White Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce {Recipe}
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!)
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.
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!).
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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.
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.
*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.
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!
I am making these right now!!! They smell just wonderful.
My mom makes a recipe similar to this although hers has a few more ingredients. It is absolutely DELISH and one of our family's favorites! This looks so close to what hers is like. Do you use corn or flour tortillas in this recipe?
I have been making these for years. so so good! I mix chilis in with chicken mixture and add cumin.
Easy, Creamy, and Tasty. I took advice from previous comments.....I diced and caramelized a medium onion then added to chicken mixture. I also added salt, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder to the chicken mixture as well. I bet this would be tasty with ground beef/ground turkey as an alternative.
Well done J. Momma!
Thanks for the quick response. Ive got the enchiladas all wrapped and waiting. Thanks!
You can make the enchiladas before and the just make the sauce right before baking would be my recommendation. I bet you could also make the sauce and just store it separately and pour on top just before baking. That would be a great way to do it. Enjoy!
Can I prepare this ahead of time then throw it in the oven for dinner tonight?
I also found you on Pinterest. Made this for today's lunch, and the family loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Great Recipe! Just needs a few additions..I seasoned the chicken with paprika, cayenne and pepper. For a quick way to make pulled chicken, all you have to do is boil it in quartered pieces(about 10-15min) already seasoned. I also added a couple of tablespoons of kosher salt to the water(like you would for cooking pasta). I too, added sauteed, caramelized onions with brown sugar and diced yellow pepper to the chicken/chz mixture. I bet cilantro and some diced tomatoes would be good on top!!
good tips
These were absolutely amazing!!! I plan up make these weekly...forever! Thank you!!!
FANTASTIC! And easy to make, too!! This is becoming a favorite at my house. I found you on Pinterest.
I'm a vegetarian and I made these tonight using vegetarian "chicken". I warmed the chicken in enchalada sauce in a skillet first. I also added black olives to the top.
I've been making a dish *very* similar to yours for years and it's always a huge hit! Tonight, I followed your recipe 🙂 The enchilada's are in the oven now and smell incredible! Found you on Pinterest... love your Blog 🙂
(I always use flour tortillas for chicken, corn for beef or pork)
Corn or flour tortillas ?
I made these tonight and they are WONDERFUL!!! My husband keeps going on and on about how great they were!!
Tastes great and have made them twice. My sauce doesn't thicken, though (still tastes wonderful). Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong? Pinned from pinterest 🙂
I would shorten the cook time for the butter and flour. If flour is cooked too long it loses it's thickening ability.
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Yes, I think you could. Let me know how they turn out. Happy cooking!
I would like to try to make these tonight but I'm vegetarian, so do you think I could use veggie stock and black beans instead of chicken?
I make them with veggie chicken and it's delicious! The brand I use is Quorn. 🙂
I'm making these now, can't wait for the timer to go off. Of course I did taste a little bit of the sauce before I poured it over the enchiladas and it was sooo good, so I'm sure the rest of the dish is going to be great too. I do agree with @cweedy that next time I'll most likely use some of the sauce for inside the enchiladas too.
Thank you for such an easy recipe, found you on pinterest.
Alos, @Elise, the enchiladas aren't spicy to me. I can handle heat (love mild Ethiopian food, and even then that's spicy), but I think these would be ok for you. My husband also doesn't like too much spice, but these I know he'll be ok with.