White Chicken Enchilada Recipe

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These rich and creamy White Chicken Enchiladas are an easy shredded chicken enchiladas recipe, covered in a simple sour cream and green chile sauce. They are easy to whip together, making it a perfect weeknight meal!

close up of enchiladas with cheese and cilantro in white casserole dish

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Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas are one of our favorite weeknight Mexican foods to share.  I prefer these Chicken Enchiladas to traditional enchilada recipes. (I also love this green enchilada casserole as another enchilada variation!)

Why I love this recipe

These are very kid (and grown-up) friendly and not too spicy, don’t let the chiles scare you!  The chicken mixture and cheese and covered in a creamy sour cream and green chile sauce.

The best thing about this chicken enchilada with white sauce recipe is that it’s very easy to prep and assemble which makes it perfect for those busy weeknights.

Ingredients

  • flour tortillas
  • chicken breasts
  • flour
  • butter
  • chicken broth
  • sour cream
  • diced green chiles
  • shredded Mexican Blend cheese
shredded chicken in bowl with cheese and tortillas for enchiladas

How to shred chicken

To prepare the chicken for this recipe I like to throw it in the crock pot in the morning with about a cup of chicken broth and let it cook on high about 4 hours.  You can also use an Instant Pot, leftover chicken, or boiled chicken as well.

Once the time is up it can easily be shredded with a fork or by throwing into a stand mixer (affiliate link). You can also make this chicken enchilada recipe with rotisserie chicken from your grocery store to make it even faster!

chicken enchiladas in casserole before adding cheese

Step by step

This enchilada recipe couldn’t be easier.

  1. Combine the shredded chicken with half of the cheese and then roll the mixture in flour tortillas.
  2. Place the rolled tortillas seam side down in a casserole dish.
  3. The sauce is made quickly on the stovetop with butter, flour, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and stir in sour cream and green chiles.
  4. Pour the white sauce over the chicken enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese.
  5. Pop into a preheated oven for 25 minutes, then broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the top nice and toasty brown!

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve these chicken enchiladas with lots of topping options!

Sour cream, cilantro, limes, and avocado or guacamole are all great on top of the enchiladas. For sides I usually make up a batch of rice or serve alongside refried beans.

overhead view of chicken enchiladas in casserole dish

FAQs

Can I make these enchiladas with corn tortillas?

I personally prefer to make my white chicken enchiladas with flour tortillas.
If you are gluten free or wish to reduce calories, you can easily make these chicken enchiladas with white sauce with corn tortillas. You will need to warm the corn tortillas before rolling to ensure they do not rip. The texture will be a little different but they will still be delicious!

How long do leftovers last?

These enchiladas will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Can I freeze this recipe?

These chicken enchiladas freeze up beautifully for easy meal prep! I suggest freezing the uncooked enchiladas and sauce separately so it doesn’t get soggy when cooked.
1. Line a casserole dish with parchment paper. Roll tortillas as usual but do not top with sauce.
2. Place casserole into the freezer until tortillas are completely frozen. Transfer rolled enchiladas to a freezer bag or container and freeze.
3. Cook the sauce as described and freeze in a separate container.
4. When ready to make the enchiladas, thaw the sauce overnight in the refrigerator. Add the frozen chicken enchiladas to a casserole dish and reheat in an oven at 350 F degrees for about twenty minutes. Pour the thawed sauce over the enchiladas, and bake an additional 30 minutes as instructed below in step 12-13.

two white chicken enchiladas on a white plate

You might also like these other Mexican recipes:

Still need help meal planning? Check out this huge list of dinner ideas!

If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!

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two white chicken enchiladas on white plate

White Chicken Enchilada Recipe


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4.5 from 4 reviews

Description

These rich and creamy White Chicken Enchiladas are an easy shredded chicken enchiladas recipe, covered in a simple sour cream and green chile sauce. They are easier than you think, making them a perfect weeknight meal!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 8 flour tortillas
  • 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 small can diced green chiles
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray a 9 by 13 baking pan with nonstick spray.
  3. Mix together chicken and one half of cheese.
  4. Fill tortillas with chicken and cheese mixture and roll. Place in dish seam-down.
  5. In a small saucepan heat butter until melted.
  6. Add flour and whisk until blended.
  7. Cook one minute.
  8. Add broth and whisk again until smooth.
  9. Allow sauce to thicken and remove from heat.
  10. Stir in sour cream and chiles.
  11. Pour mixture over the enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
  12. Bake 25 minutes.
  13. Broil an additional 5 minutes to brown the cheese.
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Category: Main
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 enchilada
  • Calories: 347
  • Sugar: 1 g
  • Sodium: 981.7 mg
  • Fat: 17.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 31.8 g
  • Protein: 16.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 47.9 mg

This post was originally published in 2013, it has been updated with better pictures and answers to reader questions as of April 2019.

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26 Comments

  1. Turned out great! We used leftover chicken from a whole chicken we had cooked the night before. It’s just my husband and I so we halfed the recipe with the exception of the green chilies – used all of them in the sauce because we love that flavor. We also used a 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, chili powder and garlic powder per one of the other reviews about adding a little “kick.” They are turned our great. Thank you for the recipe! This one is a keeper!!!

  2. I made the chicken enchiladas for the first time on Super Bowl Sunday – huge hit with my husband! I enjoyed them, but they were very gummy and doughy. Suggestions on how to prevent this from happening?

    1. The only thing I can think of is that the liquid may have been too deep? Did you use the 9 by 13 baking dish? I will put this on my list of recipes to retest to see if I can figure it out Terri! ~Melissa

  3. I am going to try these this weekend! Just curious, do you use a rotisserie chicken? If not, how do you cook your chicken for this dish? Thanks so much!!!

    1. Hi Danielle,

      I usually put a few chicken breasts in my slow cooker with a cup of chicken broth and leave it to cook on high about 4-5 hours, then I tos it in my stand mixer and it shreds easily! Rotesserie chicken would work fine too! Hope this helps, Melissa

  4. Making this for the second time tonight! We love the recipie but swapped the sour cream for non-fat plain Greek yogurt to cut calories/fat. It’s still delicious! Thanks

  5. The recipe is great. But being from Texas, I had to add a little tex-mex to it, so I added 1/4 teaspoon each of, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Gave it a little kick. But the recipe is out of sight! Thanks for sharing it;)






  6. Have you tried freezing this recipe? If so, did you bake it before freezing it? And how would you reheat/bake after being frozen?

    1. I’m sorry Michelle I have never tried freezing it-if you try it I’d love to hear how it works so I can add that to the post. I’ll try it next time!

  7. This looks absolutely delicious! Pinned! I popped over from It’s Overflowing–thanks for sharing!

    ~Abby =)

  8. Your enchiladas look AMAZING!!! One of my favorite comfort foods!!!! I always make them with a red sauce, I should give a white sauce a try!!! Sounds delicious!!!!!