White Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce {Recipe}

ByAlexis

These easy White Chicken Enchiladas are made with flour tortillas, shredded chicken, melty cheese, green chiles, and a delicious sour cream sauce.

White Chicken Enchiladas are ALL the rage, and for good reason. The flavor is incredible.  Bold flavor but not spicy.  Creamy comfort food, yet not too rich.  These are a winner in all categories and will satisfy even the pickiest eater. (Yes even with green chilies and sour cream!)

White Chicken enchiladas text overlay with ribbons and a plate with white chicken enchiladas and a fork

This recipe gets all the accolades and compliments.  Everyone loves these creamy and cheesy chicken enchiladas. Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas has been the #1 recipe on my site every year since 2012.  It's just a classic favorite.

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Not your everyday Enchiladas...

These are not your typical enchiladas.  Traditionally, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas and a red or green sauce.  These are a "whole other thing"….and so so good.

 
Two foil pans ready to cook white chicken enchiladas sitting on a wood table

I have a big family and we love to have big Fiesta Night dinners.  Tacos, taquitos, nachos, and of course these enchiladas are a must.  There are never any leftovers (I blame the Sour Cream and green chillies!).

Easy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

This is a great recipe for a busy schedule.  If you have a busy day, cook the chicken in the slow cooker and then shred it and assemble the enchiladas, and make the sauce at dinner time.

If you have a busy late afternoon, make the the full recipe up to 12 hours in advance and keep in the fridge and just bake them at dinner time.  

White Chicken enchiladas in glass pan from oven

I like to put these on the Menu for Monday because I can cook the chicken in the slow cooker on Sunday and assemble everything and stick the pan in the fridge.  Then when we get home Monday from school, activities, appointments, and general chaos that comes with the beginning of the week, I can pop these in the oven and know that we will all be looking forward to a delicious dinner.

Ingredients for White Chicken Enchiladas

There are so many ways to make this your own.  This recipe will give you the confidence to experiment.  Onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, black beans, taco seasoning, chili powder, and all kinds of things to add as you cook the chicken and assemble the filling.  Start with the basic recipe and then experiment as you like.  

If you like to punch up the flavor and enjoy spicy, add chili powder to the chicken, add diced jalapenos to the sauce and use pepper jack cheese.
  • Flour tortillas- I used a taco size tortillas, but you can also use the smaller ones and get more individual enchiladas.  The flour tortillas do not become soggy or gummy.
  • Cooked, shredded chicken- I have shared several ways above to make delicious and moist chicken and easy ways to shred it quickly.
  • Monterey Jack Cheese- you can use any kind of melting cheese.  Cheddar jack, pepper jack, and Mexican blend all work well here.  If you are using mozzarella, mix it with cheddar for texture and melting.
  • Butter and flour- this will be used to make roux as a base to thicken the sour cream sauce.  
  • Chicken Broth- use prepared chicken broth or bouillon base and water
  • Sour cream- use full-fat sour cream.  Full-fat Greek yogurt can also be used.
  • Green chiles- these are diced and mild. They are not spicy, and they add great flavor. 

See the recipe for quantities.

Hand rolling chicken and cheese together into a burrito
*You can add all the broth at once and stir while it cooks, coming to a simmer for 15 or 20 minutes and is nice and thick. Stir continually.
*Or you can add in only small amounts (½ to 1 cup of broth) at a time and let each addition thicken before adding more, it will only take about 10 minutes to simmer and thicken.  Stir continually.
Stainless steel pan pouring sour cream sauce over the chicken filled burritos in a glass pan
a round plate holding the white chicken enchiladas with a fork in front of a glass bowl of salad

Serve with your favorite taco toppings and a side salad or fresh veggies.

If I am making this to serve a large family or big group, I figure 1.5 enchiladas per person and then go heavy on the side options. I like to warm up pinto beans (or refried beans) and corn and serve chips with salsa. There is always more sour cream and fresh avocado. Fresh lime wedges and diced tomatoes are wonderful. We also like sliced black olives and jalapenos. 

Variations and Substitutions:

  • Use corn tortillas.  Tradiitional enchiladas use soft corn tortillas.  Warm up the tortillas first so that when you roll them up, they won't split.
  • Add chili. powder and taco seasoning to the chicken
  • Add green chilies and onions to the chicken when cooking it.

What's The Best Way To Make Shredded Chicken?

*Slow cooker- use 4-5 boneless chicken breasts and cook on low with ½ cup water and seasonings for 6 hours.  Shred and enjoy.

*Oven roasted- Drizzle olive oil over 4-5 boneless chicken breasts and season with cumin, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  Shred and enjoy.

*In a large pot filled with chicken broth, boil chicken breasts for 20 minutes or so until cooked through.  Shred and season.  

*You can also buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it for a quick solution.  Even faster, I love buying the packaged shredded rotisserie chicken from Costco. 

