Chicken Enchiladas from Your Freezer (ATK)

• doses: 4-6

Ingredientes

1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce

½ medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

2½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons minced canned pickled jalapeños

10 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Cooking spray

Instruções

1. To make ahead: Blend tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chipotle, cumin, coriander, salt, and broth in blender until smooth. Heat oil in large non- stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add tomato mixture, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until mixture is reduced to 3½ cups, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Toss ¾ cup sauce with chicken, 1 cup cheese, cilantro, and jalepeños.

3. Place 5 tortillas on baking sheet and lightly coat both sides with cooking spray. Bake tortillas until just pliable, about 2 minutes. Working quickly, transfer one tortilla at a time to work surface, fill with ⅓ cup chicken mixture, and roll tightly. Transfer, seam side down, to large plate. Repeat warming and rolling process with remaining 5 tortillas. Place plate in freezer until enchiladas are frozen, at least 1 hour.

4. Place remaining sauce in freezersafe container and press 2 layers of plastic wrap directly onto surface of sauce. Tightly wrap enchiladas in bundles of 5, first in plastic and then in foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.

5. When ready to serve: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Defrost enchilada sauce in microwave on defrost setting, about 12 minutes.

6. Coat 13 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange frozen enchiladas in single layer in baking dish and coat tops with cooking spray. Bake until tops of tortillas are just beginning to flake, about 20 minutes. Remove dish from oven, top enchiladas with 1 1/2 cups sauce, and bake 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1½ cups cheese and bake until cheese melts and center of casserole is hot and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining sauce and garnishes (see note above) at table.

Notas

Use leftover cooked chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken in this recipe. Note that you won't need 1½ cups of the cheese until you bake the enchiladas. Serve with avocado, pickled jalapeños, shredded lettuce, and/or sour cream.

Taste Test: ENCHILADA SAUCE

Curious as to how canned enchilada sauces would stack up against our homemade version, we tried six supermarket brands: Old El Paso, La Victoria, Hatch, La Preferida, Comida Mexicana, and Las Palmas. None could compete with our recipe. Tasters compared one sauce to "canned tomato soup" and another to "spicy Chef Boyardee." Some comments were even more scathing, likening the supermarket sauces to "burnt coffee grounds" and "salty and bitter tomato paste." If you're taking the time to make our enchiladas, why spoil their fla- vor with a subpar sauce? Ours can be ready in less than 15 minutes. -Cali Rich

How to FREEZE AND BAKE ENCHILADAS

1. Tightly wrap the chilled enchiladas in bundles of five, first in plastic and then in foil. The sauce should be frozen separately.

2. Arrange the frozen enchiladas in a single layer in a greased baking dish and coat the tops with cooking spray.

3. Pour the defrosted sauce over the enchiladas after they have baked for about 20 minutes (and the tortillas are starting to flake).