These creamy White Chicken Enchiladas are a delicious variation of the classic Mexican enchilada that is typically made with red sauce and shredded beef or ground beef. Instead, these are made with shredded chicken and cheese in a sour cream sauce with green chilis and cumin, then topped with all the classic toppings to make an amazing Mexican meal the whole family will love!
Table of Contents
We love Mexican food! And we love enchiladas. While traditional enchiladas in tomato sauce are delicious, sometimes we like to mix it up with something a bit different. This is the best White Chicken Enchiladas recipe because it's so easy to make using a rotisserie chicken and a homemade sauce. It's a good balance of comfort food and ease for some amazing flavor.
With only 10 minutes of prep time, these white enchiladas are ready in under an hour, which is ideal for busy weeknights. I also love that everyone can enjoy enchiladas with their favorite toppings, so everyone's happy - even picky eaters!
We love easy chicken dinner recipes. Some of our other family favorites are my Creamy Apple Cider Chicken Skillet, this Poppyseed Chicken Casserole, and my Homemade Chicken Pot Pie.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Customize the spiciness of these enchiladas easily, and serve with all your favorite enchilada sides or toppings!
- This is a great recipe to use up any leftover chicken or even leftover turkey.
- This easy recipe is ready start-to-finish in under an hour, so it's perfect for busy weeknights.
What You'll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Tortillas - You can use corn tortillas for a more traditional Mexican taste, but I have used flour tortillas here as we prefer them for this type of enchilada.
- Chicken - Use rotisserie chicken that has been shredded or chopped - you can use leftover chicken or turkey as well!
- Cheese - I've used Monterey Jack Cheese for these enchiladas, but Pepper Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, or a Mexican cheese blend are other good options.
- Butter & Flour - Use salted butter and all-purpose flour to make a roux for the white sauce.
- Broth - Use chicken broth to thin the sauce out to get it the right consistency for the enchiladas.
- Sour Cream - To make the white enchilada sauce super creamy. You can use Greek yogurt or an unflavored natural yogurt if you prefer.
- Green Chiles - Use a can of fire-roasted diced green chiles for the sauce.
- Cilantro & Green Onions - Fresh, chopped cilantro and chopped green onions can be used as a garnish for a fresh, tangy flavor.
- Salt - Use kosher salt to enhance all the flavors.
- Cumin - Ground cumin adds a classic Mexican flavor to this dish.
How to Make White Chicken Enchiladas
- Prepare baking dish. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray the bottom of the baking dish with cooking spray or coat it lightly in olive oil so that the enchiladas don't stick to it.
- Combine chicken and cheese. Combine the shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese in a mixing bowl.
- Fill wraps. Divide the cheese and chicken mixture evenly between the tortillas, and set aside.
- Make roux. Melt butter in a skillet. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and whisk to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbly to remove the raw flour taste.
- Make white sauce. Whisk the chicken broth into the roux. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until thickened and bubbling. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add sour cream and chilies. Stir in sour cream, diced green chilies, salt, and cumin.
- Layer sauce and wraps. Pour half of the green chili sauce into the bottom of the pan. Roll up the filled wraps into enchiladas, and lay them seam side down in the prepared baking dish.
- Add sauce and cheese. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Then sprinkle with the remaining cheese on top of the enchiladas.
- Bake. Bake for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbling around the edges. You can broil the enchiladas during the last few minutes to add some color to the top if desired.
- Garnish. Sprinkle with chopped green onions or freshly chopped cilantro before serving.
Recipe FAQ's
White enchiladas use a white sauce that is made with a basic roux of butter and flour, and then we use chicken broth to make it into a sauce consistency. We then add sour cream to make it super creamy and chopped green chiles to give it the spiciness and flavor these enchiladas are famous for.
You can easily prep these enchiladas a few days ahead of time, to then assemble and bake them on the day.
Simply make up the chicken and cheese wraps, and also the green chile sauce, and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then simply layer everything into the casserole dish and bake on the day. Storing your ingredients separately means your wraps won't end up soggy!
Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (or 4 days from when the chicken was first cooked).
