Several years ago, after the birth of my 3rd baby, a good friend brought over dinner with the most amazing enchiladas. They were some of the best I’d ever had- just how I like them, with perfect flavor, cheesy but not too cheesy, lightly creamy insides and an incredible sauce. I promptly texted her and told her I had to have the recipe and she wrote back, “Oh I’m so glad you liked them. You can find the recipe on page 28 of YOUR cook book!“ We both got a good laugh out of that. Flash forward a few years and the same thing happened when I was eating dinner at my sister-in-law’s house and complimented the amazing enchiladas my whole family was scarfing up. “Well I would expect you to like them, it’s your recipe!”
When developing recipes for our books, I sometimes make things 5, 10, 15 times to get it just perfect. And after that process, sometimes you just don’t make them again for a while! I had completely forgotten how good these were and from then on, they became a family regular. And I know where to find the recipe now. Over the years since our Savoring the Seasons book came out, this is consistently a reader-favorite so I felt like it was time I share it with all of you guys, here! Because everyone needs a great enchilada recipe. Let me tell you my requirements when I was coming up with this recipe:
1. From scratch, no condensed soup, canned sauce, or seasoning packets.
2. With the above being true, it still had to be easy to toss together. NOT labor intensive.
3. Using mostly pantry ingredients that I normally have on hand, no specialty weird stuff.
4. Delicious and indulgent, without being super horrible for you.
You guys, this recipe checks off ALL the boxes. For me, it’s perfection. These are so cheesy and creamy and flavorful. I can almost guarantee your family will love these like mine does!
Ingredients Needed
- butter
- all purpose flour
- chicken broth
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cumin
- coriander
- chili powder
- black pepper
- sour cream
- Tabasco or similar hot sauce (optional)
- kosher salt
- cream cheese (low fat is fine)
- mild green chilis
- cooked shredded chicken
- Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese – I really love the Tillamook Farmstyle Mexican 4-Cheese blend for this recipe. I also love the giant bags of Tillamook shredded cheddar from Costco and the Kirkland brand equivalent. All of those melt beautifully and taste great.
- flour or corn tortillas – medium or “taco” sized. I personally like flour tortillas. I also really like them saucy. Because of this, flour tortillas get really soft, but some people dislike that! If you’re in that camp, feel free to use corn tortillas!
- baking dish – this fabulous turquoise baker is one of my favorites, and I always get asked where it’s from, so here ya go! I love everything Fiesta makes. Gorgeous and crazy durable.
How to Make The Best Chicken Enchiladas
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- Make a quick stovetop sauce by whisking butter and flour, then slowly adding broth and spices; simmer until thick, then stir in sour cream and sauce.
- Soften cream cheese, mix with green chiles, a little sauce, shredded chicken, and cheese.
- Warm tortillas if needed so they roll easily.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce in a baking dish, roll chicken filling in tortillas, and place seam-side down.
- Cover with remaining sauce and cheese; bake until hot, bubbly, and melty. You can also choose to pop them in your freezer instead of baking at this point too! You just extend the baking time by a bit but everything else remains the same.
Storage & Other Tips
- Serving: I find it much easier to to cut it right down the middle so each tortilla is cut in half. Then you don’t have to attempt to pull out a whole long tortilla on one skinny spatula!
- Let the enchiladas rest for 5 – 10 minutes after baking so they firm up a bit, and are easier to cut and serve neatly.
- Toppings: To brighten things up, you can serve these with some toppings like chopped cilantro, diced avocado, sliced green onions, or a squeeze of lime.
- Side Dish Ideas: I love these with a simple green salad, black beans, or steamed veggies. Here are some more ideas!
- Simple side salad with this Creamy Tomatillo Ranch, Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette
- Fresh Fruit
- Regular or Brazilian Style White Rice with Black Beans (Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, or Quick version)
- Refrigeration: Leftover enchiladas keep in the fridge for about 3 – 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the oven at 350°F to keep the texture in tact.
- Make Ahead & Freeze: these enchiladas are freezer-friendly. You can assemble them in a disposable foil pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for later. When ready, thaw overnight and bake, or bake from frozen adding a little extra time, until hot and bubbly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! They will be less saucy, but if that’s what you prefer, then go for it! You will definitely need more tortillas as well, since they are so much smaller.
Use cooked, shredded chicken. Rotisserie chicken is perfect for this, or leftover chicken from another meal.
No worries. If the sauce ends up lumpy, just pop it in a blender until it’s smooth and continue on!
Yes. You can assemble ahead all the way to the baking stage. Then store them in a disposable pan and freeze. You can bake from frozen and just add some extra time.
You can use a Mexican blend, Monterrey Jack, or Pepper Jack. It’s whatever you prefer! We love Tillamook Farmstyle 4 Cheese Mexican Blend shredded cheese for this recipe.
