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Easy Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

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This easy sour cream chicken enchilada recipe starts with flour tortillas that are filled with a seasoned shredded chicken mixture, topped with an amazing sour cream sauce, and baked until cheesy and gooey. 

white chicken enchiladas in a baking dish topped with cilantro.

I love chicken enchiladas. Whenever we go to On the Border, I like to order the combo that includes chicken enchiladas and chicken tortilla soup. Plus chips and salsa. 

You can easily make these sour cream chicken enchiladas at home to feed the whole family. The filled tortillas are topped with a creamy white sauce with green chiles. Served with some rice, they are pure comfort food.

Because you use cooked chicken, it is the best way to use up some leftover chicken and easy enough to make as a great weeknight recipe.

Why you’ll love this easy enchilada recipe

  • It’s simple – using rotisserie chicken means you’re just assembling and baking the enchiladas.
  • No cream of chicken soup – many enchiladas include “cream of” soup. This one does not.
  • It’s cheesy and delicious!
  • Family favorite. It’s kid friendly but you can fully omit the chili powder if you’re worried about heat.
spatula lifting an enchilada from a baking dish.

Equipment needed to make easy chicken enchiladas

Ingredients for Chicken Enchiladas

Below is a list of ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.

  • Flour tortillas – Corn tortillas would be authentic but I use soft flour for a more Tex-Mex feel.
  • Chicken – Two cups of cooked shredded chicken breasts. I like to make shredded chicken in the instant pot, or you can shred up a rotisserie chicken, or use leftovers.
  • Monterey Jack cheese – I highly recommend shredding your cheese off a block. Pre-shredded cheese is convenient, I get it, but it has non-caking agents on it that prevent it from melting as nicely.
  • Butter – To use in the sauce.
  • Flour – All purpose white flour.
  • Chicken Broth – You can also use chicken stock.
  • Sour Cream – The base of the creamy sauce. You could likely use Greek yogurt as well, but I haven’t tested it.
  • Green Chiles – Diced green chiles (sometimes also spelled chilies). Usually anaheim or poblano, they are fairly mild.
  • Cilantro – Fresh cilantro is best but dried works as well.
  • Seasonings – You’ll need onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and chili powder (can be skipped if you don’t like any heat).
overhead shot of labeled ingredients laid out to make chicken enchiladas.

How to make easy white chicken enchiladas

  1. STEP ONE: Make the chicken mixture. To a large bowl, add the cooked, shredded chicken, chili powder, and one cup of cheese. You could also add a can of RoTel to the mixture to add more flavor.
  2. STEP TWO: Roll the enchiladas. Spoon a scoop of the chicken mixture to the center of a tortilla, fold the edges in, roll it up, and place seam-side down into the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish. 

How to make Sour Cream Sauce

  1. STEP ONE: To a medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in the flour. Cook for one minute on medium heat, stirring as it thickens (you’re making a roux). Pour in the broth and whisk until smooth, continuing to heat until thick and bubbly. Then, stir in the sour cream, can of chilies, and seasonings until just combined. Don’t bring to a boil or you’ll curdle the sour cream. 
  2. STEP TWO: Assemble and bake. Pour the sour cream sauce over the rolled enchiladas, top with additional cheese, and bake at 350° for 20 minutes until melty, bubbly, and golden brown.
four photo collage showing the process of making chicken enchiladas.

If you’re serving a smaller group, try my chicken enchiladas for two!

If you want to heat things up a bit, try my salsa verde chicken enchiladas!

What do you serve enchiladas with?

Chicken enchiladas are a meal in themselves but I like to serve them with:

Possible Substitutions/Additions

If you’d like to add a little more to the enchilada filling, a can of RoTel would work really well. The chopped tomatoes add great flavor.

Adding black beans or corn or even rice inside the rolled tortillas would also be delicious.

White Chicken Enchiladas

How to store leftovers

Leftovers should be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Can I freeze chicken enchiladas?

Yes! Chicken enchiladas freeze really well. Fully assemble them, cover tightly with plastic wrap and then a layer of foil, and store in the freezer for up to three months.

When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap, cover with foil, and bake for one hour minutes at 300°, uncover, and bake another 10-15 minutes or until completely heated through.

Can I make a double batch?

