Homemade Chicken Enchiladas - Two Ways!

I've made Chicken Enchiladas countless times,

but until recently I'd only used red sauce.

And when prepping to make this batch,

I realized I've never blogged about making them.

So today is your lucky day folks!

Not only do you get to see how they're made,

but you get to see how you can make them 

with two different types of enchilada sauce!

These Chicken Enchiladas are yummy,

pretty simple to make too,

and can be even made ahead of time.

Keep reading to see how they're made!

The Goods:

Chicken Breasts

Corn Tortillas

Yellow Onion

Garlic

Taco Seasoning

Cheese

Red Enchilada Sauce

Green Enchilada Sauce

Olive Oil (Not pictured - oops!)

Season your chicken with taco seasoning and a little olive oil.

I use a homemade mix, but use whatever you'd like.

Roast your chicken in the oven until fully cooked.

Once the chicken has cooled enough to touch,

start shredding it using two forks.

Now it's time to saute your onion and garlic in a little olive oil.

Once they're nice and fragrant remove from the heat...

And add to the bowl of shredded chicken.

Toss everything together so it's evenly mixed.

It's almost time to assemble and roll your enchiladas!

Get your pan(s) prepped - spray with PAM and then add a thin layer of sauce.

Since I was doing two kinds, I had one with red and the other with green.

Lay corn tortilla on a flat surface and add filling to your liking.

You'll want enough filling so your enchilada is hearty, 

but not too much so you can't roll the tortilla.

Roll the tortilla up and place it seem side down into the sauce.

Keep rolling until your pan(s) are full and you've used all the filling.

Then cover with more sauce (the same kind you used on the bottom).

If you're baking the enchiladas right away, top with shredded cheese.

Use whatever your little heart (and taste buds) desires,

but I tend to use cheddar with red sauce and jack cheese with green sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes - until cheese is melted.

Now all that's left to do is dig in and ENJOY!

(But don't burn your mouth with hot cheese!!!)

If you're not baking them right away,

leave the cheese off and add when it's time to bake.

Freeze in baking dish(es) that are tightly sealed in zipper bags.

Chicken Enchiladas
1 pound chicken breasts
16 corn tortillas
1 medium yellow onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheese (1/2 cup cheddar, 1/2 cup jack)
1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce
1 10-ounce can green enchilada sauce

1. Season your chicken with the taco seasoning and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Roast at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes - until fully cooked.
3. Let chicken cool and then start shredding with two forks. 
4. Saute your onions and garlic with the remaining table spoon of olive oil. 
5. Once fragrant, remove from heat and add to shredded chicken. Toss to combine.
6. Spray your pan(s) with pan and put a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom.
7. Microwave your tortillas for about 30 seconds to make them easier to roll.
8. Add about 1/4 cup of filling to each tortilla and roll up to form enchilada. 
9. Place rolled enchiladas in pan, continuing until each pan is filled. 
10. Top with remaining enchilada sauce.
11. If freezing to bake later (in the next few months at most!), leave the cheese off and add when ready to bake. Freeze in baking dish(es) that are tightly sealed in zipper bags. Then add cheese before ready to bake. 
12. If baking the enchiladas right away, add shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes - until cheese is melted.

Homemade Freezer Meals!

I absolutely love cooking, but with my schedule 

I don't always have time to whip up a homemade meal.

So over the years, I've become smarter

and realized I can make certain things ahead of time,

pop them in the freezer and then bake/heat at a later time!

This has come in hand on NUMEROUS occasions.

You've read about all of these recipes before,

but I thought I'd put them all in one place for you.

For most of the recipes listed -

I usually make enough to eat once (and have leftovers) 

and a similar size to freeze and eat again soon!

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Chicken Spaghetti

Baked Ziti 

Baked Mac n Cheese 

Baked Manicotti

Baked Pretzel Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Individual Sloppy Joe's

Inez's Turkey Burgers

Turkey Pot Pies 

Soup

Soup

and MORE Soup 

I have some ideas for more freezer meals to make in the future,
but am always looking for suggestions so please send them my way!

Baked Pretzel Ham & Cheese Sandwiches

In this post I showed you all about how to make Homemade Pretzel Rolls.

And today I'm taking it a step further and am showing you how to use them to make

BAKED HAM & CHEESE PRETZEL SANDWICHES!!!

My sister-in-law made a variation of these a few years ago.

And I was hooked from the first bite!

I knew I wanted to make them myself,

but as usual I changed the original recipe up a bit.

These sandwiches are incredibly easy to make and so darn tasty!

They can even be made ahead of time and frozen.

Keep reading to see how easy they really are!

The Goods:

Pretzel Rolls

Deli Ham

Cheddar Cheese

Butter

Mustard

Poppy Seeds

Onions (Optional)

(Full Recipe at bottom of post!)

Melt butter with mustard, then add poppy seeds and onions if using them.

Get all your supplies ready to assemble the sandwiches.

Cut Pretzel Rolls in half and spread mustard butter sauce on each side.

Add a few slices of ham and one slice of cheese to each sandwich.

Wrap each sandwich individually in foil.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. 

If making from frozen, bake for 45 minutes instead.

And that is is folks!

Super simple as promised!!!

Ham and Cheese Pretzel Sandwich Recipe

6 Pretzel Rolls

1 pound Deli Ham

6 slices Cheddar Cheese

 1/4 Cup Butter

1/8 Cup Mustard

1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds

1 Tablespoon Chopped Onions (Optional)

1. Make your Pretzel Rolls. Or you can buy them but they won't be as good! 

2. Melt butter with mustard. Once melted, add poppy seeds and onions if using.

3. Cut Pretzel Rolls in half and spread mustard butter sauce on each side.

4. Add a few slices of ham and one slice of cheese to each sandwich.

5. Wrap each sandwich individually in foil.

6. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. 

If making from frozen, bake for 45 minutes instead.

Baked Manicotti

I'm in the process of restocking my freezer with homemade meals
and I realized I never got around to posting about my Manicotti!

I've made this a few times and love it every time.
In fact - I still have a batch frozen right now to eat soon!

Now keep reading to see how I made my Manicotti.

The Goods:

Manicotti Noodles

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Ricotta Cheese

Eggs

Marinara Sauce

Fresh Herbs

Garlic Salt

(Full recipe at bottom of post.)

Cook your manicotti and set aside to cool.

Add the cheeses, eggs, fresh herbs and garlic salt to bowl.

Mix everything well.

Stuff the noodles with mixture.

 I find using a piping bag the easiest.

Place filled noodles in greased baking dish,

cover with marinara sauce to your liking.

Add more cheese and chopped fresh herbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

And it's done!

Serve and enjoy!!!

Cheese Manicotti Recipe

2 Eggs

15 ounces Ricotta Cheese

2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/4 grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese

1 to 2 teaspoon Fresh Basil, Parsley or both

1 teaspoon Garlic Salt

20 Manicotti Noodles

2 cups Marinara Sauce

1. Put egg, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, half the herbs and garlic salt in mixing bowl.

2. Mix on low for about 30 seconds - until it's well combined.

3. Put mixture into piping bag and fill each noodle.

4. Place filled noodles in a greased casserole dish.

5. Pour marinara sauce over noodles and add a little more cheese.

6. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

7. Remove foil from dish and return to oven for 5 or so minutes.

8. Take pan out of the oven and top with the remaining fresh basil.

I adapted this recipe from a Stuffed Shell recipe I've used in the past,

so if you cant find Manicotti noodles, feel free to use Giant Shells instead!