White Chicken Enchiladas
White Chicken Enchiladas are an easy weeknight dinner recipe! These creamy, cheesy enchiladas are the perfect meal for switching up your Taco Tuesday dinner and are made with flour tortillas, shredded chicken, cheese, seasonings, flour, butter, chicken broth, sour cream and green chilies.
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Easy Chicken Enchiladas
These Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas are one of my favorite dinners to make for a busy weeknight! The chicken can be prepped ahead of time or use rotisserie chicken to make these enchiladas even easier.
Chicken Enchiladas with white sauce have been on the dinner rotation for years. They are perfect for switching up your Taco Tuesday dinner and are mild enough for kids to enjoy!
This enchilada recipe is creamy, cheesy, and made with a homemade white sauce using simple ingredients like butter, flour, chicken broth, and green chilies. Sometimes we even make this recipe with ground beef and it’s so good!
If you are looking for other enchilada dinners, check out my Cheesy Beef and Bean Enchiladas, Cheesy Beef Enchilada Skillet, and Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Pasta. These are all easy dinner recipes your family will love!
Ingredients for Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken, cooked & shredded
- Salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and dried cilantro
- Chihuahua Cheese
- Small flour tortillas (fajita or taco size)
- Butter
- Flour
- Chicken broth
- Sour cream
- Green chilies
- Cilantro for topping
Make White Chicken Enchiladas
To start making this recipe, you are going to need 1 lb of cooked and shredded chicken. Rotisserie chicken works well for this recipe, but you could also cook chicken and shred it.
I cooked 1 lb of chicken breasts in a skillet and shredded the meat in a large bowl with my hand mixer.
In a large bowl, combine 1 lb of cooked and shredded chicken and 1 cup of shredded Chihuahua cheese.
I like buying the big bag of Chihuahua cheese from Sam’s club. It melts perfectly for quesadillas and recipes like this one.
If you don’t have Chihuahua cheese, you could use Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese instead of the Chihuahua cheese.
Next, season the chicken and cheese with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, dried cilantro, and chili powder.
Stir together well to make sure the seasoning gets well incorporated with the chicken.
Once the chicken, cheese, and seasonings are well combined, place a spoonful of the chicken mixture into a fajita size flour tortilla and roll it up tight.
Finally, place enchiladas in a greased 9X13 baking dish.
If using fajita size tortillas it usually makes about 11 chicken enchiladas. If you use the soft taco size it makes about 8!
Once all tortillas are in the baking dish, it’s time to make the sauce.
Make the Creamy Sauce
To make the white sauce for the chicken enchiladas, over medium heat, melt 3 tbsp of butter in a large skillet.
Add 3 tbsp of flour and let cook for about 1 minute stirring constantly.
Next, add 2 cups of chicken broth and stir until the mixture thickens.
Be sure to keep the heat at medium or medium-low you don’t want to boil the sauce.
Remove the pan from the heat and add about 1 cup of sour cream and 1 small can of green chilies (not drained). Stir well.
Pour the white sauce over the enchiladas and top the enchiladas with about 1 more cup of shredded cheese.
Bake the enchiladas in the oven uncovered at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
You can also broil the enchiladas at the end for just a minute or two to help the cheese get a nice golden color.
If you broil them just be sure to watch them closely so they don’t burn!
Serve White Chicken Enchiladas
Once the top of the enchiladas is golden, it’s time to eat! Top with fresh cilantro and serve! Enjoy!
These enchiladas would be great easy Spanish rice, chips and homemade guacamole, or homemade Pico de Gallo. It’s also good served with an easy southwest ranch salad kit.
If you have any leftover enchiladas, store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Reheat leftovers in the oven or air fryer to keep them from getting soggy.
You will love this recipe because it’s such an easy, comforting dinner. This enchilada recipe is perfect for switching up your Taco Tuesday dinners and is so tasty!
Tips and Substitutions
- I used shredded Chihuahua cheese, but you could use shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese instead.
- You could use a taco seasoning packet instead of the seasoning blend I used.
- Fajita size or taco size tortillas work for this recipe. I usually use about 11 fajita size flour tortillas or 8 taco size tortillas and they fit perfectly in a 9X13 baking dish.
- I cooked 1 lb of chicken breast in a skillet and then used a hand mixer to shred the chicken, but using rotisserie chicken would make this recipe even easier!
- I like to use mild green chilies, so the kids can eat it, but this would be so good with spicy green chilies or even chopped jalapeños.
