My one freezer meal: Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas

So the one piece of assvice I kept getting from people is that before the baby I NEED to make a whole bunch of meals to freeze. Because once the baby comes I won’t have ANY time and if I don’t do this clearly I am unprepared and unfit. And have you frozen any meals yet? Because you need to do that. Even just some soup. You know you can’t take a newborn to the grocery store, right? And I DON’T HAVE A KITCHEN SO STOP ASKING ABOUT THE FREEZER MEALS THANKS.

Literally the second my kitchen was fully functional I felt immense pressure to get something, anything, into my freezer. If for no reason other than to get the assvicy coworkers off of my back.

Enter the easiest freezer recipe I know - Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas. Ok disclaimer - I know this is probably a complete bastardization of a dish and that there are probably people out there who find this recipe as offensive as I find it when people serve the pasta separate from the sauce. But I’m not Mexican or Southwestern and I kindof am salty at Arizona in general since I read somewhere that they wanted to build a pipeline from the Great Lakes to solve their “we live in the desert but want lush golf courses” problem. But it’s quick and it’s easy and it freezes well. So take it for what it is.

Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas:

Ingredients:
(this makes a shitload but you can easily halve the recipe. This is one of those setups where it’s as easy to make one as it is a billion.)

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – I used the kind that come individually frozen in a bag since they were on sale this week and used an entire bag
• Salsa – I used a BIG jar.
• Can of diced tomatoes pepper and onion flavor, drained.
• 2 bricks of reduced fat cream cheese – you can probably get away with the non fat kind but it won’t be as melty and I’m thinking I’ll need the comfort of melty cheese postpartum.
• Corn Starch (may not be needed)
• Chili powder (if you want)
• Cayenne (if you want)
• Any other Mexican-type seasonings that you like
• 2 packages of Mission Flour Tortillas size medium
• Big can of enchilada sauce
• Big bag of shredded cheddar cheese mix.
• Cooking spray

Step 1: Put the chicken, salsa, drained tomatoes, and half of the cream cheese in the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. I didn’t even bother thawing the chicken first.

Step 2: The crockpot mixture probably looks nasty at this point. Don’t worry – it’s just part of the process. Mix everything together while pulling the chicken apart with 2 forks. Drain off some of the liquid if it seems too runny. Add in the rest of the cream cheese and wait for it to melt and mix in. If the mixture still seems too runny add corn starch as needed. You want it to be goopy and delicious. Like this:

Step 3: Flavor with any spices that you want to add. I threw in some cayenne and some chili powder to give it a little more kick.

Step 4: Spray the bottom of a baking dish with nonstick spray.

Step 5: Assemble the enchiladas.

I just put a spoonful of the chicken mixture down the middle and folded the tortillas Chipolte-style. Top, bottom, then the sides. Place them seam side down in the baking dish like so:

This made enough for two full pans!

Plenty for both dinner and the freezer. Also isn't my new glass tile backsplash awesome?

Step 6: Top the enchiladas with enchilada sauce and pile on the cheese:


Step 7: Cover with foil, label, and freeze. Feel smug about how prepared you are what with your ONE freezer meal and all:

OR

Step 8: Spray foil with non stick spray and cover. Bake at 350 for 25 min until cheese is bubbly. Uncover and cook for 5 min more.

I served them with a box of Zatarans black beans and rice. One pan was enough for Matt, Andy, and I to stuff ourselves silly and still have plenty leftover for lunches the next day.

So ok. I have a meal in the freezer, my house is clean, and as of today I’m officially on maternity leave. The missing trim pieces for the kitchen will be in and assembled tomorrow. So really I just need the actual baby. Seriously, kid, it’s about time to come out now.