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 15-ounce cans chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2-3 shakes Tabasco or similar hot sauce, optional
- kosher salt to taste
- 4 ounces cream cheese ½ block, low fat is fine
- 1 7-ounce can mild green chilis
- 14-16 ounces chicken, cooked and shredded cooked about 3 1/2 cups, see notes
- 4 cups Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese shredded, divided
- 8-10 flour or corn tortillas medium
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and bubbly, add flour and stir to combine. Continue cooking, whisking continuously until mixture is light golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
- SLOWLY add chicken broth, whisking constantly, until smooth. If this part ends up a disaster and your sauce looks lumpy and clumpy- it's not ruined! Just pop the entire sauce in a blender to smooth it out, then back in your pan and continue.
- Whisk in garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and stir until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream and hot sauce. Add salt to taste and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, soften cream cheese in microwave until it's easily stirred. Add green chilis and ½ cup of reserved sauce. Stir to combine and add chicken and 2 cups cheese.
- Tip: If needed, to make the tortillas easier to roll, place between damp paper towels and microwave until warm (20-30 seconds).
- Pour about 1 cup sauce into the bottom of prepared pan and spread out evenly. Place about ⅓ – ½ cup chicken mixture on each tortilla and roll tightly. Place tortillas snugly in pan. Pour remaining sauce on top and top with remaining 2 cups cheese.
- Bake 30-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly throughout and cheese is melted.
Notes
- Place frozen or thawed chicken breasts on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350° until they register 165°F.
- Place several chicken breasts in pressure cooker, sprinkle liberally with taco seasoning and add about 2 cups chicken broth, and cook at high pressure for 6 minutes (if thawed chicken) and 15 (if frozen chicken).
- Same as above, only place in slow cooker for 3-4 hours.
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
Ha ha, I love your stories at the beginning. These are definitely the best enchiladas I’ve ever made/eaten. Thanks for sharing them with us. 🙂 I bet a side of berries with whipped cream would taste good with them too. 😉
You were the sister in law in that story! haha! And I’m dying at the berries and cream comment. Definitely the perfect side dish hahaha!
I make these a lot! It’s my 10 year old’s favorite dinner! I don’t like rolling enchiladas though, so I make it casserole style. Tear the corn tortillas into quarters, put a thin layer of sauce in the pan, cover the bottom with tortilla pieces, layer the chicken, and some cheese. Cover with more tortilla pieces and then the rest of the sauce and more cheese. Perfection every time! Love this recipe!
Can I make these without chicken and just add extra cheese? Two of my kids won’t eat chicken but these look so delicious I have to try them.
I’m wondering the same thing – sometimes I get a craving for just cheesy cheese enchiladas!
These enchiladas look bomb. I need them in my life!
I am really excited about this recipe. I love enchiladas but every time I make them and put canned sauce on top I’m mad because I know the outcome is going to be an overwhelmingly strong “fake” flavor. Homemade sauce is a game changer for me. Thanks for always for sharing such great recipes.
These look fantastic! I would love to try them for a family get together and wondered about how many this would serve?
It makes 8-10 enchiladas, and 1 9×13 inch pan. So it just depends on how much people eat. 1 pan feeds my family of 6 just fine.
I love this recipe!! It is one of my young kids favorite dinner. I love how it doesn’t call for canned cream a chicken. Thanks!
I’m currently in pre-baby freezer meal prep mode. Any hints on freezing and reheating this recipe? It sounds amazing!
Just pop them in a disposable foil pan and freeze immediately. They can go straight into the oven from the freezer, just extend the baking time and cook until hot and bubbly throughout!
I just made this for the first time tonight and it’s still in the oven. I’m just wondering, is the sauce supposed to be really runny? I simmered it for a LONG time and it never really thickened up. I have made enchiladas hundreds of times, so I just am not sure if this particular recipe has a really thin sauce or if somehow I botched it. Excited to eat it, though! thx!
How’d they turn out? I’d say it’s as thick as a canned red sauce, so not SUPER thick, but thicker than plain broth if that helps 🙂 Hope they were delicious!
These look amazing and I will definitely be making them! I’m attempting to get my macros on, so do you think it would work well with no-fat cream cheese? And could I substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream? Or is it best to just stick with the original plan? Thanks!!
I’ve never tried either of those subs, but think they should work just fine. In terms of macros, low-fat sour cream is actually a little better (in my opinion) than Greek yogurt. The yogurt has more protein, but very little of that will actually end up in each individual serving. Same goes for the cream cheese- there’s only 4 ounces in the entire recipe, so not too much in a serving. But feel free to play around with it- I think those will work fine!
When you make & freeze this dish, do you freeze it with the sauce on the bottom of the pan & poured over the top? What about the cheese topping? And do you bake it uncovered straight out of the freezer? Thank you.
Yep, I just put it straight in the freezer and then straight in the oven.