Sunday night I was looking for an easy dinner.
I tried the Creamy Chicken Enchiladas from Jessica Fisher’s soon-to-be-released Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook with Bodegas Paso Robles Galicia Albariño and was not disappointed. Instead I was delighted.
Not only was every enchilada enjoyed (even by all three of my children) but my husband remarked at the delicious wine and food pairing. Cha-CHING!
The creamy tang of the enchiladas, covered in spicy salsa, were a perfect compliment to the crisp, citrusy and pear flavor of the Albariño. The wine tempered the spice and made me want to have another bite of the enchiladas, which then brought the wine even more to life, coaxing another sip. It was the perfect dance between wine and food and I highly recommend both.
Here’s a little more about the Creamy Chicken Enchiladas and Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook:
Jessica knows more about preparing meals in advance than anyone I know. And she makes it all seem so easy. I am the one who all too often is planning the day’s dinner while eating lunch, while Jessica, mother of 6, on the other hand, prepares several meals in advance and simply pulls delicious homemade goodness out of her freezer for her family. Did I mention she also juggles a successful blogging and writing career?
I’d love to be more like Jessica, and plan and prepare my meals in advance. But, alas, I am not. I am hoping her book will help me to turn the corner. She’s got all sorts of tips and plans in there, breaking it down to step by step directions and ideas to make it easy to batch cook and get a lot of meals done at once.
What is great for slackers like me, though, is that she also includes individual recipes, so you can pick which things you want to batch cook in advance or, um, even just make one meal on the fly if you didn’t plan in advance and freeze. This makes Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook an even better bet in my book, because I can try to plan ahead and make ahead or I can still follow her recipes and make many of the dishes right away.
For those of you looking for a great weeknight dinner pairing, whether you want to prepare in advance or not, I highly recommend the Creamy Chicken Enchiladas from Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook paired with an Albariño like Bodegas Paso Robles.
If you just cannot wait until the book releases, Jessica was kind enough to allow me to share the recipe for the Creamy Chicken Enchiladas from her book here:
(When the book goes on sale October 9, grab your own copy. The rest of the recipes are just as good!)
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Packaging: Snack size zip-top freezer bag, 9×13 baking dish with lid
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil, for frying tortillas
12 corn tortillas
4 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Jack cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon Chipotle Taco Seasoning Mix (recipe follows)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
When serving, you will also need:
2 cups salsa verde
Instructions:
Fill a skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 inch. Heat over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Fry the tortillas in the hot oil for 30-45 seconds each, turning once with tongs. Drain the tortillas on paper towels. Allow the tortillas to cool enough to be easily handled.
In a bowl, combine the chicken, 1 cup of the Jack cheese, the cream cheese, onion and taco seasoning mix. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the remaining 1 cup of Jack cheese in the freezer bag and set aside.
Grease the baking dish.
Assemble the enchiladas by placing 2 Tablespoons filling on each tortilla. Roll and place the enchiladas, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.
Freezing Instructions:
Place the bag of cheese atop the enchiladas, wrap the dish for the freezer, and chill in the refrigerator before freezing.
To thaw and serve:
Thaw completely in the refrigerator. Remove the bag of Jack cheese from the dish. Preheat the oven to 350. Pour the salsa over the enchiladas and sprinkle the reserved cheese over the enchiladas. Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes, or until the dish is heated through and the cheese is melted.
Chipotle Taco Seasoning Mix
Packaging: Plastic container with lid or pint-size zip-top freezer bag.
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons chipotle chili powder
2 Tablespoons onion flakes
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Instructions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Place the mixture in an airtight plastic container or freezer bag and store in the freezer.
I made a few changes to the recipe to accommodate my family.
- I served the salsa verde separately so my sauce-averse kids could make their own decisions on sauce.
- I also sprinkled a bit of cheddar cheese on top, in addition to the Jack cheese.
- And, of course, I served it with Bodegas Paso Robles Galicia Albarño.
I will definitely serve this pairing again. And I’ll also be cooking and pairing my way through Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook. I hope to keep you posted.
A download of Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook was provided to me for this review by the publisher. The Bodegas Paso Robles Galicia Albariño was also provided separately as a media sample, but from the winery, not the publisher. The pairing idea is my own.
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