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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!
4.95 from 688 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




369 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

  2. 5 stars
    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.

  3. 5 stars
    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.

  4. 5 stars
    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?

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 5 stars
    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 ❤️

  8. 5 stars
    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.

  9. 5 stars
    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!!

  10. 5 stars
    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

  11. 5 stars
    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.

  12. 5 stars
    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!

  13. 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.

    1. 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!

  14. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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!!