White Chicken Enchiladas (2024)

These spicy and cheese filled white chicken enchiladas are covered in a rich creamy and cheesy white sauce that will have you going back for more.

Jump to Recipe

Table of Contents

WHITE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS INGREDIENTS
HOW TO MAKE THIS WHITE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS RECIPE
HOW TO SERVE
STORAGE
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
JUMP TO RECIPE

White chicken enchiladas are an easy go-to for those Mexican food cravings. This recipe makes the best creamy sauce to finish off your spicy chicken and cheese-filled enchiladas.

Be sure to try out our other easy-to-make Mexican dinners like Sheet Pan Fajitas or these fun Enchilada Cups!

WHITE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS INGREDIENTS

You’ll need:

For the Filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced finely
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 cups shredded chicken, a rotisserie works perfectly
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
8 large flour tortillas
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

For the White Enchilada Sauce:

2 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 ounces green chiles
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

PRO TIP:

You should grate your own cheese rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-caking agent on it and it doesn’t melt quite as well.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

CHICKEN: I recommend using shredded chicken in this recipe. Rotisserie chickens work perfectly. You’ll want to make sure to get one large enough to supply 3 cups worth of chicken. If you can’t get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, you can make shredded chicken in the crockpot. You could also use chicken breasts and cut them into cubes. Alternatively, you could swap out the chicken entirely to use shredded pork or beef.

CHEESE: Using a combination of Monterey Jack and a Mexican cheese blend adds good flavor to this great recipe, but any cheese could work in place of these. You could stick with basic cheddar cheese, swap to Pepper Jack cheese, or even use a shredded Colby Jack.

SOUR CREAM: In place of the sour cream, you could substitute it with Greek yogurt in the sauce for these white enchiladas.

HOW TO MAKE THIS WHITE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS RECIPE

PRO TIP:

This is a fantastic make-ahead meal. Double your batch and follow our easy freezing instructions below.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

STEP TWO: In a measuring cup, add 2 cups of water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes. Microwave on high for two minutes. Set aside.

STEP THREE: In a large skillet, over medium heat, add olive oil and onion. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 additional minutes. Turn off heat and add shredded cooked chicken, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Set aside.

STEP FOUR: Assemble the tortillas by splitting the chicken mixture evenly between 8 tortillas. Divide 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese and evenly top each of the chicken mixtures in the 8 tortillas. Roll tightly and place seam side down in the baking dish. Set aside.

PRO TIP:

While we highly recommend using flour tortillas because they roll better, if you do prefer to use corn tortillas, they need to be individually warmed up before rolling or they will tear as you roll them up.

STEP FIVE: In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt butter. Once it has melted, add flour and whisk them together.

HOW TO SERVE

Your delicious white chicken enchiladas with all their cheesy goodness will be a family favorite in no time. You can’t go wrong making this Spanish Rice to go with your easy chicken enchiladas.

MORE MEXICAN-INSPIRED RECIPES

Mexican Appetizers

Chicken Taquitos Recipe

Hot Dips

Rotel Dip

STORAGE

IN THE FRIDGE: To store these creamy white chicken enchiladas in the fridge, place them in an airtight container, after they have cooled down.

Leftover enchiladas will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.

To reheat, scoop out an enchilada and some white sauce onto a separate plate and place them in the microwave.

IN THE FREEZER: Enchiladas are a great make-ahead, freezer meal. To do so, you will make and assemble your enchiladas following the instructions above. You should skip adding the cheese to the top of the enchiladas as directed in step 8.

Instead, after adding the sauce, bake the enchiladas for about 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool down completely.

After they have cooled, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the enchiladas, and cover with a lid or aluminum foil.

When ready to bake, remove the enchiladas from the freezer, top with cheese. Preheat the oven and bake as directed above.

These creamy chicken enchiladas are so easy and delicious. The spicy chicken enchiladas topped off with a creamy cheesy sauce are truly a fan favorite. (If you enjoy this flavor profile, try our chicken tortilla roll-ups, too!)

You will love how simple it is to make homemade chicken enchiladas that taste just as good as your favorite Mexican restaurant.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas?

We find that corn tortillas don’t roll as well in this easy recipe. Stick with soft flour tortillas if you can for the best result.

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

You can assemble this recipe earlier in the day or the night before and pop it in the oven right before dinner time.

MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

Chili Cheese Dip
Chicken Roll-Ups
Layered Taco Salad
Taco Soup
Skillet Enchiladas
Salsa Chicken
Chicken Enchiladas
Salsa
7 Can Chicken Taco Soup
White Chicken Enchilada Skillet
30 Minute Chicken Chimichanga
White Chicken Lasagna
Alabama White Sauce
Mongolian Beef
Ground Beef Enchiladas
Bacon Wrapped Corn on the Cob
KFC Zinger Burger
Baked Ziti

Get Recipes on Pinterest

White Chicken Enchiladas

5 from 19 votes

These spicy and cheese filled white chicken enchiladas are covered in a rich creamy and cheesy white sauce that will have you going back for more.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

PrintRecipeReviewRecipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ yellow onion diced finely
2 teaspoons garlic minced
3 cups shredded chicken a rotisserie works perfectly
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
8 large flour tortillas
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded

For The Sauce

2 cups water
2 cubes chicken bouillon
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 ounces green chilies
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
1 cup Mexican blend cheese shredded

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a pyrex measuring cup add 2 cups water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes. Microwave on high for two minutes. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat add olive oil and onion. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 additional minutes. Turn off heat and add shredded cooked chicken, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Set aside.
Assemble the tortillas by splitting the mixture evenly between 8 tortillas. Divide 2 cups of Monterey jack cheese and evenly top each of the chicken mixture in the 8 tortillas. Roll tightly and place the seam side down in the baking dish. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat add butter and allow to melt. Once melted add flour and whisk together.
Add chicken broth and whisk until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir constantly while cooking so it doesn’t burn to the bottom of the saucepan.
Mix in the sour cream, salt, pepper, green chilies, and Monterey jack cheese.
Pour the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese.
Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and barely starting to brown.

Video

Notes

TIP: This is a fantastic make-ahead meal. Double your batch and follow our easy freezing instructions above.

TIP: You should grate your own cheese rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-caking agent on it and it doesn’t melt quite as well.

TIP: While we highly recommend using flour tortillas because they roll better, if you do prefer to use corn tortillas, they need to be individually warmed up before rolling or they will tear as you roll them up.

Nutrition

Have You Tried This Recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @spaceshipslb

Get Recipes on Facebook

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie KeepingPublisher
Layne KangasMarketing
Sian CoxPhotographer
Lexus MonroeEditorial Assistant