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White Chicken Enchiladas put a creamy, cheesy twist on classic chicken enchiladas. Covered in a white sauce made from butter, flour, sour cream, chicken broth, cheese, and green chiles, these enchiladas are ready from start to finish in less than an hour!
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If you’re in the mood for something super creamy, cheesy, and filling, then these White Chicken Enchiladas are the answer! While these aren’t really a traditional Mexican dish (they’re an American Tex-Mex version of enchiladas), I think they’re still super tasty!
Just like your typical chicken enchiladas, these are stuffed with shredded chicken, but instead of being smothered in an easy red enchilada sauce, they’re covered in a creamy and cheesy white sauce made from butter, flour, sour cream, shredded cheese, chicken broth, and diced green chiles.
I’m always looking for new ways to shake up my dinner routine, and this dish definitely does the trick! After all, who doesn’t like creamy and cheesy goodness, am I right?
Chicken enchilada ingredients
- Shredded chicken – You can use any leftover chicken you have in the fridge, a shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken, or you can make your own shredded chicken at home.
- Shredded cheese – I like using Monterey Jack cheese, but any shredded cheese will do – feel free to use your favorite!
- Flour tortillas – You can make your own flour tortillas, or use your favorite store-bought variety. Just make sure they’re about 8 inches in diameter, aka “soft taco size.”
- White sauce – White sauce is used in this recipe as a replacement for traditional red enchilada sauce. Made with butter, flour, broth, sour cream, green chilis, and cumin, this sauce will add rich flavors and creaminess to your white chicken enchiladas.
How to make white chicken enchiladas
- In a large bowl, mix the chicken, shredded cheese, onion, salt, and pepper together. Spoon this mixture onto warm tortillas and roll each to tightly close. Lay the rolled enchiladas in a baking dish, seam side down.
- Begin making your white sauce by melting butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Next, add the broth and bring the mixture to a low simmer. Finally, stir in the sour cream, green chilis, some shredded cheese, salt, and cumin. Once the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, remove it from the heat.
- Finish by pouring the white sauce over your prepared enchiladas along with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, garnish with cilantro, and enjoy!
Can these be made gluten-free?
Of course! You can make white chicken enchiladas gluten-free by making two easy swaps: Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas and swap the flour in the sauce with your favorite gluten-free flour. If you do use corn tortillas, you may need more since they are typically smaller in size.
What to serve with white enchiladas
Traditionally, enchiladas are served with some type of rice and beans on the side. Mexican rice and refried beans are always my go-to, but since these enchiladas are extra rich and cheesy, I usually just serve them with some shredded lettuce or a side salad for a little crunch.
Storing and freezing
To store, place any leftover enchiladas in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To freeze, let the enchiladas cool completely in the fridge. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container, bag, or wrapped tightly in foil. They should freeze well for 6 to 8 months.
To reheat, either microwave the enchiladas for 2 to 3 minutes or bake in a 350ºF oven until warmed through (about 10-20 minutes).
More Enchilada Recipes
White Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 medium flour tortillas
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, 1 cup of shredded cheese, diced onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Mix together, taste, and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Microwave the tortillas on a plate for 1 minute, flipping them halfway through until all of them are warm and pliable.
- Assemble the enchiladas by filling each tortilla evenly with the shredded chicken mixture. Roll the tortillas tightly to close and place in a 9×13-inch baking dish seam side down. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk together until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth and whisk to combine. Bring to a low simmer, whisking constantly.
- Add the sour cream, green chiles, 1 cup of shredded cheese, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and ground cumin. Stir together until the cheese has completely melted and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from heat.
- Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Notes
- For the chicken: You can use any leftover chicken you have in the fridge, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, or you can make your own shredded chicken at home.
- For the tortillas: You can make your own flour tortillas, or you can use your favorite store-bought variety. Just make sure they’re about 8-inches in diameter, aka “soft taco size.”
- To store enchiladas: Place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To freeze enchiladas: Let enchiladas cool completely in the fridge. Transfer the enchiladas to a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze. You can also wrap the enchiladas completely in aluminum foil and freeze.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I haven’t yet, but i will this weekend. I’ve read the instructions and it sounds great!!!. I’ll let you know how it turn out, at my family get together.
These were so good! I made them gf by using Bob’s 1-1 flour and corn tortillas. I also added some sautéed onions and green peppers to my filling. We’ll definitely have these again.
Made these for a second time today, we are so in love with this recipe, what a dinner and I serve it with Spanish rice, absolutely delicious! Thank you so much again.
This sounds like the recipe my son makes. Can’t wait to try them.
First time making these tonight for dinner, they were absolutely DELICIOUS!! A definite keeper, served with Mexican rice, very filling too. I will never buy green chili enchilada sauce again lol !!
I first cooked the chicken breasts following your recipe for shredded chicken then saved the broth for another day. I used Colby Jack cheese because that’s what I had. The white sauce was a little too spicy because I didn’t pay attention to the cans of chile peppers when I bought them. I now know there are medium and hot peppers. I ended up straining out the peppers from the sauce to try to tame it down a little. The end result was FANTASTIC! I actually made another pan that same week because we couldn’t get enough of them although this time I used medium heat chile peppers. I will definitely keep this recipe to use over and over again.
These were absolutely delicious. A great change up from traditional Mexican enchiladas. This is a keeper. Made1 batch without the chicken … just cheese & substituted veggies broth instead of chicken. Both were a hit!
Made these tonight and they were so delicious!! Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad that I found your site because you have so many great recipes. This is my favorite – at least, so far! Thank you.
They freeze wonderfully.