Guys, these white chicken enchiladas have to be one of my all-time favorite enchilada recipes EVER! This post has been a HUGE reader favorite as well.They’re cheesy, saucy, and truly downright divine. I promise you will really love these! All that and they come together quickly enough to work for my midweek dinner rotation.
If you love this type 0f enchilada, you might want to try creamy seafood shrimp enchiladas. My shredded beef enchiladas are absolutely heavenly and have an amazing homemade red sauce that is to die for on them. I really hope you try them!!! If you’re looking for a more traditional chicken enchilada, try my cheesy chicken enchiladas. They’ve been in our families regular dinner rotation for more than a decade!
Let’s make these!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Smothered in a rich, tangy, homemade sauce
- Quick to prepare
- Loaded with cheesy goodness!
- No Canned Soup
How To Make White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
My decadently cheesy enchiladas recipe whips up in less than 45 minutes! A double win — delicious and quick.
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In a small bowl, combine chicken and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese. Fill tortillas with this mixture and roll each one up then place seam side down in the prepared pan.
- Melt the butter in a skillet. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and whisk to combine. Cook for 1 minute to remove the flour taste. 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.
- 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. Top with chopped green onions and serve.
White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe Notes
- Diced chiles – Our recipe calls for mild chilies. If your family likes spicy food, you can substitute hotter chilies instead. Another tasty option is fire-roasted chilies. They should be on the shelf near the other canned peppers at your grocery store.
- Chicken – You can cook the chicken according to your favorite method, such as roasting or poaching the breasts. If you’re pressed for time, using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from your grocer is a great time-saving shortcut. Honestly, 9 times out of 10, that’s what I use.
- Shredded cheese – We love the flavor of Monterey Jack in this dish. It also helps keep the sauce white! If you have a different cheese on hand, feel free to substitute your favorite shredded cheese in this recipe. My son loves when I use Pepper Jack instead of the plain Monterey because it adds another layer of flavor and spice. It might be too spicy for little kiddos though.
- Sour cream – We strongly recommend using full-fat sour cream in this recipe. It’s an important factor in the richness of the sauce. Also, low-fat sour cream tends to separate and get runny when heated. You might end up with gloppy enchiladas!
- Green onions – Don’t have any green onions? A sprinkle of chopped cilantro on top will add a bright flavor, too.
- Tortillas – The recipe calls for using flour tortillas, but if you prefer, you can switch them with corn tortillas. I used fajita sized tortillas.
- Seasoning – I didn’t need to add any salt or pepper to this recipe. The chicken broth I used was very flavorful and had a lot of salt already in it. The chicken was also well seasoned and obviously, the cheese had a good amount of salt.
- Tools to Make
You’ll need a handful of standard kitchen tools for this recipe:
- A 9×13 baking pan
- A stovetop skillet
- Mixing bowls
- A whisk: The whisk is important! This helps you get the creamiest, dreamiest sauce imaginable.
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? If you have leftover enchiladas, store them in an airtight container to keep them from drying out. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days for optimal freshness.
- Can You Freeze This? Sour cream can tend to get runny and/or chunky in the freezer. Freezing them will change the texture of the sauce. We suggest freezing the stuffed and rolled enchiladas without the sauce. Then make the white sauce on the day you plan to reheat and eat them.
- Make-Ahead Tips: If you meal prep at the beginning of the week, these can easily be prepared several days in advance. Store the stuffed and rolled enchiladas in a covered baking dish. Keep the white sauce separate until you plan to cook the enchiladas. This will cut down on soggy tortillas.
- If you’re making the sauce in advance, it may get a bit too thick when it’s cooled and reheated. This is easy to fix. Add whole milk or chicken stock, one tablespoon at a time, during reheating to achieve your desired thickness. Be sure to stir or whisk thoroughly to maintain the creaminess of the sauce.
Serving Recommendations
What better way to serve my chicken enchiladas than with a whole Mexican feast? My favorite things to serve with this are my Mexican Rice, jalapeno cornbread, Mexican corn salad, and my Southwest Salad (my family’s favorite salad! They always eat their veggies when I serve this). All the flavors in the dishes complement each other perfectly and I have a meal on the table that everyone is happy with.
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Tried This Recipe?
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More Delicious Mexican Inspired Recipes
- Chile Rellano Casserole
- Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas.
- Burrito Bowl
- Fiesta Chicken
- Crockpot Fiesta Chicken
- Chicken Posole
- Mexican Chicken Soup
White Chicken Enchiladas
Whip up the cheesiest, dreamiest dinner you've ever had with my sensational White Chicken Enchiladas! Guaranteed to please even the pickiest eaters!
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- 8-10 small flour tortillas
- 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
- 3 cups Monterey jack cheese shredded-divided
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (4-ounce can) diced green chilies mild
- 2-3 tablespoons green onions sliced
Instructions
- Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl, combine chicken and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese. Fill tortillas with this mixture and roll each one up then place seam side down in the prepared pan.
- Melt the butter in a skillet. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and whisk to combine. Cook for 1 minute to remove the flour taste. 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. Top with chopped green onions and serve.
Fans Also Made:
None found
RATE THIS RECIPENutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 897kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1472mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 5.5g | Vitamin A: 1400IU | Vitamin C: 10.7mg | Calcium: 780mg | Iron: 4mg
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Love this, I didn’t know about the white sauce but it’s absolutely fabulous. I cook a lot of Mexican food and spend winters in Mexico and this is the best!
