Friends with babies (Creamy Chicken Enchiladas recipe)

A friend of mine had a baby on 12-12-12. How cool is that! That is one birthday I will never forget. I'm sure the boy's lucky number will have to be 12 for the rest of his life.

As most of us know, being a new mom is a lot of work, a lot more work than we think it'll be. So, like all good friends, I decided to bring her a dish. The problem always is, what do you make someone else that is generally liked by all, is easy to cook, and can be frozen if need be? The answer, creamy chicken enchiladas. So good, so easy, just bake and serve. It's also very freezer friendly. I've made one recipe into two smaller casserole dishes and frozen one for several months. Works great. Just defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and bake like regular.


To round out the meal and keep it simple, I made sure everything was in dishes that didn't need to be returned. I cooked a batch of caramel brownies, threw in a bag of salad mix with dressing and toppings, and added some chips and salsa. A family pleasing meal.

CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Note: If you want a quicker easier recipe, you can use rotisserie chicken from the store. Dice it into bite sizes. Use the liquid in the container in place of the poaching liquid.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1/4 cup red taco sauce
1/4 cup Pepper Plant hot sauce
2 cups water
salt and pepper
(You can also add other Mexican type spices to the poaching liquid. Things like 1/2 teaspoon cumin or oregano would be good.)

1 16 oz container sour cream 
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small can sliced olives, drain
1 small can diced green chilies, drain
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese
10 flour tortillas

1) Place the first six ingredients together in a stock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and poach for about 1 hour.

2) Break up chicken into chunks with a spoon. If chicken does not break apart easily, continue to poach. If it does come apart easily and is cooked all the way through, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3) When chicken has cooled to warm, start the creamy filling. Remove the chicken from the liquid. Save the liquid. Dice the chicken into bite sizes.

4) Stir together the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and poaching liquid. 
5) Reserve one cup of the cream sauce to the side. Spread another cup around the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.
6) In the rest of the cream sauce, stir in the olives, green chilies  and chicken.

7) Fill each tortilla with 1/2 cup of filling and some cheese. Roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with all the tortillas. (Use 1 1/2 cups of the cheese inside the enchiladas.)
8) Spread the reserved cup of cream sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
9) At this point, if you are bringing it to a friend, cover it with foil and include baking instructions. If you are fixing it for your family to eat, bake for 30-45 minutes at 375 degrees. The enchiladas are done with the cheese is all melted and the top if gold and bubbly. If you are freezing it, wrap tightly in foil and freeze for up to three months. Defrost in the frig overnight and bake as normal. It may take a little longer to bake if it isn't completely thawed.