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!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S):
*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. Add in 1 cup of shredded 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)
- 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
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.
Sooooo good!!! So cheesy and delicious. Sometimes with recipes, I have to double the cheese but this was perfect! Thank you!!
I have made this recipe for years and for many occasions. It’s deliciously simple and everyone loves it!
Thank you, thank you Carol!
I used a can of cream of chicken soup. It’s a lot faster than adding broth and flour. Taste great!
Loved these! I added some sliced green onion to the chicken mixture and the Adobo seasoning was a great flavor boost.
My family and I LOVED this! Super quick, simple (Thank you!) and Delicious.
Absolutely loved this! I live alone so cut the recipe in half but I rarely cook due to working so much and this was perfect!! Absolutely delicious and have leftovers for lunch tomorrow:)
Made these tonight…LOVE your easy recipe!! Definitely will make these again, THANK YOU!
I keep having trouble with the tortillas getting soggy and doughy. Is there something I’m doing wrong or a way to avoid this?
Thanks, Sara O., TX
Well I don’t know about soggy but they are supposed to be soft since they aren’t fried. It could be the brand of tortilla you are using. Some suggestions would be to use corn tortillas. Or you could lightly toast each tortilla before wrapping.
Thank you!
Hi what would you recommend temp & time if I made these to freeze for another day??
I have made this before, with no adobo seasoning. It’s even more delicious your way. I did it! I love this, so does my picky eater son and hubby. You’re genius thank you! We love these!
Thanks so very much Jill – I appreciate it!
Delicious! Healthier than the alternatives and tastes wonderful! I left out the chiles, and opted to make my own Pico De Gallo! You can make with ground turkey or beef too, in addition to chicken….Keeper Recipe!!!…
Hi Brandy, my granddaughter made this for us! It was super delicious. She doesn’t cook much, so I was very impressed. Now I’m making these, with few tweaks, but just wanted to thank you for a great recipe.
This truly was so nice to read. That is the reason why I started this site. For people who don’t cook very much, who are busy & have a hard time finding time to cook and for new cooks. It makes my day to hear that she had success with the recipe and shared my site with you. Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment!
Great recipe that we both loved! My husband is diabetic so I used 4 gram carbs so he could enjoy without concern. Recipe was easy to follow. I will be making this again! Thank you!
I love hearing that, Susie! Also, thank you for taking a moment to come back & leaving a comment!
Great recipe. I made sauce a lil thicker, used olives, topped with paprika & parsley. Great presentation
How did you get the sauce to thicken?
Excellent, as always! For the last several years, whenever I need a recipe, I come here first because everything has always been so delicious!
Awww Trish – now you’re gonna make me all teary eyed! It really means so much that you take the time to come backhand leave a comment. It doesn’t go unnoticed. Thank you!!
Is there something else that I can use instead of sour cream?
Plain Greek yogurt!
Perfect!!!! Love this easy recipe. My picky eater love it too!
Thanks so much Sara!
Can I use raw flour tortillas for this recipe and if so do I need to cook them before I roll and bake the enchiladas?
I’ve never used raw tortillas for this but my best guess would be you would need to cook them first.
OMG! How I love your recipes. Simple and oh, so good.
Pressure cook chicken with light seasoning and some broth if possible greatly increases flavor in meat and will pull easy
Can this be made ahead of time and refrigerated before baking?
Yes you can but just keep in mind the tortillas may become soggy by doing this.
Can these be made ahead of time and baked later
Tonight is the second week in a row I’ve made this. This time it was by request of my insanely weird eater 8yo. Amazing recipe, simple, tasty, just all around yum!
This was delicious. I made the adobo seasoning per recipe. Added 2 TBSP to chicken mixture and another 2TBSP to sauce mixture. It was so good. Will definitely be making again. Thanks for sharing.
These are super yummy. I prefer grilled diced chicken or steak in my enchiladas so I just grilled steak and chicken and diced it added my choice of spices and
Used a quesadilla shredded cheese in the enchilada. I just prefer to bake for 20 min then uncover and add the cheese. Super yum
I substituted fresh roasted and peeled green chili for the canned chili, and it was a hit with the whole family! That kicked the flavor up another notch,
I thought I had enough sour cream, but I don’t, is there a substitute that I could use?