Top Tip

*For an easy way to shred chicken, you can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and shred it on low while the chicken is hot.  you can also use an electric hand mixer with beaters just be careful not to mash or pulverize the chicken.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Can I freeze White Chicken Enchiladas?

This recipe, as a whole, does not freeze well.  The chicken rolled up in the flour tortillas will make the tortillas gummy when thawed. The sour cream sauce doesn't freeze well and separates when thawed.  To use your freezer in meal prep for this recipe, cook your chicken with prices and any mixins.  Cool and then freeze in a zip top freezer bag for 2-3 months.  You can then thaw and roll it up in the tortillas, make the sauce, and bake it as directed.

More Enchilada Recipes

Do you love all enchiladas?  I have recipes for more!

More Comfort Food Dinner Recipes

414 Comments

  1. I use half sour cream/ half very softened cream cheese(low fat), and also caramelized bits of onion...sometimes a dash of chipoltle. A hint of smokey flavour adds so much : )

  2. I grew up on a very similar version of these enchiladas. We make the sour cream sauce the same but also dip the corn tortillas in a traditional enchilada sauce before we roll them and add sliced green onion to the filling. You can also make them with ground turkey or beef and layer like a lasagna instead of rolling. It all tastes the same in the end. The key is the sour cream sauce, what you do with the rest is up to you! I've never added cheese to the top before, I'm going to try that!

  4. Honestly, best Enchiladas I've had in a long time! I love Mexican food and this is just the BEST. The sour cream turns into a queso type taste once its all baked. Just follow the recipe carefully.

  6. These sound delish! I'm going to add onions and some sour cream inside the enchiladas and make the rest according to this recipe. Can't wait. Making these babies tonight!

  7. I found these on Pinterest, made them last night. Hubs and I LOVE them. Easy, flavorful, yummy!

  8. These ARE the absolute best enchiladas ever. I make a pan of these every week and hoard them for myself.

    1. Soft Taco Shells = smaller flour tortillas - flour is usually sold by what it is used for (smaller for tacos - larger for burritos) the smaller packages say white flour - tacos or burrito size - the burrito ones are like three times bigger than anyone's head - so those would not be ideal! I am going to try flour and possibly switch back over to corn - hubby is Mexican so we will see what he says!

    2. Use corn. It's the best. My grandma used to make these when I was growing up and they were my absolute favorite. 🙂 Enjoy!

    2. We use corn, but I have used flour too! Both work try each, see which each person in the house prefer,same with sauces, white or red, it is a split 2/2 about which is best!

  12. This is the EXACT recipe from the Foodgawker site. And yes, these enchiladas rock. I recommend extra green chile.

  13. OMG this looks so yummy! I know what I'm gonna do with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. YUM!

  14. I wanted to post again saying that I made these tonight and they were SO SO SO SO good. My husband literally shoveled them into his mouth and kept complementing me! I added a little bit of chili powder to the chicken mixture and added garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and dried cilantro to the cream mixture which made it extra yummy! (I'm a spice-aholic!) Thanks so much!

    3. I will be adding cumin to the chicken. I will also be adding sauteed onions and tomatillos to the sauce and then using a stick blender to make it all smooth. =D

    5. I am addicted to black olives, so whenever we have these, we throw in a can of chopped black olives as well as extra green chilies.

  15. found this through pinterest! Looks yummy! These ingredients are going on my next shopping list! 🙂

  16. I make a chicken enchilada recipe almost like this except I saute chopped onions and add them to the chicken and cheese in the tortillas.

  18. I found you from Pinterest as well. I am going to make this tonight! I was wondering how to make chicken more interesting. Thanks!

    1. I saute the chicken in butter and a little canola oil. I sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and chili powder. I make the chicken ahead of time, and add a little of the remaining juice to the shredded chicken. I let the chicken sit in the fridge for a few hours, to soak up the juice, before assembling them. Awesome recipe!

  19. These look so good. I was planning on making enchiladas tonight.... might have to alter my recipe a bit now!

    1. Cook chicken with onions green pepper salt and pepper cover in pan and simmer til done then shred chicken. For sauce I use one can cream of mushroom soup, 8 oz of sour cream, 1 can of Rotel tomatoes and chilies, 1 small can diced green chilies and 1 small can drained black olives . Mix these and warm on stove. Place a thin layer in bottom of baking pan then arrange filled tortillas overtop. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Cover with layer of shredde Monterey Jack cheese. Bake 375 degrees until bubbly and cheese is toasty. Ny family has enjoyed this recipe for many years and is a favorite

      1. Was going to try your version tonight. Do you fill the tortillas with just chicken and cheese or do you add anything else to them?

      2. I fill them with just the seasoned chicken and cheese. But everyone kind of makes these their own way. I know they are good with sauted peppers and onions as well. And I have heard of some people adding beans and corn too.

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