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
Just as the name suggests, this dish is DELICIOUS!! The whole family enjoyed it! The Tillamook cheese is also amazingly good. It’s now our staple shredded cheese. Thanks for an amazing recipe and cheese recommendation!
Can you use corn tortillas instead of flour and still freeze it? I really don’t care for flour tortillas especially with it being enchiladas. I’m super excited to try this recipe though, it looks so yummy!
sure!
I’ve made these before and have been brought one as a freezer meal. It tastes amazing but is there a way to keep the tortillas from going so gummy? It is almost like eating raw dough. Should i use less of the sauce?
That’s definitely the down-side of making these ahead of time. Honestly the only way I know to keep the torillas in tact is to make the dish fresh!
My mom made these while my son was there visiting. He loved them! I have made these a couple times since and my son requests “Grandma’s enchiladas” on occasion too. So glad to finally have someone else in the family love enchiladas like I do! I do tweak it a little bit by using corn tortillas and making it casserole style. Saves a bit of time, but equally good flavor!
Hello Sara. I can’t seem to find the notes about the shredded Chicken at the end of the printable recipe. I was hoping the notes would tell me how you like to cook the chicken. I like to use the crock pot, but never know what seasonings to put on the chicken. Any thoughts?
For basic chicken to be used in a variety of recipes, my go-to is simply salt and pepper plus garlic and onion powders. You can bake chicken at 350 until it reaches an internal temp of 165 or if you’re using a crock pot, I suggest bone-in chicken and don’t overcook. Hope that helps!
I made my husband chicken enchiladas 18 years ago when I first met my husband and he brought it up constantly that I never made them again. I found this recipe and surprised him with them. He loved them. I put less chilies in then you called for and it was perfect, actually only about 3 oz. I made the Mexican Sweet Corn Cake to serve with it and he was so happy. I hadn’t had that since I left CA in 2000 from El Torito and it was very similar. Will make both of these again and again. He won’t have to wait 18 years again.
Haha, wonderful!
Made these tonight using your instant pot chile lime chicken… holy WOW!!! We all devoured it, even my picky kids! That sauce is amazing! We did corn tortillas and half the cheese and still absolutely delicious. Thanks for another awesome go-to recipe!!!
Yay! So glad you loved it!
Sorry if someone already asked this but can I make these the night before and put them in the fridge over night? Will that make them soggy? Thanks!
No need to apologize! It will probably make them soggy. You could prep the filling ahead of time though and that would cut down on prep time!
Just made these with leftover turkey from a thanksgiving. Everyone in my house (even picky grandparents who claim to not like green chilis) loved these. Like, seriously LOVED THEM! My father in law said, “you should start a website with all your good recipes!” Uh, well, they’re already from a website with great recipes so maybe not!
Been a while. Just made again. Even picky kids were down with this. I halved the amount of broth for stronger flavor and kept the same amount of cheese and sour cream (so wouldn’t be dry). No wonder kids loved it.
I’m six months pregnant and have been craving enchiladas like nobody’s business. It’s hard to find certain grocery items here in NJ due to the pandemic so I was pretty sure I’d never find a simple enough recipe – I was WRONG. Omg this recipe is a 10 – so delicious, and I already had the majority of it on hand. The only thing my husband couldn’t find in the store was the green chiles – I subbed canned pimentos with great success. Thank you for making my week. I will be popping a batch of two in the freezer for post partum!!