I cook a lot of things using chicken stock, which I make myself using chicken leg thigh quarters or whole chickens that I've quartered. Over the years, I've picked up or developed a lot of recipes that make use of the chicken leftover from this process.
Since the chicken is already cooked, it lends itself very well to meals that can be made in time constrained situations. I freeze it in recipe size batches so that I can grab one and thaw it easily. Even If I forget to put it out of the freezer in the morning, it can be thawed out in a matter of minutes in the microwave. This has saved me on more than one occasion when a half day outing lasted way longer than it was supposed to and we don't make it home until dinnertime. Being able to put a home-cooked meal on the table in less time than it would take to order a pizza is priceless.
This is one of my families favorite "leftover" chicken recipes. It can be done with just about any kind of leftover chicken, or you can cook some specifically to make the recipe. I have to make double the recipe because my husband would probably cry if there were no enchiladas for a snack, and my 6-year-old would do the same if there were none for lunch the next day.
Ingredients:
1 pound cooked chicken, diced
1 package cream cheese, cubed
1 can chopped green chiles
1 package 6-inch tortillas, flour or corn your preference
1 can green chile enchilada sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded fiesta cheese blend or cheddar, your preference
Preparation:
Heat oven to 400°F. Prepare a 13X9-inch baking dish.
In a bowl, combine enchilada sauce with cream of chicken soup. Spread a thin layer of the mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
In a large skillet heat chicken, chiles, and cream cheese on medium heat until heated through and the cream cheese is fully melted.
Spoon mixture into tortillas, roll and place seam-side down into the prepared baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top, and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.