Freezer Chicken Enchiladas
Simply assemble your enchiladas ahead of time and freeze. IT GOES STRAIGHT FROM FREEZER TO OVEN! No dishes required!
I love a good enchilada.
No wait.
It doesn’t really have to be all that good if we’re being honest.
You could just have cheese and beans and I’ll be golden.
But I couldn’t do you guys like that.
So I made you sour cream chicken enchiladas instead.
You know, just to jazz it up a bit.
(But for those of you more health-conscious, plain Greek yogurt can be subbed!)
But what I really like about this recipe is how you can make individual portions and throw it in the freezer.
So it literally goes straight from freezer to oven at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
And you can serve it in these tin foils to save on dishes.
I know.
Genius.
Freezer Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover diced rotisserie chicken
- 2 ½ cups enchilada sauce, divided
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
- 12 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cheese, sour cream, cilantro and diced green chiles.
- To assemble the enchiladas, lay tortilla on a flat surface and spoon 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center. Roll the tortilla and set aside, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
- Pour 1/4 cup enchilada sauce onto the bottom of 4 5" foil disposable aluminum pans. Add 3 enchiladas per pan; top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.*
- Place into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Are you supposed to cook them first then freeze them…or freeze them uncooked and cook them when you’re ready? Thanks in advance! Can’t wait to try
My question is i made way too many we had leftovers 2 nights, still have a full pan left i need to freeze them and maybe serve next week, how do i freeze them correctly so there not ruint.
This recipe is great nothing else to add.
Here is the link for the foil pans on Amazon They come in a 60 pack with lids.
https://www.amazon.com/Fig-Leaf-Pack-Premium-Takeout/dp/B073QLHZ4X/
A simple solution to the soggy tortillas, use Manicotti Shells or Canneloni Shells, stuff them. Just make sure you add a bit more sauce than the recipe calls for. You can buy oven ready shells.
I loved this! I used low carb tortilla shells to meet my keto diet. I will make this again!
Do i cook them then freeze? Or assemble then freeze?
HI, I’ve been making enchiladas for decades and I always seem to have much better luck baking first. Not the full time, but at least 20 minutes, then freezing. Hope your enchiladas are amazing!
I am making some freezer meals for my maternity leave. Do i fully cook these before putting in freezer or just roll them up and get them all prepared, wrap up and then freeze?
I made the enchiladas chicken cheese sauce roll them can I freeze them now
Just wanted to say that we go to an authentic Mexican restaurant at least once a month and my husband always gets enchiladas and they are always flour tortillas. This recipe is great, we tried chicken and ground beef. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve used this technique for dozens of recipes and it’s the best. I found your site through my question of wondering about freezing enchiladas. They get super soggy and very easy. Unlike pasta, the tortillas absorbs the liquid, as you know more than I.
I’ve pondered freezing the rolled enchiladas and adding sauce when it’s time to cook them up. Basically a tequita lol. Do I bake until thawed and then add all the other goodness? What’s your take.
*very excited to explore your site. Mmm mmm
Yes, that should work just fine, Shaun! Let me know how it turns out for you! 🙂
I agree with the writer who said flour tortillas are only for burritos and quesadillas. I took the frozen enchiladas out of the freezer and put them in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour. Removed the foil and baked them for another 15 minutes. They were perfect.
Looking for new ideas will have to try this one for sure but think that I will make ahead and put them all in a gallon size bag , then when i get ready to cook will place in a ton pan with the sauce on it before putting in the oven and see if that helps with the soggy that I see so many have had problems with….. it’s a texture thing for me
Tonia, did you try that (freezing in a ziploc bag)? I had the same idea and wanted to know if it worked
Can I use canned chicken instead of rotisserie chicken? I have so much canned chicken to use up. Ugh!
Yes, of course!
From frozen, these took 60 minutes, covered in a 425° oven and then an addition 30 minutes uncovered. The tortillas were still soggy.
Corn tortillas are the usual way to make enchiladas
This looks great! I’m definitely going to use leftover chicken! Thanks!
I know this is an old recipe, but I’m going to leave my feedback anyways!
These were okay. I made them in advance, with corn tortillas, then froze them. Unfortunately they ended up being extremely soggy, the tortillas were mush.
The actual taste of them was good, if you put aside the texture. My guess is that these would be good, just not as a freezer meal made in advance.
Did you cook them before freezing them? I’m just wondering if that makes a difference in the texture.
Do you think I can freeze this if I made the sauce was made with sour cream & green chilis? No enchilada sauce in there.
Thank you in advance!
As I am not an expert on food safety, I cannot really say with certainty. Methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with. Hope that helps, Tammy!
Yum!!!! I’m making these for a friend after surgery- is there a way I can put more enchiladas in a bigger sized pan? It’s for a large family! Will the cooking time change? Thanks!!
Yes, you can add more to a bigger pan, but since we haven’t tried that ourselves, we can’t answer the cooking time question with certainty. Please use your best judgement when you make modifications. Hope that helps!
Thank you!!