These White Chicken Enchiladas are so saucy and flavorful. Loaded with chicken, corn, green chilies, cilantro, and lots of cheese, they’re covered with a simple yet delicious homemade sauce.
If you love this recipe, you should try these Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce and Shrimp Fajitas.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love this recipe not only for the scrumptious flavors in these White Chicken Enchiladas, but because it’s also the 200th recipe on my blog. What a way to celebrate!
- TASTE: This recipe is all savory chicken and lots of cheesy goodness. Then we top it with a buttery garlic sauce that’s rich with sour cream.
- TEXTURE: Tender meat wrapped in flour tortillas and covered with gooey cheese and creamy white sauce, these White Chicken Enchiladas are so delicious
- TIME: This tasty dish is ready to serve in about 90 minutes.
- EASE: You won’t believe how simple and delicious they are. This is easy to prep for busy nights, too.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken- I used a rotisserie chicken to save time. You can use both light and dark meat, just remove the skin and bones.
- Cheese- Monterey Jack is a good choice as it melts really well and has a mild, buttery flavor that goes with the white sauce perfectly.
- Sour cream & Butter- This is the base for the white sauce. These 2 ingredients add richness and creaminess that make them perfect for enchiladas.
- Tortillas- Flour tortillas work best because they are pliable and easy to wrap. The small size works fine.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Use a different meat- You can make these with chicken thighs or breasts if you want to cook them yourself. Just choose boneless and skinless. Pork and steak are also good substitutes.
- Substitute another cheese- Other cheese options would be manchego, pepper jack, cheddar, or asadero.
- Use gluten-free ingredients- You can substitute corn tortillas and gluten-free flour in this recipe for a gluten-free meal.
- Add some heat- Make it spicier with some diced jalapenos, hot sauce, pepper jack cheese, or red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper added in.
How to Make White Chicken Enchiladas
- Saute the filling. Saute the onion and garlic in a saucepan with melted butter. Then add the shredded rotisserie chicken, corn, green chilies, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and Monterey jack cheese.
- Make the sauce. Combine the melted butter, flour, and garlic in a saucepan. Then pour in the chicken broth, sour cream, salt, and pepper.
- Add the sauce to the chicken. Then pour 3/4 cup of the white sauce into the chicken mixture and stir.
- Fill the tortillas. Scoop 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into each flour tortilla and roll them up. Place them in a deep baking dish with a layer of white sauce on the bottom.
- Bake. Add the rest of the white sauce along with extra Monterey jack cheese to the tortillas. Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pro Tip: After the enchiladas start to bubble, remove the foil and let them cook uncovered so they turn a delicious golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- Use a rotisserie chicken- This saves a lot of time because it is already cooked and seasoned. You can easily break it down and use the meat rather than cook your own.
- Thoroughly mix the flour and butter- Make sure there are no clumps of flour in the saucepan while making the sauce. The roux of butter and flour is the flavor base for your white sauce.
- Cover then uncover the dish- Cover the White Chicken Enchiladas first to allow heat to steam inside and fully cook them, then remove the foil so the direct heat will brown the cheese.
- Divide and store- If you have a smaller family and don’t need this many enchiladas, then you can divide the recipe into 2 smaller baking dishes. Bake one and freeze the other.
FAQs
Typically, the creamy white sauce on enchiladas is a mix of butter, flour, sour cream, chicken broth, and diced green chiles. These ingredients give the sauce its creamy, buttery flavor with a touch of tanginess and heat.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the plastic wrap and place the foil back on, then bake the frozen enchiladas for 45 minutes, or until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
These White Chicken Enchiladas are not only delicious, they’re also easy to pair with other dishes. Here are some great ways to serve it.
- Sides: Serve it with chips and Mexican Salsa with Roasted Corn, Homemade Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, and Seven Layer Taco Dip.
- Vegetables: Enjoy it with Baked Acorn Squash, Healthy Zucchini Fries, or Air Fryer Potato Wedges.
- Salads: Pair these White Chicken Enchiladas with Taco Salad (VIDEO), Avocado Corn Salad, and Cabbage Cucumber Salad.
- Beans and Rice: Serve this dish with black beans, red beans, or this Easy Beef Chili. It also tastes great with Wild Brown Rice or Spanish rice.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: If you’d like to make these ahead of time, prepare them to the point of baking and then freeze or store in the fridge, so you can bake when you’re ready to serve.
Storing: You can store leftover White Chicken Enchiladas in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or individually in the microwave.