Yes! Because these enchiladas freeze so well, you can make a double batch and freeze one to bake at a later time. I like to pick up the aluminum disposable pans from Sam’s Club for easy freezing. 

They also make a great dish to take to a family with a new baby or a sick friend. Any time you want to share a dish to be helpful.

overhead shot of sour cream chicken enchiladas in a baking dish topped with cilantro.

White Chicken Enchiladas FAQs

Why are my chicken enchiladas soggy?

Your enchiladas might get soggy if you add too much sauce. You don’t want dry enchiladas, but you also don’t want to drown them.

Should enchiladas be cooked covered or uncovered?

Many enchilada recipes call for the dish to be covered while baking. I leave the foil off when baking mine. The ingredients are already cooked, you’re just heating them through and melting all the cheese.

Are enchiladas better with corn or flour tortillas?

I prefer flour tortillas in this recipe but corn would be more authentic (I am not making any authenticity claims in this recipe!).

If you’d like to use corn tortillas, just make sure you heat them to soften them before you roll and fill the enchiladas. 

What kind of cheese do Mexican restaurants use in their enchiladas?

Many Mexican restaurants use Monterey Jack cheese in their enchiladas, which is what we use here. You can also use pepper jack for more heat.

Need more Mexican-inspired recipes? Try these:

RoTel Southwest Chicken Skillet
Green Chile Corn Casserole
Cheesy Beef Enchiladas
Cheesy Chicken Fajita Casserole
Air Fryer Chicken Quesadilla

Click here for my entire collection of chicken recipes.

a single enchilada on a white plate topped with sour cream and cilantro.

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white chicken enchiladas in a baking dish topped with cilantro.

Easy Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Melissa Williams | Persnickety Plates
This easy sour cream chicken enchilada recipe starts with flour tortillas that are filled with a seasoned shredded chicken mixture, topped with an amazing sour cream sauce, and baked until cheesy and gooey. 
4.74 from 96 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 servings
Calories 487 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 8 medium flour tortillas
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 Tablespoons all purpose white flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 ounce diced green chiles
  • 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
  • To a large mixing bowl, add the shredded chicken, chili powder, and 1 cup of cheese, and mix together. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
  • Divide the mixture evenly between the 8 tortillas. Fold the tortillas then roll up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.
  • In a medium saucepan, melt the butter then stir in flour and cook one minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
  • Stir in sour cream, can of chiles, cilantro, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Do not let it boil.
  • Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake 20-22 minutes and then place under high broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese.

Notes

Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
For variety, add one can of RoTel to the chicken mixture before rolling up.
Can be frozen for up to 3 months when wrapped tightly and stored in the freezer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 487kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 26gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 957mgPotassium: 352mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 799IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 387mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Originally published February 20, 2012



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  1. Melissa M says

    5 stars
    Wow! These came out better than I imagined. Followed the recipe exactly as is. My daughter approved, and she is a self-proclaimed sour cream chicken enchilada connoisseur.Thank you for sharing!

    • Melissa Williams says

      I love hearing that, thank you! ❤️

  2. Linda Chavez says

    4 stars
    Can I use corn tortilla instead of flour?

  3. Michaela Matuszek says

    5 stars
    I made these today for my coworkers, and they went bananas over them. Your recipe is well written, easy to follow, and totally satisfying!

  4. Jan says

    5 stars
    I made these with corn tortillas and softened them in heated green enchilada sauce. I used the whole can. It made 12 enchiladas. I used more chicken, about 3 cups so I did double the chili powder and the other spices by 1/2 more. I did use a can of rotel. I left out the green chilis because I used the green enchilada sauce and the rotel had green chilies. I used about a cup more cheese too. They were SO good!

  5. Roxanne L McCavit says

    I followed recipe with no changes and they were great. My son, who is 46, absolutely loved them. Will be making them again.

  6. Melanie says

    5 stars
    I made this tonight for dinner. I was skeptical because I am not a shredded chicken fan but it was amazing! No leftovers tonight! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing.

  7. Dana says

    5 stars
    This was my first time trying to make sour cream enchiladas, and this recipe was great! I added a little extra butter to thicken the cheese sauce since I doubled the recipe and made some guacamole to serve with it. Will definitely make this again!!

  8. Mary Ann says

    5 stars
    Such an easy recipe to make. I added a bit more spices and sauteed spinach.

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