cover the pan with foil before storing. To freeze the enchiladas for up to 3 months, tightly wrap the entire pan with foil, crimping to seal around the edges to prevent freezer burn. Or to freeze smaller portions separately, scoop the enchiladas into individual lidded freezer-safe containers before storing.

MAKE AHEAD LAYERED ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Combine ground meat, onion, pepper and seasonings. Cook until meat is brown. Drain fat.
• Mix soup with enchilada sauce and water until well blended and add to the ground meat mixture. Simmer for about 10 minutes and reserve.
• Grease 9x13" baking pan. Layer six tortillas, half meat mixture with the sauce and half grated cheese.
• Repeat another layer with the remaining ingredients. Cool completely. Cover with foil and refrigerate 24 hours.
• Bake at 350ºF. for 45 minutes covered with foil until heated through before serving.
• Serve with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, salsa and guacamole if you like.
• VARIATION: this casserole can also be made filling each flour tortilla with the ground meat and rolled up, then covered with the enchilada sauce and soup mixture, and the grated cheese on top. Refrigerated and heated before serving.

MAKE-AHEAD CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Mix chicken, 1 1/2 cup Mexican cheese, roasted peppers, chile peppers, and sour cream in a bowl until well combined.
• Heat enchilada sauce in a 12-inch frying pan. Dip a tortilla in the sauce until well coated and slightly softened. Top with 1/2 cup chicken mixture.
• Roll up tortilla and place seam side-down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray, and place it greased side down on the dish; seal to cover.
• Refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 2 days.
• When ready to bake, remove enchiladas from the refrigerator and let sit for 30 minutes. Keep foil cover on.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 1 hour.

MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in chicken, pimentos, and cream cheese. Season with salt and set aside.
• Heat 1/8 inch oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Use tongs to dip 1 tortilla into the hot oil just until it blisters and turns limp, about 3 seconds; do not fry until firm or crisp. Continue with remaining tortillas, stacking them on a plate between paper towels when heated.
• Spoon about 1/3 cup filling down the center of each tortilla, then roll to enclose. Place enchiladas, seam-side down, in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Remove enchiladas from the refrigerator. Spoon cream over top and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.
• Bake, covered, in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 15 minutes longer.