Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas
These creamy, chicken enchiladas are a great enchilada variation.
Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas
Makes: 12 enchiladas (2 9×13 pans) – plan on 1 1/2 per person
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Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 ½ lb chicken (enough for 6 cups shredded)
- cumin & salt for seasoning
Filling:
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- ¼ tsp salt (more or less to taste)
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or other white cheese (you use 2 more cups later on))
Sauce:
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp flour (can use 4 1/2 tsp cornstarch, but not nearly as creamy)
- 3 cups broth
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 ½ tsp cumin
- 1 medium jalapeno (seeded & finely diced (or 1 small can of chopped green chilis))
- 1 ½ cups sour cream (you can substitute cream cheese)
Other Ingredients:
- 12 10-inch flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or other white cheese – for sprinkling on top)
Instructions:
Pre-prep:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the chicken in a baking dish and cover with cumin and salt. (If you need chicken broth, add 3 cups of water to the pan.)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken shreds easily.
- Remove from the oven, shred, and chill.
Filling & Assembly:
- If baking the enchiladas immediately, preheat the oven to 375°. Grease 2 9×13 baking pans.
- In a medium bowl, mix the shredded chicken, 1 Tbsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, softened cream cheese, and 2 cups of shredded cheese together. *You want the mixture to be moist but not soupy. If it isn't moist, add a tiny bit of chicken broth.
- Place a spoonful of the mixture into the tortilla, roll it up, and place it in the pan. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and filling.
- If not baking immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (or you can freeze them for later on).
Sauce:
- In a saucepan, combine the butter, flour, broth, and seasonings. Whisk until smooth.
- Heat over medium heat until it bubbles and begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and chopped jalapenos (or green chilis).
- If baking immediately, continue with recipe, otherwise cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- When time to bake, pour the sauce over the enchiladas and top each pan with another cup of cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it is vigorously bubbling and the cheese is browning. *If cooking from frozen, add time accordingly.
Notes:
Chicken Broth: You could add 3 cups of water to the chicken when you cook it, then use that water in place of the chicken broth.
Make Ahead: These are great to prepare ahead of time. I think the enchiladas might get soggy if you put the sauce on them ahead of time, so I would recommend just keeping the sauce in a separate container until you are ready to bake it. You can freeze the enchiladas too. Just adjust the baking time appropriately.
Diet: Egg Free
These are really good. A few notes from when I’ve made them in the past.
– 6 12″ tortillas comfortably filled a 9×13 pan.
– 3 cups (1.15 lb) chicken & 1 1/2 cups cheese filled 6 12″ tortillas.
– It was barely enough for 5 people – it’s best to plan on 1 1/2 per person.
– Baking 1.15lb chicken breast, well-seasoned & covered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes was perfect.
– Don’t be skimpy with the seasonings.
Recipe updated to add comment’s notes.
I used 5 cups chicken for 1x recipe. I also used 3 cups shredded cheese inside the tortillas. I used 10″ and could fit 10 in a 9×13.