Have you ever made sour cream chicken enchiladas at home? These are a regular in our family dinner rotation! Flavorful juicy chicken, taco seasoning, and Rotel make up the filling. They’re rolled up in flour tortillas, and it’s all topped with a luscious, velvety, creamy sauce and baked to perfection.
If you prefer a red sauce try our reader favorite, cheesy chicken enchiladas. You won’t be sorry! And if you’d like to try a few different Mexican casseroles, our Dorito chicken casserole will become an instant family favorite. Layers upon layers of absolute YUM.
Now, let me tell ya, our Mexican chicken casserole is unique and crazy delicious! I must say, it is likely the least attractive (ie it’s pretty ugly!) casserole I make but hey, pretty is as pretty does (or tastes!!).
Grab your Rotel, and let’s get this sour cream chicken enchiladas cooking!
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What I Love About This Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
Mexican recipes are some of my favorites. They’re so simple to pull together but taste far from simple, encompassing notes from spicy to sweet to smokey and everything in between.
But beyond the yumminess, there’s so much to love about my sour cream chicken enchiladas recipe!
- Crowd-pleasing!
- Family favorite
- Creamy, delicious sauce
- Oven-baked richness!
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Video Tutorial
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Recipe Notes
- Cheese – This recipe uses Monterey cheese, a milder cheese a few steps below sharp cheddar, with a lovely mild flavor all it’s own. I love how smoothly this cheese melts — it brings the perfect level of creaminess to the dish! If you want to add a little more spice, use Pepper Jack instead (my son’s favorite!)
- Rotel – If you can’t find Rotel (though most grocery stores carry it!), you can use canned diced tomatoes with green chiles. Here’s a link you might want to check out substitute your Rotel.
- Chicken: My recipe uses pre-cooked chicken to speed up the process. I love using rotisserie chicken and shredding it, but if you want a different option, you can always use poached chicken. This is the easiest type of chicken to shred!
Storing Tips
So, one thing you need to know about leftovers. As these are stored in the fridge, the tortillas definitely change the texture.
They soften significantly and absorb more sauce. Some people don’t care about the textural change. Some find it gummy.
Frankly, I really like it. I wouldn’t serve them this way to the company, but, I think they’re fabulous the next day for lunch! Anyone else with me on this?
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
This sour cream chicken enchiladas recipe will last up to four days stored properly (sealed in an airtight container) in the fridge.
Your sauce, though, will only last up to two days before it starts to separate and lose its integrity, so I’d eat up your leftovers before the two-day deadline.
Can You Freeze This?
Partly.
The cream sauce definitely cannot be frozen. Milk doesn’t do well in the freezer’s low temperatures.
The rest of your sour cream chicken enchiladas recipe — the tortillas and filling — can be frozen! You’ll get about three months out of your frozen leftovers.
When you’re ready to reheat and eat, you’ll have to whip up a new batch of sauce. But one taste and you’ll agree that it’s worth it!
Make Ahead Tips
The best way to shorten your cooking time is to make your filling ahead. Once you follow the steps for the chicken filling you can store in the fridge.
Serving Recommendations
The best way to enjoy this south-of-the-border sour cream chicken enchiladas recipe is to serve it with other Mexican dishes! I love to complement it with my homemade restaurant-style Mexican Rice.
Mexican meatballs are great to add to satisfy my family’s meat cravings. But if I want something more zesty and tangy, I whip up Mexican corn salad.
More Enchiladas
Let’s go enchilada crazy!
- Shrimp Enchiladas
- Zucchini Enchilada Boats
- Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas. I have to tell you, these are one of my Dad’s favorite meals and he is a complete curmudgeon to please at the dinner table. Just sayin’…
More Mexican Recipes
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Filling:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel, drained
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
Topping:
- 2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Garnish (optional):
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside
Make Filling and Roll:
- Add oil to a large skillet and saute onion until it's translucent and soft. Add taco seasoning, salt, pepper, and Rotel and stir to combine. Add shredded chicken and toss to evenly coat with onion and seasoning mixture. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup Monterey Jack and 1/2 cup sour cream until evenly combined.
- Fill tortillas with a layer of the chicken mixture then a layer of the cheese mixture and roll each one and place seam side down, in the prepared pan.
Make Sauce:
- Melt the butter in a skillet. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and whisk to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the flour begins to color a little. Remove the skillet from heat and whisk in broth.
- Place back on the heat and cook until the mixture has thickened and is bubbly. Cool sauce for 3-5 minutes. (Don't skip this step- if the sauce is too hot and you add the sour cream it will curdle it-yuck!) Add sour cream and chilies and stir until sauce is smooth and sour cream is completely dissolved.
- Pour sauce over enchiladas and add remaining cheese over top. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until enchiladas are heated through and sauce is bubbly. Turn on the broiler and broil until the top is nicely golden. Garnish with chopped cilantro or green onions and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
Is this something you would suggest freezing?
Yes, but not with the sauce. I would make that the day I serve them. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge 🙂
I have made this recipe and it’s always a hit with my family. I want to gift it to a new mom- would you recommend i package sauce for topping separately with instructions to pour and bake or should I just bake it? will it reheat good? We never have leftovers when I make this!
Hi Leigha. I would pack the sauce separately and supply instructions. 🙂
Recipe never said when to add chilis. I put them in the meat mixture. It was very tastey. Ill do it again.
Hi Donna, it says to add the sour cream and then the chiles in step 2 of the instruction for the sauce. Sounds like you did it perfectly anyway! So glad you enjoyed them! <3
Delicious! Enjoyed putting this meal together for my family. I used plain fat free greek yogurt in place of sour cream and it was perfect.
Yum! Using yogurt is genius, I gotta try that too. Thank you, Lorna! So happy you like this recipe 🙂
Looks great. Can’t wait to try. Did you use all 10 of the tortillas for the serving for 5?
Yes, I do use all 10 <3
I never made enchiladas before but when I saw this I was dying to try it, and boy am I glad I did. They were soooo freaking yummy! I can’t wait to make them again! 😋👍
My GF, who is kind of a food snob when it comes to her favorite cuisine criticized these for the use of flour tortillas, tomatoes, and couldn’t wrap her head around why you’d go to the extra trouble of making sour cream sauce instead of sour cream or Mexican Crema. She gave me her authentic enchilada recipe which I made today and all I can say is I wish I’d made these instead. Thanks for another keeper, Kathleen! 👏🏼
You’re welcome, Marianne! 😀
I sometimes go to a Mexican restaurant just for their “Shrimp Enchiladas”. This sauce sounds just like what their sauce may be made of–do you have any suggestions making shrimp enchiladas? They are the best of the best! Other than the shrimp and sauce, there doesn’t seem to be much else in the enchiladas. Suggestion?
Thank you!
Hey Becky! Check out my Shrimp Enchiladas Hope you enjoy <3