Freeze: Freeze them by filling the baking dish with the enchiladas along with the white sauce on top, but don’t bake them. Instead, wrap the entire baking dish with plastic wrap, then with foil, and place them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
More Tasty Mexican Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions
White Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada filling
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 white onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken shredded
- 1 cup corn
- 2 Tbsp mild green chilies, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese divided
- 12 small flour tortillas
White enchilada sauce
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup sour cream
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Melt 3 tbsp butter in a skillet. Over medium heat, sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic for about 5 minutes.
- To the skillet, add shredded chicken, corn, diced green chilies, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Add 1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack and mix once more.
- In a sauce pan, melt 3 tbsp butter and thoroughly mix in 3 tbsp flour. Stir for about 1 minute over medium heat. Then quickly stir in 1 grated garlic clove.
- Slowly pour in the chicken stock as you stir it into the butter and flour mixture. Then bring it to a simmer for 4-5 minutes or until it begins to thicken slightly.
- Add the sour cream to the sauce and continue to stir until the sour cream is well incorporated.
- Then stir in the salt and black pepper.
- Spread a thin layer of the white sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- Pour 3/4 cup of the sauce into the chicken filling mixture. Mix well.
- Scoop about 1/4 cup of the chicken filling into each flour tortilla. Roll them up and place them tightly next to eat other into the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining white sauce over the rolled up enchiladas, and top with the remaining 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake at 370 degrees Fahrenheit on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. Then remove the foil and bake until the top is golden brown.
Notes
- Use a rotisserie chicken- This saves a lot of time because it is already cooked and seasoned.
- Thoroughly mix the flour and butter- Make sure there are no clumps of flour in the saucepan while making the sauce. The roux of butter and flour is the flavor base for your white sauce.
- Cover then uncover the dish- Cover the White Chicken Enchiladas first to allow heat to steam inside and fully cook them, then remove the foil so the direct heat will brown the cheese.
- Divide and store- If you have a smaller family and don’t need this many enchiladas, then you can divide the recipe into 2 smaller baking dishes. Bake one and freeze the other.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on Feb 15, 2017, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
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Vera says
This is so so good! Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
You are very welcome! 🙂
Lily says
Hi. What kind of corn do you use? Frozen? Canned?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Lily, I use frozen corn for this recipe. Hope you enjoy this chicken enchiladas recipe!
Irina says
Delicious! Kids loved these enchiladas, so it means we’re making this dish again! Thank you very much for the recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Irina, thank you so much for your kind feedback! You are very welcome 🙂 I am very happy to hear that your family enjoyed these chicken enchiladas 🙂
Lenchik says
W-O-W…..!!! This is one of the best dishes I’ve EVER tasted!!!! Honestly!! All the flavors come together SO nicely!!! I can’t stop eating this!! 🤤🤤 I would have thus every day! 💯🤩 amazing! Soooooo good!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much for your AMAZING review Lena!! I’m so thrilled to hear these white sauce chicken enchiladas were such a great hit!
Valentina says
These were delicious. Thank you for the great recipe.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Valentina, glad you enjoyed them!
Linda says
Tawnia, I never use low- sodium Chicken Stock. I like more flavor, and lets face it, salt adds more flavor. 🙂
Tawnia says
The texture of the flour tortillas is off. The white sauce is very bland. The filling has good flavor and texture although I used shredded beef that I made. I may use the filling recipe again and substitute corn tortillas.
I wanted to rate this 2 stars but when you click on the stars, it automatically selects 5 stars, so I’ll leave it blank.
I appreciate the time you took in photographing and documenting this recipe. It just wasn’t to our liking.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Tawnya, I’m sorry the recipe wasn’t to your liking. If you prefer corn tortillas you are welcome to substitute them for the flour tortillas. I have a red sauce enchilada recipe here on the blog. I think you might like the sauce in the recipe more 🙂
Katy | Her Cup of Joy says
Thanks for the inspiration, I made enchiladas for dinner yesterday. I used pork but used the white sauce similar to yours. They were yummy!! And congrats on your 200th recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Katy! I’m so happy you enjoyed the enchiladas:)
Yelena says
Wow!!! Dina congratulations! That’s a lot of recipes in two years. Good job ???????? love your site.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Lena! ????????
Loretta says
These look delicious, I will definitely giving them a try. Thanks for the recipe
simplyhomecooked says
No problem Loretta! Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!