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!
An Easy Chicken Enchilada Recipe
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 is absolutely delicious and a wonderful alternative to those that maybe don’t enjoy the red sauce version. It’s the perfect weeknight meal that can be pulled together pretty quickly!
I have made this recipe so many times. I make it exactly to the recipe. It’s always a hit–even with two picky kiddos. We love it so much, we’ve eaten the leftovers for breakfast!
– Rachel
Frequently Asked Questions:
*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.
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!
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.
Absolutely! Corn tortillas need to be individually warmed up before rolling or they will tear as you roll them up keep that in mind.
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.
How To Make White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
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 chicken with 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Season with salt, pepper and a little Adobo seasoning.
Place chicken mixture in each of the flour tortillas.
Roll them all up and place them in your baking dish. Just squeeze them all in there.
In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Whisk in flour and let cook and thicken for 1 minute (don’t let it burn.)
Add chicken broth and whisk until smooth.
Stir in sour cream and chiles. Be sure not to let the mixture boil.
Take sauce off the heat and pour it over the enchiladas. Top with remaining shredded 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 slightly browned and bubbly. Serve warm with your favorite sides.
Craving More Recipes?
- White Chicken Enchiladas (For Two)
- White Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Cornbread Taco Bake
- Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas
- Bisquick Chicken Enchilada Bake
- Swiss Chicken Enchiladas
- Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
- Ground Beef Enchiladas
- White Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Originally published: April 2012
Updated photos and republished: March 2024
White Chicken Enchiladas (+Video)
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or mozzarella)
- salt, pepper, Adobo seasoning, to taste
- 10 flour tortillas (taco size)
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles (do not drain)
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
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.
- Place chicken mixture into each of the 10 flour 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).
- Add 2 cups chicken broth and whisk until smooth.
- Stir in 1 cup sour cream and 4 ounce can diced green chiles. Be sure not to let the mixture boil.
- Take sauce off the heat and pour it over the 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.
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.
Nutrition
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.
I’ve made this several times for my family & it’s always a big hit!
The only thing I added was a can of Rotel in addition to the Chiles. I also season the chicken with Mexican seasoning when cooking.
Do you make your own Adobo seasoning or buy it? I have never heard of this before!!
I buy it! You can usually find it where the other seasonings are located or sometimes the grocery stores carry it in the Latin food section. Hope that helps! It’s a great all purpose seasoning!
I’ve made these several times with only minor changes after making the first time following the recipe exactly. I add garlic powder to the chicken cheese filling and about a 1/2 cup of the topping. This makes them juicier and
more flavorful. I then add chopped springs onions over the top of them when they come out of the oven. Adds a little zip and looks great
I made this recipe a few months ago exactly as written. OMG! Delicious! Yesterday I had some leftover pulled pork I wanted to use up. I just added about 1 teaspoon of Cumin powder to the pork and continued the recipe as usual. I was really good. Not much different than chicken. Thanks for the yummy recipe.
This was really good. Every one enjoyed this and it is a keeper.didn’t have any leftovers, darn it.
will make again for sure.
This was delicious!! I did swap out the flour tortillas for white corn tortillas. Heating them beforehand usually keeps them from tearing and it gave these a deeper flavor. I’ll definitely be making these again!
Thanks so much Saiedah! Always love to hear when different variations turn out well too!
I absolutely loved this recipe! Instead of just chicken as filling I added white beans and spinach. The beans enhanced the creaminess of the sauce. I also added 1/2 jar of tomatillo salsa with the can of green chilies and fresh sautéed jalapeño to the sauce. Delicious! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
That sounds perfect! Thanks so much Chelsea!
I don’t like tomatoes, so these enchiladas were a great alternative. They were delicious, and my family liked them even more than the traditional tomato sauce enchiladas. I will definitely make these again because they were so easy and so yummy!
Always a favorite at my house!! SO easy to make as well. I go the rotisserie chicken from Sam’ Club route.
