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Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe for Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas is made with flour tortillas, shredded chicken, cheese, green chiles and a delicious creamy white sauce!

A DELICIOUS CHICKEN ENCHILADA RECIPE

One of my favorite Mexican meals (besides chimichangas) are enchiladas. This is one of those recipes that everyone loves – even picky eaters! It’s not spicy and has a wonderful creamy sauce that really pulls it all together. It’s the perfect weeknight meal that can be pulled together pretty quickly!

forkful, chicken enchiladas on a plate with fresh parsley

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S):

What is the best way to prepare shredded chicken?

*You can cook chicken for this recipe in a couple of ways. You can roast a couple of chicken breasts in the oven. Just drizzle a bit of olive oil on them and season with salt and pepper and cook for about 35-45 minutes.
*Or you can boil your chicken until cooked.
*Or you could use a store bought rotisserie chicken.
*It just depends on how much time you have to prepare this and what flavor you want from your chicken. The roasted and rotisserie chicken are going to give you the most flavor.
*Once your chicken is cooked, you’ll want to shred it using two forks. Or if you have a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, put your chicken in the mixing bowl and mix until shredded.

Do you have a more traditional red sauce enchilada recipe?

If you are looking for a more traditional homemade red enchilada sauce, be sure to check out my recipe for Chicken Enchilada with red sauce!

What can I serve with white chicken enchiladas?

Some Crock Pot Refried Beans or one of my personal favorites – my 3-Ingredient Mexican Rice! Or, if you like, just serve with a delicious, leafy green salad.

Could I use corn tortillas instead?

Absolutely! Corn tortillas need to be individually warmed up before rolling or they will tear as you roll them up keep that in mind.

How do you store leftover white chicken enchiladas?

White Chicken Enchiladas can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They can be frozen (before being cooked) for up to 3 months. Cover well to protect against freezer burn and make sure the sauce is completely cool before wrapping. When ready to cook, make sure to let it come to room temperature before cooking per directions. You can also store leftovers in the freezer then re-heat in the microwave.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

  • flour tortillas – this recipe calls for flour tortillas but feel free to use corn tortillas (just heat them up before rolling so they don’t tear.) I used a larger soft taco sized tortillas but you can use smaller and get more out of this recipe.
  • shredded cooked chicken – see my FAQ’s above on different chicken options.
  • Monterey Jack Cheese – use your favorite blend of shredded cheese. This recipe is very easy to customize. If you want to a bit of spice, you can use a Pepper Jack cheese.
  • butter and flour – you will be using these to thicken up the sauce.
  • chicken broth – if you are trying to cut down the sodium, you can use low or no sodium broth.
  • sour cream – if you don’t like sour cream you can use plain Greek yogurt or even softened cream cheese.
  • diced green chiles – this barely adds any spiciness at all but if you cannot have even the tiniest bit of spice then just leave it out.
  • salt, pepper and Adobo seasoning – use any combination of seasoning you prefer. You can even use a homemade taco seasoning.
flour tortillas, shredded cooked chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, butter, flour, chicken broth, sour cream, diced green chiles salt, pepper, Adobo seasoning

HOW TO MAKE WHITE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS RECIPE:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add in 1 cup of shredded cheese. Season with salt, pepper and a little Adobo seasoning.

shredded chicken, shredded cheese, salt, pepper, Adobo seasoning in a medium glass bowl

Place chicken mixture in each of the flour tortillas.

chicken and cheese filling placed into the center of a flour tortilla

Roll them all up and place them in your baking dish. Just squeeze them all in there.

flour tortillas filled with chicken in a baking dish.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Whisk in flour and let cook and thicken for 1 minute (don’t let it burn.)

flour added to melted butter in a medium sauce pan

Add chicken broth and whisk until smooth. 

whisking in chicken broth to butter, flour mixture

Stir in sour cream and chiles. Be sure not to let the mixture boil.

sour cream and green chiles added to broth mixture in a sauce pan

Take sauce off the heat and pour it over the enchiladas. Top with remaining shredded cheese.

pouring white sauce over chicken filled flour tortillas in a dish.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes. If you’d like, you can turn the broiler on high and broil these for a minute or two until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. Serve warm with your favorite sides.

FINISHED, MELTED CHEESE ON CHICKEN ENCHILADAS in a clear baking dish

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Originally published: April 2012
Updated photos and republished: March 2024

Easy Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas

White Chicken Enchiladas (+Video)

This recipe for creamy White Chicken Enchiladas is made with flour tortillas, shredded chicken, cheese, green chiles and a delicious creamy white sauce!
4.94 from 681 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 5

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, mix together 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken with 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese along with salt, pepper, Adobo seasoning, to taste.
    chicken mixture in a bowl.
  • Place chicken mixture into each of the 10 flour tortillas.
    chicken filling in tortillas.
  • Roll them all up and place them in the prepared baking dish.
  • In a medium sauce pan, melt 3 Tablespoons butter. Whisk in 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour and let cook and thicken for 1 minute (don't let it burn).
    butter and flour in a saucepan.
  • Add 2 cups chicken broth and whisk until smooth.
    chicken broth added to saucepan.
  • Stir in 1 cup sour cream and 4 ounce can diced green chiles. Be sure not to let the mixture boil.
    creamy white chicken enchilada sauce in a pan.
  • Take sauce off the heat and pour it over the enchiladas.
    white cream sauce on top of rolled up enchiladas.
  • Top with 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese.
  • Bake for about 20-25 minutes. If you'd like, you can turn the broiler on high and broil these for a minute or two until cheese is slighly browned and bubbly.
    fully baked creamy white chicken enchiladas.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
  • I have this set for five servings assuming it would be 2 enchiladas per person. 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 502kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 31g | Sodium: 1044mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




362 Comments

  1. I made this tonight and used cream of chicken instead of chicken stock. It came out really creamy and didn't make it soggy. I added a little milk to thin out the sauce. I also added a half of a pack of ranch mix to the sauce and it made it so tasty!

