The simple to make ahead of time creamy chicken enchiladas are an excellent option for a weeknight dinner, especially during busy weeknights. This recipe requires only about 20 minutes of preparation, making it an easy recipe for a busy family.
These cream cheese chicken enchiladas are a great recipe to meal prep on a night you have more time, save in an airtight container in the fridge, and then just stick in the oven to feed the whole family on a busy night. They are also great to serve if having guests over for a family dinner.
This was inspired by my Grilled Steak Quesadilla on this site, and pairs well with this Mexican Street Corn.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- chicken breast
- taco size tortillas
- sour cream
- cream cheese
- butter
- flour
- can of green chiles
- shredded monterey jack cheese
- cumin
- chicken broth
- fresh cilantro to garnish
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Boil chicken breasts until cooked through. Chicken is cooked through when it reaches 165 degrees internal or when the juices start to run clear.
- Step 2: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a pan. Add the flour and whisk. Let cook about 3-5 minutes whisking the roux every 30 seconds or so on medium heat.
- Step 3: Add in the chicken broth and whisk into the roux. Add in the cream cheese. Allow the cream cheese to melt in. Add in the sour cream and whisk. Add in the cumin and green chilis and mix in. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken about 5 minutes. Pour half of the white enchilada sauce into a baking dish. Roll the chicken and about 1 tablespoon of cheese into each tortilla.
- Step 4: . Place each enchilada into the sauce seam side down. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas. Spread the remainder of the green chilies on top of the enchilada sauce. Spread the remainder of the cheese on top of the enchiladas. Bake 25-27 minutes. Serve immediately.
Hint: make sure you only allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes and keep an eye on how thick it is getting. You don't want the sauce to get overly thick. If the sauce is getting too thick, thin it out with milk or heavy cream. You want a creamy sauce, not a thick paste.
Substitutions
- Gluten Free - use gluten free corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. To thicken the sauce, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoon of water and mix well. Add this in to the white sauce at the end of the cooking time and simmer about 5 minutes so the sauce can thicken. This solution is a gluten free replacement for the flour
- Vegetarian - add fajita veggies inside the center of each tortilla instead of chicken
- Chicken - a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store can be used instead of using home cooked shredded chicken, this will also help save on time
Variations
- Buffalo - add ½ cup of buffalo sauce to the white cream sauce to make buffalo chicken enchiladas.
- Deluxe - add cooked steak cubes in the enchiladas instead of the chicken for a deluxe twist!
- Beef - switch out the chicken for beef for beef enchiladas.
- Tostada - a deconstructed taco or enchilada of sorts on a crispy corn tortilla
Check out this pulled pork tostada recipe on my website.
Equipment
To make this recipe, you only need a few pieces of equipment. You will need a casserole dish and a pot to boil water in. Additionally, you will need a skillet to make the white enchilada sauce in. A spatula is also needed to serve the enchiladas. If you are shredding your own cheese you will also need a cheese grater.
Storage
Store leftovers in a Tupperware, air tight container or in the casserole dish covered with tin foil or plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Make sure you reheat before serving. They are best as leftovers when eaten the next day.
This recipe stands up well to freezing for up to two months when stored in an air tight container.
Top Tip
When cooking the roux, assure that you cook it for at least 3-5 minutes before adding the chicken broth. This cooks the flour and makes sure that you don't have a raw flour taste in your sauce. When mixing your broth into the roux, assure you mix very well to make sure the roux mixes in to the broth evenly to avoid clumps.
FAQ
The roux helps thicken the sauce. You cook the roux first to make sure that the raw flour cooks so that you don't have a raw flour taste in your sauce. Once the sauce is brought up to a simmer, the sauce will slowly begin to thicken as the roux activates. You want to make sure you keep an eye on how thick your sauce gets though because it can get too thick very quickly. If it does get too thick, add some heavy cream, broth or milk to help thin it out.
You can replace it with mozzarella cheese! Both are mild cheeses, but the mozzarella will definitely be a little cheesier and stretchier! Another good cheese to use is cotija cheese. This is also a great cheese to sprinkle on top.
Absolutely! This is a great gluten free option to use! Corn tortillas are actually more traditional when it comes to enchiladas. I use flour tortillas because I just personally prefer the texture of flour tortillas better.
This recipe is great when served with refried beans, Mexican rice, black beans or any other Mexican food side dish. This dish can also be served with a delicious Mexican street corn or a Mexican street corn dip. Guacamole and tortilla chips are also always a great side to serve with a Mexican dish like this.
To shred chicken, the traditional fork pulling method is an easy method that contains minimal dishes. The easiest method is to use a hand mixer. This method requires minimal work and minimal effort. It also effectively shreds the chicken to the perfect consistency. There are also some funky tools on the market made specifically for shredding chicken faster which may be worth looking in to to make your life that much easier.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
📖 Recipe
White Chicken Enchiladas with Cream Cheese
Equipment
- Casserole Dish
- Boiling Pot
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- 8 tortillas taco size
- 2 cup sour cream
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 4.5 oz can of green chilis
- 2 cup monterrey jack cheese shredded, use about 1 tablespoon in each enchilada and the rest is used to melt on top
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 cup chicken broth
- cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Cook chicken and shred. To cook the chicken, boil for about 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Let the chicken cool and shred it.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a pan, melt the butter. Add the flour and mix. Let cook about 3-5 minutes stirring the roux every 30 seconds or so.
- Add in the chicken broth and mix into the roux. Add in the cream cheese. Allow the cream cheese to melt in. Add in the sour cream and mix. Add in the cumin and green chilis and mix in. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for about 5 minutes.
- Pour about half of the white enchilada sauce into the casserole dish. Roll the chicken and about 1 tablespoon of cheese into each tortilla. Place the enchiladas into the sauce. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas.
- Spread the rest of the green chilis on top of the enchilada sauce. Spread the rest of the cheese on top of the entire dish. Bake 25-27 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a Tupperware or covered with tin foil in the casserole dish.
- always reheat before enjoying the leftovers.
Nutrition
If you have any questions about how to make this white chicken enchilada recipe or need other weeknight dinner recipe suggestions, leave a comment below!
Colleen Cain says
Can I put this together the night before my dinner party, and bake the night of?
thebutteredgnocchi says
Absolutely! This is a great make ahead meal! Just keep it refrigerated overnight!
Becca says
Everything I make from you is perfect 🥰
thebutteredgnocchi says
Thank you so much!!!