- If you aren’t feeling chicken, this recipe is also really good with 1 lb of ground beef!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken thighs to make White Chicken Enchiladas?
Yes, I’ve tested this recipe with cooked and shredded chicken thighs and it turns out delicious!
Can I use rotisserie chicken in enchiladas?
Yes, rotisserie chicken is a great option for making these White Chicken Enchiladas even easier! Any cooked and shredded chicken will work in this recipe.
Can I make these enchiladas ahead of time?
Yes, you can assemble the chicken enchiladas ahead of time. I would wait to make the sauce and top the enchiladas so they don’t get soggy. I haven’t tested prepping the whole thing ahead of time, so I can’t say for sure how well the white sauce would hold up in the refrigerator before baking them.
Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour?
Yes, you can use corn tortillas instead if that is what your family prefers. Just be sure to warm up the corn tortillas first so they don’t tear when rolling the enchiladas.
How should I store and reheat White Chicken Enchiladas?
If you have any leftover enchiladas store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer until warm. The air fryer will make them crispier!
More Family Dinner Recipes
- Cheesy Beef Enchilada Skillet
- Cheesy Beef and Bean Enchiladas
- Cheesy Beef Enchilada Tortellini
- Cheesy Enchilada Beef Hamburger Helper
- Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Pasta
- Chicken Enchilada Skillet Meal
- Crockpot Chipotle Shredded Beef Tacos
- Steak and Cheese Tacos
- Beef and Potato Tacos
- Easy Salsa Recipe
- Pico de Gallo
- Pomegranate Guacamole
If you make these White Chicken Enchiladas for your family, I hope they are a hit! If you make the recipe, please leave me a recipe rating or save this recipe to your Pinterest account!
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken cooked & shredded
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 tsp each cumin, garlic powder, and dried cilantro
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 cups Chihuahua Cheese shredded
- 8-12 small flour tortillas
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 oz green chiles
- 1 tbsp Cilantro for topping enchiladas
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 1 lb of cooked and shredded chicken and 1 cup of shredded Chihuahua cheese. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, dried cilantro, and chili powder. Stir together well to make sure the seasoning gets well incorporated with the chicken.
- Place a spoonful of the chicken mixture into a small flour tortilla and roll it up tight. Place enchiladas in a greased 9X13 baking dish. I usually use 8-12 small flour tortillas. Once all tortillas are in the baking dish, it’s time to make the sauce.
- Over medium heat, melt 3 tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Add 3 tbsp of flour and let cook for about 1 minute stirring constantly. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and stir until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add about 1 cup of sour cream and 1 small can of green Chilies (not drained). Stir well. Pour the white sauce over the enchiladas and top the enchiladas with about 1 more cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake in the oven uncovered at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. You can also broil the enchiladas at the end for just a minute or two. Top with fresh cilantro and serve! Enjoy!
Notes
- I used shredded Chihuahua cheese, but you could use shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese instead.
- You could use a taco seasoning packet instead of the seasoning blend I used.
- Fajita size or taco size tortillas work for this recipe. I usually use about 11 fajita size flour tortillas or 8 taco size tortillas and they fit perfectly in a 9X13 baking dish.
- I cooked 1 lb of chicken breast in a skillet and then used a hand mixer to shred the chicken, but using rotisserie chicken would make this recipe even easier!
- I like to use mild green chilies, so the kids can eat it, but this would be so good with spicy green chilies or even chopped jalapeños.
- If you aren’t feeling chicken, this recipe is also really good with 1 lb of ground beef!
I love all of Luke’s recipes. They’re so easy & very delicious. I recommend everyone to try his recipes. I know you’ll be hooked.
I even have his recipe book & I’m waiting for his next book to come out. Hope to get it soon.
Appreciate it so much!
Luke has made a god tier recipe with this, my wife left me for our bull a few weeks ago and this dug me out of my misery!
Love all your recipes this one though is always in the rotation
THIS WAS VERY GOOD AND VERY EASY. tASTES GREAT AS LEFTOVERS ALSO. THANKS FOR THE RECIPE.
I have made several of Luke’s recipes and every single one has been a hit. This one in particular though was an absolute favorite. My kids asked if I could make it every night for dinner!
This recipe has become a new favorite in my rotation! I boil my chicken breasts with herbs, spices and onion and use that for the broth when making the sauce. And then after I shred the chicken I add the onions from the broth I made back in. My family absolutely loves it! It’s the only leftovers that my oldest daughter will eat! Thank for you sharing! 😋