These white chicken enchiladas are made with a creamy, cheesy chicken filling, rolled up, smothered in white sauce, then baked until bubbly.
White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
Enchiladas can be made with a variety of flavorful fillings: green chile chicken enchiladas, chicken enchiladas with red enchilada sauce, and beef enchiladas, just to name a few!
These white chicken enchiladas are made with a creamy, cheesy chicken and green chile filling, rolled up in a flour tortilla, baked, and smothered in a creamy white sauce. From start to finish, this easy, comfort food dinner is ready in under an hour!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Creamy chicken enchiladas are easy to make, especially when we use leftover shredded cooked chicken.
- You’ll love the creamy white sauce and how customizable the filling is.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- For the white sauce: You’ll need flour and butter to create a roux, then chicken broth, sour cream and diced green chiles. You can increase the spice level with canned jalapenos if you like.
- Tortillas: Small flour tortillas or white corn tortillas can be used.
- Shredded chicken and sour cream: If you’re like me and cook shredded chicken in big batches for times like this, you’re ahead of the game. Sour cream adds additional creaminess to the chickne filling.
- Seasoning: Chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Shredded cheese: For white chicken enchiladas I used a combination of monterey jack and pepper jack. However, use whatever melty cheese you like.
- Optional toppings: Fresh chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, black olives, guacamole, sour cream, or a drizzle of lime juice.
How to Make White Chicken Enchiladas
To start, make your white enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan on the stovetop. Make a roux with butter and flour, then slowly add the chicken broth and stir in sour cream with diced green chiles. Spoon 1/3 cup of sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine shredded chicken, remaining sour cream, chili powder and cumin.
Add 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla, and roll it tightly. Place tortillas seam side down in a casserole dish then pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and cover the baking dish with foil.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes before removing the foil to bake for another 10-15 minutes. Once the cheese is nice and bubbly, take it out of the oven and add your desired toppings. Serve while warm.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Swap sour cream for plain Greek yogurt for a slightly lighter version.
- You can also squeeze some fresh lime juice in the filling to cut through some of that creaminess. It really brightens it up!
- This makes a great leftover rotisserie chicken recipe if preferred.
- Use taco seasoning in place of the chili powder and ground cumin, if you’d like.
- Don’t overfill your tortillas. You want to make sure the filling doesn’t fall out.
- Try adding some refried beans to your tortilla filling.
- Skip the rolling and just layer the tortilla and filling like in my green chicken enchilada casserole!
Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing
- Make ahead: If that’s your plan with these easy white chicken enchiladas, all you would do is go as far as rolling the tortillas up but not baking them. Place seam side down in a disposable foil pan or freezer pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil.
- Freeze: Freeze for up to a month and then thaw them overnight in the fridge. Continue to bake as directed, adding on about 10-15 minutes of extra time in the oven.
- Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. For a quick reheat, zap them in the microwave.
More enchilada recipes to try include chicken enchilada soup, cheesy chicken enchilada dip and breakfast enchiladas.
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White Chicken Enchiladas
Video
Ingredients
White sauce
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (4.5 ounce) diced green chiles , about 1/2 cup
Enchiladas
- 8-10 small flour or white corn tortillas
- 2-3 cups shredded cooked chicken , about 4 chicken breasts
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 cups shredded cheese , I used a mix of Monterey and pepper jack
Optional toppings: Chopped cilantro, Tomatoes, Olives, Sour cream, Lime
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Make white sauce. Melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 3 Tablespoons flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk 2 cups chicken broth and cook 3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes. Stir in 1 cup sour cream and can of diced green chiles. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add about 1/3 cup enchilada sauce to the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add 2-3 cups shredded chicken, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1.4 teaspoon cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Spoon 3 Tablespoons into each tortilla and tightly roll it up. Place seam down into the pan.
- Pour the rest of the sauce over the tortillas and top with about remaining shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.
- Top with cilantro and desired toppings. Serve while warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Once your boneless skinless chicken breasts are fully cooked, use two forks to pull apart in opposite directions to shred.
Some people prefer to use a hand mixer or stand mixer and use the beaters to do this. It’s fast and easy to do, but there is usually a bit of splatter to deal with!
If you’re using bone-in chicken, your best bet is to get right in there and pull off the meat with your hands.
We love it served with Mexican rice, Mexican street corn salad, or this simple Mexican salad recipe.
Categorized as: Casseroles, Chicken, Cinco De Mayo, Dinner, Freezer-Friendly, Meal Prep, Mexican
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
The enchiladas were absolutely delicious and the dish came together so easily. My kids have already asked me to make them again! We used to make red sauce enchiladas often, but based on their feedback, these white chicken enchiladas will be replacing that dish! – Alisha, recipe tester
Awww love that your family enjoyed the white chicken enchiladas so much!