The BEST Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas - House of Nash Eats (2024)

Our easy White Chicken Enchilada recipe is bursting with flavor from shredded chicken, gooey cheese, and an amazing sour cream and green chili sauce. It’s a great way to use a rotisserie chicken to make dinnertime easier!

If you are tired of your same old boring chicken dinner routine, these super flavorful and easy White Chicken Enchiladas are a great way to break out of your rut! We have made these dozens of times for family and company and they always get rave reviews. With minimal prep and dirty dishes, these can be on the table in just around 40 minutes to feed your hungry family!

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.

Why we love this Chicken Enchiladas 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.
• 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!

Ingredients for White Chicken Enchiladas

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 – Usechicken 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 canof 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 – Usekosher salt to enhance all the flavors.
• Cumin – Ground cumin adds a classic Mexican flavor to this dish.

How to make Chicken Enchiladas

1. 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.
2. Combine chicken and cheese. Combine the shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese in a mixing bowl.
3. Fill wraps. Divide the cheese and chicken mixture evenly between the tortillas, and set aside.

4. 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.

5. 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.
6. Add sour cream and chilies. Stir in sour cream, diced green chilies, salt, and cumin.

7. 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.

8. Add sauce and cheese. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Then sprinkle with the remaining cheese on top of the enchiladas.

9. 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.
10. Garnish. Sprinkle with chopped green onions or freshly chopped cilantro before serving.

Making Chicken Enchiladas in advance

These white chicken enchiladas are great for a make-ahead meal because you can assemble them a day or two in advance and keep them refrigerated until you are ready to bake them.

White Chicken Enchilada Recipe Tips

• 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!

Variations of Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

• 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.

How to serve White Chicken Enchiladas

Some of our favorite toppings for white chicken enchiladas are sour cream, chopped cilantro, pico de gallo, guacamole, and sliced jalapenos. They also go fantastic with a batch of Mexican rice or some black beans or refried beans. If you want to keep things a little lighter, serve them with a crisp green salad on the side.

Storing leftover Chicken Enchiladas

To store any leftovers, let them cool, then cover with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.

You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.

Freezing White Chicken Enchiladas

Use an airtight container or a freezer-safe dish to freeze your chicken enchiladas either before or after baking. For thawing, transfer the enchiladas from the freezer to the refrigerator and let them thaw overnight.

If reheating from frozen, preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the frozen enchiladas in an oven-safe dish and cover with foil. Bake for about 45-60 minutes, checking periodically for doneness. Add extra time if needed until they’re heated through. If you let them thaw in the fridge overnight, they won’t need as long to heat all the way through.

How to reheat Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

If you are reheating a large amount of these enchiladas, we recommend covering them with foil and reheating them for 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree F oven until hot all the way through.

You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave. Place a portion of enchiladas on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a microwave-safe lid or microwave-safe plastic wrap. Heat on medium power for 2-3 minutes, then check to see if the enchiladas are hot all the way through. Continue heating in 1-minute increments if needed to heat all the way.

Chicken Enchilada Recipe FAQs

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