Easy White Chicken Enchiladas – A Simple Mexican-Inspired Dish

White chicken enchiladas feature flour tortillas packed with chicken, corn, and cheese topped with a rich and creamy homemade white sauce.

We get tired of eating the same old recipes day after day in our household. However, I also don’t want to make a recipe that takes twenty steps in order to finish.

Thankfully, I came across white chicken enchiladas. While they technically aren’t authentic enchiladas, which use corn tortillas and a chili-based red sauce, they still have the same concept.

For white chicken enchiladas, you assemble flour tortillas with shredded chicken, corn, and shredded cheese. Then you add the white sauce.

My white sauce has a base of sour cream, cream of chicken soup (homemade or store-bought), chicken broth, shredded cheese, and green chiles. Finish with your favorite toppings like salsa, pico de gallo, or cilantro, and you have a perfect, hearty weeknight meal that’s fun to make.

How To Make Easy White Chicken Enchiladas

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

Ingredients 

Filled Tortilla Ingredients

• Flour Tortillas – Traditional enchiladas use homemade corn tortillas, but we find flour tortillas better for white chicken enchiladas. We use burrito-sized tortillas, but you can use any size, really. If you only have smaller ones, that is totally fine. You will just need to use more in order to fill a 9 x 13″ baking dish. The other quantities should remain the same.
• Shredded Chicken – The chicken is the best part of this recipe because you can use pre-cooked or raw. If you have a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken or even leftover chicken breasts, you can use them to make the recipe even faster. Otherwise, you’ll cook the chicken in the first part of the recipe.
• Sweet Corn – The corn adds a bit of extra texture and sweet flavor to the mixture. If you aren’t a sweet corn fan, you can skip this ingredient.
• Shredded Cheese – You can use whatever type of cheese you’d like for this recipe. I typically use either mozzarella or Monterey Jack, but Mexican blend, Pepperjack, etc. would all work well and keep the recipe as “white” chicken chili. (You will also use shredded cheese to top the enchiladas after filling and adding the sauce.)

White Sauce Ingredients

• Butter – The butter is used as the fat to help make a roux, a thick paste-like substance that will help thicken the sauce.
• Flour – The flour is mixed with the butter in equal amounts to make the roux.
• Chicken Broth – The broth is the base of the enchilada sauce.
• Cream of Chicken Soup – You can use either a store-bought soup or you can use homemade.
• Sour Cream – The sour cream helps to add depth and flavor to the sauce. If you want a bit healthier version, use plain Greek yogurt instead.
• Green Chiles – The chilies you use can alter the heat of the dish. We prefer to use mild green chilies, but use spicy ones if you want a bit more heat.
• Salt and Pepper – Season the sauce to taste. We tend to like things a bit on the salty side, so add to your flavor preference.
• Optional Toppings – While the white chicken enchiladas are perfect on their own with the white sauce, feel free to add toppings like salsa, pico de gallo, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, etc., after baking.

Instructions For Easy White Chicken Enchiladas

Start by preheating your oven to 350º Fahrenheit. You are going to need a small saucepan as well as a 9 x 13″ baking dish to prepare the recipe.

If you have pre-cooked rotisserie chicken or another type of leftover cooked chicken, you can skip this step. Otherwise, cook the chicken fully until the internal temperature reaches 165º Fahrenheit, then shred.

(Side Note: I used to hate the process of shredding chicken until my husband bought me a simple shredder tool. Call me lazy, but it’s a step that I no longer hate doing thanks to this thing – Product Link: Large Chicken Breast Shredder Tool.)

Next, I like to set up a type of assembly line to fill the tortillas. Place each tortilla out on your counter or kitchen table, then add each filling ingredient to each tortilla. This just makes the filling process a bit easier so you know how much to add to each one. (It’s also a great way to get the kids involved in the process.)

Distribute the shredded chicken amongst each tortilla, placing it in a strip down the middle. Repeat the process with the corn and one cup of shredded cheese.

Roll each tortilla up tightly and place it into a 9 x 13″ baking dish with the seam side down. I found that it takes around 5 to 6 tortillas to fill a 9 x 13″ baking pan. Again, if you use smaller tortilla shells, it will take more.

Create The Sauce And Bake

Next, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. You don’t want to create brown butter here, so don’t overcook it. Once it is melted, add the flour to the butter and whisk over low heat until a thick paste forms. There should be no dry flour left in the saucepan.

Continue heating for 1 minute over low heat, but don’t allow it to burn. This helps to cook off a bit of the flour flavor.

After a minute is up, slowly add the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream to the saucepan. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Next, stir in the green chiles, salt, and pepper.

Heat the white sauce over low heat for 5 minutes. This helps to meld the flavors together and thicken up the sauce so it doesn’t run everywhere when serving.

Pour the sauce over the prepared tortillas in the 9 x 13″ baking dish. Top everything with the remaining two cups of cheese. Use more or less based on your own personal preference.

Bake the dish, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. If desired, brown the cheese under the broiler for just a minute or two.

Common Questions

• How long can you store the leftovers? Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a microwave.
• Can you make this ahead of time? You can assemble and fill the tortillas ahead of time as well as make the white sauce, but keep them separate until right before baking. Warm up the white sauce before adding to the enchiladas. If it is too thick, add a bit more chicken broth or milk and whisk until you reach the desired consistency. Add a few more minutes to the cooking time when baking the dish.
• Can it be frozen? You can freeze the filled tortillas, but the sauce doesn’t fare as well. The white sauce can separate and become grainy after freezing and thawing, so it’s best to make the sauce on the day of serving.

Other Easy Weeknight Recipes

• Shredded Taco Salsa Chicken
• 5 Ingredient Tater Tot Casserole
• One Skillet Taco Spaghetti
• Chicken Rice Casserole
• Angel Chicken Pasta

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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