You can freeze the chicken and cheese-filled wraps in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Alternatively, just freeze the chicken and cheese mixture, and assemble everything on the day. I wouldn't recommend freezing the white chile sauce, as it doesn't tend to defrost very well. Make the sauce on the day, or a few days in advance, and store it in the fridge.
Tips for Success
- Shredded chicken. Use pre-cooked and pre-shredded chicken or make it yourself. You can buy or cook a rotisserie-style whole chicken, then cut and shred the amount of chicken off it that you need. Or you can boil raw chicken breasts until cooked through, remove them from the pan and let them cool completely, then shred them with two forks.
- White Sauce. You can use a jar of store-bought green enchilada sauce to replace the white sauce to save some time and change the flavor, but I recommend trying to make your own!
What to serve with Enchiladas
Serve any Mexican side dish with enchiladas to make a delicious Mexican dinner spread. Try them with my Homemade Mexican Rice or Black Beans & Cilantro Lime Rice, and Grilled Mexican Street Corn for a complete meal.
These Chicken Flautas, Pico de Gallo, Grilled Mexican Street Corn Dip, and Sheet Pan Nachos all have great Mexican flavors too if you are planning a party and want to round out the spread!
Substitutions and Variations
- Beans. Add some black beans, pinto beans, or Refried Beans into the tortillas, or serve some on the side.
- Turn up the heat. Add some chili powder, cayenne pepper, diced jalapenos, or hot sauce to the chicken mixture to add some more spice.
- Cheese. I've used Monterey Jack Cheese, but you can use a Mexican cheese mix, Pepper Jack cheese, Mozzarella cheese, or cheddar cheese - any melting cheese will work well!
- Veggies. Add some fajita veggies into the wraps, like chopped and sauteed bell peppers, onions, or even mushrooms to bulk out the wraps with some added nutrients and different textures.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Easy Chicken Fried Rice
- Curried Chicken Salad
- Marry Me Chicken
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Butter Chicken
- Easy Chicken Stroganoff
- Chinese Chicken Salad
Chicken & Poultry
Grilled Chicken Shawarma Wraps
Sandwiches
Easy Chicken Parmesan Sliders
Chicken & Poultry
Green Chili Chicken Chimichangas
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
White Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas
- 3 cups cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped
- 3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded and divided
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2-3 green onions, chopped
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray the bottom of the baking dish with cooking spray or coat it lightly in olive oil so that the enchiladas don't stick to it.
- Combine the shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese in a mixing bowl.
- Divide the cheese and chicken mixture evenly between the tortillas, and set aside.
- Melt butter in a skillet. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and whisk to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbly to remove the raw flour taste.
- Whisk the chicken broth into the roux. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until thickened and bubbling. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Stir in sour cream, diced green chilies, salt and cumin.
- Pour half of the green chili sauce into the bottom of the pan. Roll up the filled wraps into enchiladas, and lay them seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the enchiladas.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbling around the edges. You can broil the enchiladas during the last few minutes to add some color to the top if desired.
- Sprinkle with chopped green onions and freshly chopped cilantro before serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead: You can easily prep these enchiladas a few days ahead of time, to then assemble and bake them on the day. Simply make up the chicken and cheese wraps, and also the green chile sauce, and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then simply layer everything into the casserole dish and bake on the day. Storing your ingredients separately means your wraps won't end up soggy!
- Storage: Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (or 4 days from when the chicken was first cooked).
- Freeze: You can freeze the chicken and cheese-filled wraps in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Alternatively, just freeze the chicken and cheese mixture, and assemble everything on the day. I wouldn't recommend freezing the white chile sauce, as it doesn't tend to defrost very well. Make the sauce on the day, or a few days in advance, and store it in the fridge.
- Green Chilies: If you want even more green chili flavor, you can double the amount of green chilies in this recipe.
Flour tortillas are NEVER used for enchiladas!
Since when? Mexican gal here and wev'e always used flour. We actually prefer them.
Your recipe calls for Cumin but nowhere in the steps do you say where or what to add it to.Being the intelligent cook that I am I'm assuming to the White sauce.
Yes, thank you for pointing that out. It is added to the sauce along with the sour cream and diced green peppers. I updated the instructions to reflect that.