Thank you so much Debbie! I’m so happy you enjoyed. It’s one of our favorites, too!!
Where do we put the diced green chiles?
Hi, Carolyn! In step 3. <3
Family favorite! Thank you!
Thank you too, Kendress! 🙂
Hi there!
These are the best!!! I’m planning on making a double batch today and freezing one back. Can you give me the reheat from frozen instructions or do I let them thaw completely and then heat them for 20 min?
What would be a good side for this aside from a salad?
Hey, Marianne! Here are some: My favorite things to serve with this are my Mexican Rice and jalapeno cornbread.
Awesome!
Thanks, Linda! 🙂
I’m making this dish for the third time. Rare for me since I’m always trying something new!
I have to say I decided to use the whole rotisserie chicken the second time since the individual rolled enchiladas were on the thin side. But that may be because the tortillas are 8” instead of 6”. Since I added more chicken I added a bit more cheese too. Rare also for me to make a recipe without BIG changes!
It was a big hit in my household! Since my favorite store has rotisserie chicken on special every Thursday, I foresee this recipe often in my future! Thanks!
That’s amazing, Rebecca! That’s great to here 🙂
Really pleased with how easy this recipe was and how well it turned out. I love this style of enchiladas but hate that cream of chicken soup that so many recipes call for. I used only 2/3 of the cheese, and that was plenty for our household’s taste. Otherwise, followed the recipe to the letter. We will be having this again soon. Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Steve!
Kathleen, I was searching for your sour cream chicken enchiladas, the one with a can of Rotel, but it seems to have vanished from your website. I was trying to find it on my phone while grocery shopping this morning to make sure I wasn’t forgetting something.
Hey Marianne, I just sent you a copy via email <3
I love making white sauce chicken enchiladas. But I was using a 1990 recipe and it was too much work but so good. Your way EXCELLENT AND TIME SAVING!!! Thank you for sharing. I made extra sauce to put some in my chicken mixture mixer, stir then put on the tortillas. Very very good!
Thank you so much, Donna! I’m so happy you liked this recipe 🙂
I have to admit that I was really skeptical about trying this recipe. I was looking for a highly rated one using cream of chicken soup even though I never really like them. But after reading the comments, I decided to give it a shot. Oh. My. Goodness! Can we just have a moment of silence for that sauce?!! I could eat it by itself. Anyway, I’m not a fan of flour tortillas so I made half corn and half flour. I fried the corn torts a little before filling. I did tweak the filling just a bit by adding sautéed onions, a little sour cream and a little green enchilada sauce from a bottle. I was afraid the filling might be too dry otherwise. I also warmed the flour tortillas on the griddle before filling to add a little flavor and hopefully avoid the sogginess. This recipe is outstanding. Try it. I promise that sauce will not disappoint.
Thank you so much, Cheryl! I’m glad you liked this and I gotta try your tweaks too! 🙂
When do you add the green chilies?
In step 3 🙂
I had some chicken left over can I just mix it in the sauce and pour on top?
Yes. Enjoy!
These were delicious and the exact recipe for sour cream chicken enchiladas I’ve been wanting!
Yaaay! Thank you so much, Kim 🙂
I actually used a recipe very similar to this one that I liked a lot but after reading this one, I think it’s better. The other one called for 24 oz chicken broth which is too much. Also the other one called for 8 oz green chillies. I’ll use this one in the future but with fresh cilantro and purple onions as a garnish. My question is, can this be frozen?
Hi Julia. I have a section on how to store which includes if freezing is possible. “Can You Freeze This? Sour cream can tend to get runny and/or chunky in the freezer. Freezing them will change the texture of the sauce. We suggest freezing the stuffed and rolled enchiladas without the sauce. Then make the white sauce on the day you plan to reheat and eat them.”
How much is a 1/4 serving of this dish? One enchilada? Just looking at the nutrition info and the calorie content seems high. Let me know.
Thanks!
Thanks, Terry. That’s for 2 rolls of tortillas.
Thanks for the reply!
So, the dish as a whole must be 897 calories and I’d need to divide everything up by servings for 1 person, correct?
Thanks!
Hi, Terry, that’s the calories for 4 servings with 8 tortillas. The serving size is 2 tortillas each person.
East to make and was so good. I actually made this unlike people who rate before trying (i hate that). I halved the green chiles since I have acid reflux. Will make again
Thanks Jess! Happy was a hit for you 🙂
This was so good. I was just so surprised how good. The whole family liked it. From my picky five year old on up. I can be very critical too. .plus it’s just so easy. Thanks so much!
Yaaay! Thank you so much, Robin! I’m so happy it was a hit 🙂
I am making these tonight and on Weight Watchers. When you say small tortillas are you referring to 8 inch tortillas or a 4 inch street taco size? Also, I have seen your nutrition comments and just want to be sure that 897 cal and the other nutrition is divided by the 8 servings.
Thank you
Hi, Marilyn. I use fajita-sized tortillas (6-inch flour tortilla). The serving size is 2 tortillas each person.
Very creamy and tasty! I wanted something mild and this was it!
Yaay! I’m glad you like this 🙂