Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This is the BEST Creamy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe and one the whole family will love! Tips on how to shred chicken, a quick 10 minute creamy enchilada sauce starring sour cream and broth, and easy assembly thanks to using tortillas.

This baked enchiladas recipe will become a favourite!

What goes well with creamy white chicken enchiladas? Try this Corn Avocado Salad – YUM!

For another take and simply one of my favourite recipes EVER, you must try this chicken cannelloni recipe or this Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti. Oh we do love our chicken recipes!

It seems all the attention is on Taco Tuesday, but let’s just give a big shout-out to all the Mexican foods shall we?

The spices and sauces of Mexican foods make them my favourite. Plus, it just reminds me of vacay, and things that remind me of that hold a special place in my heart. So comforting!

You know I like to experiment in the kitchen, and love trying new recipes that are similar to our own personal favourites.

Not only are they then more likely to be enjoyed, but then you don’t make the ‘same old’ time and time again.

One evening we were craving Mexican food. While usually we’d go for a tacos recipe or quesadilla, I wanted to give traditional enchiladas with a white sauce a try.

I was even determined to make the best enchilada sauce for my creamy chicken enchiladas.

Cheesy chicken enchiladas aren’t a meal that I would usually make at home, yet this easy chicken enchilada recipe proves just how easy it is to make something for yourself that you might order in a restaurant.

I could easily become addicted to this recipe, it’s now our favorite chicken enchilada recipe and an easy weeknight dinner.

How do you make easy chicken enchiladas?

Here is the ingredient list to make easy chicken enchiladas:

• fresh chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• soft flour tortilla
• onion
• butter
• all purpose flour
• chicken broth
• sour cream
• green chiles
• Shredded cheese
• chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish if desired

To Make: You start by making the easy homemade enchilada sauce on the stove. First you melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large saucepan.

Stir in the flour and cool until it starts to brown. Then add the broth and whisk until combined and smooth. Continue cooking until thick and bubbling.

Turn down the heat to medium-low and stir the green chiles and sour cream into the large skillet. Cook the sour cream sauce for one minute and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, diced onion and some of the shredded cheese. This is the time to also start to pre heat oven.

Scoop the stovetop sauce into a greased baking dish. You can use one 9×13 baking dish, or two smaller ones and divide everything between the two.

Using a large serving spoon, place chicken mixture (chicken filling) into the centre of each tortilla, and roll up. Place side by side into a baking dish, seam side down. I just guessed how much to use for each, to use up all of the chicken mixture.

Once all are rolled, pour remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled tortilla, then top with remaining cheese. Bake and then broil to brown the sour cream enchiladas tops, if preferred.

Once baking of the white chicken enchiladas is complete, let stand for about 5 minutes to allow sauce to settle and self-thicken up. Top with chopped cilantro for garnish if you so wish – and enjoy! 

What cheese to use for enchiladas:

I use bagged shredded Mexican cheese blend, pepper jack, or shredded monterey jack cheese to make creamy chicken enchiladas. Yet in a pinch you could also use cheddar cheese.

What kind of chicken to make Enchiladas:

Since this enchilada recipe is made with shredded chicken, you have a few options, including leftover chicken. You could purchase a pre-made rotisserie chicken, or as I did, bake chicken breasts in the oven and shred once cooked. This is a great recipe to make if you have leftover cooked chicken.

Chicken Enchiladas Variations:

Some enchilada recipes call for black beans or white beans, yet my kids’ noses somehow magically crinkle up at the sight. So I decided to not doom this recipe right off the bat with it’s addition.

I use flour tortillas because they are our favourite, yet you can also use corn tortillas.

I also wanted this to be an enchilada that has a white cream sauce that is simple to make, and stars both sour cream and broth. Winning combination! Turns out making your own enchilada sauce is pretty easy, and this is one delicious homemade enchilada sauce!

Sometimes a recipe such as this is tomato-based, yet because we always tend to go for the red sauces in our foods. So, I wanted a bit of variety this time.

Assembling could not be easier either, just use tortillas! And this is the part where the kids love to help, so enlist them to join in.

In truth this is a recipe that should rightly be called ‘easy baked shredded creamy chicken enchiladas‘ yet for simplicity sake, I’ll just go with ‘Creamy Chicken Enchiladas‘. Taking just under 40 minutes to make, it’s also a meal that you can have on the table in no time.

I’d put this enchilada dish into a regular weeknight rotation for sure. Move over Taco Tuesday, homemade enchiladas are now on the menu! It’s so easy that it can also be a last minute dinner idea.

Try this served with our our easy Classic Pico de Gallo recipe, and Queso Dip!

what sides to serve with chicken enchiladas

To align with the theme, I suggest easy Mexican side dishes. Try this Corn Avocado Salad, Queso Dip, or Mexican Rice like our Mexican Fiesta Rice.

Yet you cannot go wrong with other Mexican recipes like refried beans, Mexican slaw, Pico de Gallo, or a simple salad. In that case, I serve with either a tossed salad or a caesar salad.

It would be a great idea to have a side of salsa verde or pico de gallo for those that want their chicken enchiladas with more heat and spice.

Storage

To Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap, and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or warm in the oven. They are just as good the next day.

If you are looking for more easy recipes to try, have a peek our recipes for one truly amazing Taco Salad and for a low-carb option – Taco Lettuce Wraps. And for a completely different spin, Roasted Red Potatoes for a popular side option.

Simple yet full of flavour thanks to the spices, try these Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs and especially this Tater Tot Enchilada Casserole!