These Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream have an irresistible, creamy homemade sour cream white sauce that makes these our favorite enchiladas. They are incredibly creamy and cheesy with a flavorful, tender chicken filling. The enchiladas are easy to prepare and make an extra comforting weeknight meal, or a perfect entree for weekend entertaining.
What we love about these Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce
I have some family members who don’t love Mexican food or anything too spicy, but these enchiladas are always enjoyed by everyone. The creamy sour cream sauce is a roux-based sauce with chicken broth and sour cream, with a hint of cumin and coriander. It is an incredibly velvety, creamy sauce that is added to the chicken mixture and poured over the tortillas, making these a big comfort food favorite.
I use precooked chicken, which can be a rotisserie, or I often cook chicken in the crockpot earlier in the day or the night before. It makes the dinner preparation easy and makes these enchiladas a great weeknight meal. The sauce comes together in about 10 minutes, the chicken is combined with onion, jalapeño, and a little sauce, and all it takes is filling the tortillas, covering with sauce and cheese, and baking them in the oven.
Looking for other recipes for 5 de Mayo or Taco Tuesday? Try our Baja Fish Tacos, our Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade, our Cilantro Lime Chicken with Rice, our Marinated Flank Steak, or our 5 Layer Bean Dip.
What you need to make these Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
You will need the following ingredients:
- Butter
- Cooked chicken breasts
- Onion
- Jalpeño
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken broth
- Salt
- White pepper
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Sour cream
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Flour tortillas
- Optional garnish: cilantro
Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You can easily use corn tortillas in place of the flour tortillas. We have also used gluten-free tortillas. The corn tortillas will yield 12-16 smaller enchiladas.
- You can use a different type of cheese, like pepper jack, cheddar jack, colby jack, or cheddar.
- You can substitute cornstarch for the flour, but use a little less cornstarch (2-3 tablespoons).
- While I haven’t tried it, you could substitute the chicken for shrimp or another protein, or substitute with vegetables and vegetable broth to make these vegetarian.
- If you don’t have chicken broth, you could use water and bouillon.
- You could use green chilies in place of or in addition to the jalapeño.
- You could possibly substitute the sour cream for cream cheese, though I haven’t tried it.
- You can bulk up the chicken mixture if desired. You could add green or red peppers, a pepper with more heat, corn, beans, garlic, tomato, etc.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Sauté the onion and jalapeño for 5-7 minutes until the onions become translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 2. In a medium-sized pot, over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth. Add cumin, salt, coriander, and white pepper. Bring to a boil and boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in sour cream until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese and stir until melted.
Step 3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the shredded chicken and onion jalapeño mixture. Stir in 3/4 cup of the sour cream sauce.
Step 4. Pour a little sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 pan and spread evenly (about 1/2 cup). Put a tortilla on a plate or shallow pan to fill and roll. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture and roll the tortilla tightly. Place the filled tortilla in the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, placing them close together in the pan in a single layer.
Step 5. Pour the remaining sauce over the filled tortillas and top with the remaining cheese.
Step 6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and onion if desired. Serve immediately
Tips
- If you use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas, you need to warm them to make them more pliable for rolling. You can steam them with a wet paper towel for 20-30 seconds in the microwave, or heat them in a dry skillet on each side briefly. Dip them in the sauce before adding the chicken mixture, and add about 1/4 cup of mixture instead of 1/2 cup, and fill and roll.
- Using rubber gloves when cutting jalapeños is important to protect your skin from capsaicin, an oil-based compound that causes a painful, lasting burning sensation. The gloves protect your hands from it entering your pores or touching your face and eyes.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Can Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream be made in advance? |
| a. The enchiladas can be assembled and stored, covered with plastic wrap or foil, for up to 24 hours before or frozen for up to 3 months in advance. To thaw, refrigerate overnight, and set at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. I do recommend baking them the day you serve them for the best texture of the tortillas, and the sauce thickens once stored as well. b. Cooked chicken can last 3-4 days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container, and can be made beforehand. |
| How to store enchiladas? |
| a. The enchiladas, once they’ve come to room temperature, can be stored in the fridge, covered, for 3-4 days. They shouldn’t be out at room temperature for more than 2 hours without risking food poisoning. If the ambient temperature is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it is only good for one hour. b. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 3 months, though the texture of the tortillas may be a little soggy after thawing. |
| How to reheat creamy chicken enchiladas? |
| Reheat the enchiladas in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15-25 minutes, covered in foil to prevent them from drying out. You can reheat individual enchiladas in the microwave for 60-90 seconds. |
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream
These Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream have an irresistible, creamy homemade sour cream white sauce that makes these our favorite enchiladas. They are incredibly creamy and cheesy with a flavorful, tender chicken filling. The enchiladas are easy to prepare and make an extra comforting weeknight meal, or a perfect entree for weekend entertaining.
8
enchiladas30
minutes25
minutesIngredients
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup diced onion
1 jalapeño, diced (use rubber gloves when cutting and don’t touch your face)
1.5 pounds cooked chicken, shredded (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup sour cream
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, divided
8 eight-inch tortillas or 12 6-inch tortillas (we use 8 flour tortillas)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Sauté the onion and jalapeño for 5-7 minutes until the onions become translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium-sized pot, over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth. Add cumin, salt, coriander, and white pepper. Bring to a boil and boil for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in sour cream until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese and stir until melted.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the shredded chicken and onion jalapeño mixture. Stir in 3/4 cup of the sour cream sauce.
- Pour a little sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 pan and spread evenly (about 1/2 cup).
- Put a tortilla on a plate or shallow pan to fill and roll. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture and roll the tortilla tightly. Place the filled tortilla in the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, placing them close together in the pan in a single layer. If using corn tortillas, warm the tortillas, and dip them in the sauce before filling them with 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture (no need to line the pan with sauce). *See tips or note below
- Pour the remaining sauce over the filled tortillas and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and onion if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas, you need to warm them to make them more pliable for rolling. You can steam them with a wet paper towel for 20-30 seconds in the microwave, or heat them in a dry skillet on each side briefly. Dip them in the sauce before adding the chicken mixture, and add about 1/4 cup of mixture instead of 1/2 cup, and fill and roll.
- You can garnish these enchiladas with any items of your choice. I really like the onion cilantro sprinkled on top. You can add sliced avocado, guacamole, cotija cheese, pico de gallo, or diced tomatoes, jalapeño slices, or additional sour cream.
