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A comforting twist on traditional enchiladas, White Chicken Enchiladas are topped with a creamy sour cream-based green chile sauce. It’s a perfect recipe to use leftover chicken or even pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store.

Everyone loves enchiladas! There are so many different ways to make them. This White Chicken Enchilada recipe is super simple, sticks to tried and true flavors, and is not spicy at all. If you haven’t tried it, it will quickly become a favorite!

Don’t forget the Authentic Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, or tortilla chips and Guacamole on the side!

Pan of white enchiladas with diced tomatoes and jalapenos on top.
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Why I Love This Recipe

  • Leftover Chicken Recipe – It’s a great way to use up leftover shredded chicken in your fridge.
  • Creamy White Sauce – The green chile and sour cream-based white enchilada sauce is so easy to make.
  • Family Friendly Favorite – It’s ultra creamy and not spicy at all, This is one of those dinners that is loved by adults and kids alike!
  • Serves A Crowd – Make a double batch of enchiladas and easily serve a crowd over the holidays or for a casual dinner party.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Shredded Chicken – This is a great recipe to use leftover cooked chicken breasts or even a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
  • Spices – Salt, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Black Pepper. Other optional seasonings include chili powder or cayenne pepper for a little heat.
  • Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese – Divided for both the filling, sauce, and to sprinkle on top.
  • Flour Tortillas – Use the soft taco size.
  • Butter
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • White Onion – finely diced. You can also use yellow onion or omit all altogether (see recipe tips).
  • Minced Garlic – Freshly minced is best, but the kind in a jar works too.
  • Chicken Broth or Stock
  • Sour Cream – For a lighter variation, you can swap in some or all of the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt.
  • Canned Chopped Green Chiles

HOT TIP!

Shred cooked chicken in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment! It makes easy work of a tedious task, and you can shred several chicken breasts at a time.

How To Make White Chicken Enchiladas

See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions

Prep – Start by preheating the oven and greasing a large 13×9 inch baking dish.

Shredded chicken in a clear glass bowl.

Mix Filling – Mix together the shredded chicken, spices, and 1 cup of the cheese.

A flour tortilla laid flat on a plate with shredded chicken down the center.
Rolled enchiladas in a baking dish.

Assemble Enchiladas – Fill each tortilla with the filling, then roll up then place in a single layer in the baking dish.

White sauce with shredded cheese in a large pan with a silver handle.

Make White Sauce – In a medium pot, melt butter with onions and garlic and whisk in flour to make a roux. Whisk in broth and simmer until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in sour cream, cheese, and green chiles.

White sauce and cheese over enchiladas in a baking dish.

Pour Sauce and Bake – Pour the white sauce over the filled tortillas, cover with remaining cheese, and bake until bubbly.

Baked white enchiladas in a baking dish with browned cheese on top.

Serve – It’s best to let the enchiladas cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestions

This recipe is super filling on its own, but I love to round it out with Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, a Black Bean and Corn Salad, or Elote. You can also serve them with toppings such as extra sour cream, chopped cilantro, salsa, or pico de gallo.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enchiladas can be frozen for up to 3 months, thaw before reheating. Reheat single servings in the microwave for about 1 minute.

When freezing, keep in mind that the sour cream based sauce may change in texture as it thaws and is reheated.

Expert Tips

  • Shredded Chicken – Use one of my recipes for Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, or Crockpot Whole Chicken. Or make it easy on yourself and just pluck the meat from a grocery store rotisserie chicken.
  • Onion-Free Variation – For a no-onion version of this recipe you can omit the fresh onion and garlic in the sauce, and increase the garlic powder and onion powder to 1 teaspoon each.
  • Corn Tortillas vs. Flour – You can use corn tortillas for this recipe. You’ll want to warm the corn tortillas before trying to roll or they can tear easily. Flour tortillas are a bit easier to work with.
  • Bake Uncovered – Baking the enchiladas uncovered helps the cheese on top get golden and bubbly. If they are getting too brown, you can loosely tent the pan with foil.
  • Cheese – It’s best to use shredded cheese that will melt well. I love to use Monterey Jack cheese, but a quesadilla cheese also works well. Or bring a little heat with some shredded Pepper Jack cheese.
Two white enchiladas with diced tomato and sliced jalapeno and limes on a plate with a fork.

More Enchilada Recipes

Recipe

White Chicken Enchiladas

5
White Chicken Enchiladas are soft flour tortillas filled with cheesy, flavorful shredded chicken and topped with a creamy white sauce.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups shredded chicken
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded and divided
  • 10 8-inch flour tortillas soft taco size
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup white onion finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 ounces canned chopped green chiles
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Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 9"x13" baking dish and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and 1 cup of the shredded jack cheese.
  • Lay one tortilla on a flat surface, like a cutting board. Spoon a heaping ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla. Roll and place seam side down into the baking dish. Repeat until you've used all the chicken.
  • Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds more. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes.
  • Slowly whisk in the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, ½ cup shredded cheese, and green chiles, until smooth and combined.
  • Pour the sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas in the pan and cover with the remaining shredded cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve with your favorite toppings, like diced tomatoes and sliced jalapenos.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enchiladas can be frozen for up to 3 months, thaw before reheating. Reheat single servings in the microwave for about 1 minute.

Nutrition

Calories: 603kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 35gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 1515mgPotassium: 384mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 835IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 492mgIron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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Comments

  1. Olivia says:

    So freakin tasty!! I ended up adding paprika, cayenne, and chili powder to the chicken ( I used a rotisserie) and it complimented the dish perfectly

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Awesome feedback Olivia! Thanks for stopping by.