  2. I'm a college student, and this recipe was so easy to make for myself and my roommate! It's on the menu for a dinner party tonight too!

  3. This was the best!! My family loved this. Thank Iu so much for sharing this with us:-) looking now for more recipes to try from ur site.

  4. I made these tonight for supper and oh my! These are awesome & they beat out any other enchilada recipe I have ever fixed! And my teens loved'em too! 2 thumbs up 🙂

  5. Thank you so much Crystal & Theresa!! So thrilled to hear y'all like this recipe. It means so much to me when someone takes time out of their day to leave me a comment. I really do appreciate it and am so thankful!

  6. Brandi, just wanted to tell you I am fixing these Again!! My family LOVES them! I do not tell you enough…. THANK YOU for another great dinner!

  7. I honestly didn't have high expectations for this recipe because it seemed too simple…well, a big "duh" to me! It was so incredibly delicious and flavorful. Unfortunately, we all loved it and there weren't any leftovers to look forward to.
    I should have known better than to doubt one of your recipes. I have been following your blog for the past few months and have tried dozens of your recipes. They've all been winners and I can't thank you enough!
    -Crytal

  8. Yummy! I have a very similar recipe I've been using for years. The only difference is we use cream of chicken soup for the sauce rather than the roux. Much creamier and you don't have to turn on the stove! 🙂

  9. Thanks for stopping by Church Supper and sharing this yummy recipe, Brandie! Have a blessed week and hope to see you again next Sunday ~EMM

  10. Anonymous – I'm glad to hear you liked the taste. The only suggestion I have would be to thicken the sauce a bit. Maybe add a bit of cream cheese to make it thicker?? Maybe someone on here will have another good suggestion for you 🙂

    1. 5 stars
      I just made these and they were really good. I added chopped onions to the chicken along with the shredded cheese. I didn’t like the fact that the sauce was so thin. I tried to cook it for quite a while to get it to thicken but it never did. I went ahead and added the sour cream and green chilies. I would like to have the sauce a little thicker before pouring it over the enchiladas. I didn’t have any complaints about the sogginess on the bottom.

  11. My family hasn't ever eatin enchiladas. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It has ingredients that I can get here or substitute or make my own. I am so excited!

  12. We made these tonight and were delicious but the taco shells were soggy on the bottom. Is there a way to keep that from happening.

    1. I normally see white corn tortillas being used in this recipe, the flour ones will get soggy unfortunately. Hope this helps 😉

      1. 5 stars
        I have used white corn for many years and it’s next to perfect every time. Family favorite in Texas!

    2. 5 stars
      I put some of the chicken mixture on the bottom of the pan so my tortillas aren’t sitting directly in the bottom of the dish. I think it helps with texture. Great sauce I could drink this stuff!

  13. I LOVE enchiladas but my kids don't like the red sauce. What a GREAT compromise! Can't wait to make these 🙂

  14. Hey Brandie! This looks like a yummy and easy recipe! I especially like the tip about shredding the chicken. Now, I'm from Texas and you really threw me when your recipe called for "soft taco shells". I'd never heard of them! Well, of course I figured it out from the pictures…we call 'em tortillas! thanks for a great recipe.

    1. We call them tortillas here in AZ too. BUT, remember, flour tortillas come in soft taco size, fajita size and burrito size. A few stores here even have snack size ones that are like 4 inches in diameter.

  15. Yeah Baby! This is definitely MY kind of dish. I so agree with you about the red sauce on enchiladas…give me white all the way!! This sounds soo delicious. Mexican is my favorite ethnic dish…and with white sauce…HA CHA CHANYA!!!

  16. I have been on a Mexican kick. We went out for Mexican Saturday night and I had shrimp fajitas that I am still craving more of. Those enchiladas look like they are right up my alley!

  17. Bran, I made enchiladas last week that were very similar to these ones! I normally like the red enchilada sauce, but the green chili sauce was divine! I think I may be a green chili sauce convert for good! Your pics are making me crave them all over again 🙂

  18. I made a this recipe this weekend… Well one that was nearly identical. I swapped out the sour cream for nonfat Greek plain yogurt. It was awesome! It was a lovely replacement. I also added zucchini & spinach to the chicken & the family loved it. I recently saw another enchilada recipe with veggies in with the chicken & was inspired. This recipe adapted well to those changes.

    1. 5 stars
      If you like zucchini with your Mexican food try calabacitas, you can easily find the recipe on google. We go to Mexico quite frequently and enjoy authentic calabacitas and elote with most meals. 🙂

  19. Who doesn't LOVE a good chicken enchilada!! These look fantastically delicious!!! It's on the menu for later this week, thanks!!

    1. I make these pretty much same,I put cheese in the sauce,black olives and a can of green chilies in the meat mixture,and maybe green onions also..

  20. Yum!! I needed a good idea for this week's dinner menu and I love enchiladas. I usually make them with beef and a red sauce but this looks fantastic!