I made this for my husband and 2 adult sons for dinner last night. I made everything according to the recipe but added onion to the filling and put olives on top after cooking. Everyone loved the recipe! I was worried about it being bland due to the lack of ingredients in the recipe but the enchiladas were very flavorful. I’ll be making these again. Thank you!
Would these work prepped and then frozen and defrosted just before cooking?
I have pre made and frozen with good results. Warm in oven for about 20 minutes if still frozen at 350 covered
This was awesome!!! My man loved it tried to post pictures!
These are so amazing and not too hard to make! The sauce seemed runny when pouring it on top but thickened up very nicely when baked. Will definitely be making more often!!
Great recipe. One caveat: enchiladas seem too doughy if you don’t use corn tortillas. The trick to corn tortillas is to put a small skillet on a burner next to your ‘assembly line’. Just barely grasp the edge of the tortilla and lay the tortilla into the oil without letting go. It only takes 5 seconds. Turn the tortilla over and 3-5 seconds on the other side in the medium-hot oil and the tortilla is as tender and pliable as it can be. You don’t HAVE to hold them, but they are easier to handle if you never let them go. Otherwise you’ll have to use a spatula
I made your Easy Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas today and they are absolutely fabulous!!! I’ve been trying recipe after recipe looking for that certain flavor in the sauce and you Nailed It. I can end my search and enjoy Chicken Enchiladas any time I wish. Thank you for creating it. I followed your recipe and made NO changes at all. I love it.
Hi Brandie. I have made these one other time, AMAZING, but was wondering if you can put recipe together in the morning, put in fridge and bake later?
Can you freeze these before cooking for later?
Family favorite! (Which is REALLY saying something for this very picky family of six) We’ve made some adaptations to it over time for my son’s celiac disease/gluten free (Cornstarch instead of flour, corn instead of flour tortillas), change certain textures (corn tortillas instead of flour) and flavors (for the sensitive stomach people, mozzarella cheese instead of Monterey jack) , etc. But over all it is a very great starting off recipe.
When roasting chicken breasts to shred for this recipe, you said to roast for 30-45 minutes. What temperature oven?
My husband couldn’t believe I cooked this. He said it tastes like it came from a restaurant!! Thank you!
We made these last night for dinner, and they were absolutely delicious. Made 2 smaller pans, one regular and one gluten-free. I love the sauce with the green chiles. So, so good! Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
I altered it slightly. Reduced the broth to make it thicker . Added more cheese, extra green chillies, and some jalapeño slices. But this recipe was very delicious and a nice change from the usual red sauce.
Made this tonight. Come together quickly and it was delicious. I usually always make enchiladas with red sauce but these were great. Will definitely be making them again.
These are DELICIOUS! My sisters have made a white sauce chicken enchilada dish for years and my daughter and I were never a fan. Always made my enchiladas with red sauce and beef because I didn’t care for their recipe . However, THIS recipe is the best! I wish I had found it years ago. Thank you for sharing. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!! Now a staple for us!
I making it today .. My fiancé love it so much .. it’s a delicious and good healthy
I just made these with pantry items, 1 can of green chili sauce, 1 bag of uncle bens cooked chicken rice, 2 cans of swansons chicken, refried beans on the side. Along with the other recipe items. OMG delicious !
Thank you so much I’ve never been so happy with a recipe, being stuck inside with only the food in my pantry!
P.s. I used 8 oz cream cheese inside, instead of sour cream.
Very good.
Brandie, these are without a doubt the best enchilada we have ever eaten. As there is only my husband and myself I divided and made in two 8×8 pans..one for dinner and one for another time. Was wishing I’d baked them all. 🙂 as they were perfect even for he who is the pickiest eater in history. It’s not even time for breakfast and I’m craving more of these. Thank you so very much…cheered up our lockdown.
Followed this recipe using left over pork shoulder.
Loved the flavor and texture of the sauce!
Made this for me and my husband last week and we loved them! Love the flavor combo of the adobo seasoning and green chiles! I was nervous about the sauce being so thin but with the cheese on top and broiling for the last few minutes it turned out great. Leftovers were awesome as well. Will definitely make these again, possibly with a little less chicken broth.
I just made this tonight. It tasted great! The only problem I ran into was the tortillas turned soggy and tasted like raw dough almost. I know this isn’t the recipes fault, but does anyone know what I might’ve done wrong?
Hi. I don’t have any green chilies. Do you think I could just use some red pepper flakes? Or what would you suggest? Would normally just run out to store but times aren’t the same right now.
This recipe sounds great! Can I use liquid nacho cheese if I don’t have any shredded cheese? I’m trying not to go back out to the store since we grabbed our quarantine groceries for the next week or so.
I made this tonight while my family is on quarantine and I had all of the ingredients except for white cheese. I had cheddar cheese however … this recipe is absolutely amazing !! Even my picky daughter loved it !!! I’ll definitely be making this again and it’s now a family favorite ! Thank you for sharing ❤️
I don’t ever review recipes, but omg this was SO GOOD! It was quick and easy. I don’t ever do enchiladas so it was a welcome change for my family. Loved it! Bookmarking this page so I can make these again.
Hi Porshe! That really means so much!! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Making this recipe for the 3rd time in about a month. It is so simple and delicious! Thanks for sharing!! I think this would be such a great meal to cook in a disposable pan and take to drop off with families that have lost a loved one or families with a newborn! I can’t wait to add this to my repertoire!!
Could use some tips for turning this into a freezer meal? Thank you so much!!!
It was awesome! My boys always rate my dinners and they gave me a 9.7/10. That’s amazing, trust me they are picky eaters 😉 Thank you for sharing!! -Lisa
I have never used adobo seasoning. Can you give me a rough measured amount for this recipe?
Hi Jeff – about a tablespoon.
Very good! I added onions to and its delicious!
Perfect addition! Thank you Annette!
thanks for sharing.. best recipes ever
Hello, I am so anxious to make this. Can it be assembled ahead of time (abt. 4 hours) and then cooked?
I made these today and I love them. The only thing I did different was to make the sauce a lot thicker and actually mixed some of the sauce into the chicken mix before putting on the tortilla. Talk about rich! Oh, one more thing. Instead of sour cream I used Mexican Crema to mix in the sauce. Try it. You won’t be disappointed.
Delicious enchiladas. Very good. My husband and I simply loved this recipe.
I made these this past week with some leftover chicken I had frozen after making chicken tacos. They were AMAZING! It only took me about 20 minutes to get them in the oven, and they were so so good. Definitely going to be in regular rotation at my house!
You are awesome Sierra! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and review! Love it!!
I am unable to pin this. It says it won’t do it because it might lead to spam. I’ve pinned many of your recipes and have never had a problem. I’m sad.
So sorry Barb! I have been reaching out to Pinterest and apparently it is a glitch in their system and they are working to get it fixed. Please bear with me. It should be fixed soon!
Thanks!
What is Adobo seasoning?
Hi Melissa! It is a Mexican seasoning that is usually used to season chicken. I love the flavor! You can usually find it with the other seasonings – but if not – look where all the other Latin foods are located in your supermarket and you’ll definitely find it there. Hope you love this recipe!
It tastes wonderful!
Made this tonight. So delish! Thanks for sharing.
I have tried MANY enchilada recipes, this was the BEST! Family all agreed! Made exactly as written so I could give an honest review. There’s nothing to change, it’s restaurant quality! Doubled ingredients and also made a Small corn enchilada casserole. EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING! Sauce was thin, I was worried. No reason, it turned out perfect.
Thank you for that Debra! I so appreciate when someone makes a recipe as written and gives me honest feedback. Sometimes, I even go back and tweak a recipe based on reviews. So nice to hear a recipe came out perfect the first time!!