White Chicken Enchiladas

My family loves enchilada night. I’ve made them several ways, but their favorites are white chicken enchiladas. White enchilada sauce is easy to make and the creamy result is delicious. The filling of these chicken enchiladas with white sauce is also delicious. They have red bell pepper, corn, shredded cooked chicken, cheese, and a bit of sauce to hold everything together.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Butter and all-purpose flour: as the base for the roux
• Milk and Mexican crema (or sour cream): to make the white sauce extra creamy
• Chicken broth: is the base for the white sauce
• Cumin, coriander, and paprika: to flavor the sauce along with salt and pepper
• Chopped jalapenos: for a little heat. You can omit these if feeding young kids. I add them to the sauce as well as the filling
• Cooked shredded chicken: I used chicken breast, but you can use thighs or leftover rotisserie chicken
• Corn and red bell pepper: you can use frozen or canned whole-kernel corn. The bell pepper provides flavor as well as color
• Green onions: give the filling lots of flavor
• Pepper Jack cheese: you can use your favorite shredded cheese.
• Flour or corn tortillas: for enchiladas, I like flour tortillas better because they don’t break when you roll them.

How to Make White Chicken Enchiladas?

First, we need to make the sauce:

1. In a medium-sized skillet, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook for about 2 minutes until slightly golden.
2. Pour in the chicken broth, crema, milk, spices, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the chopped jalapenos. Preheat the oven to 350 F

Make the filling:

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, bell pepper, corn, sliced green onions, chopped jalapenos, one cup of shredded pepper jack, and ¼ cup of white sauce.

Divide the filling evenly between the 8 tortillas. Place the filling in the center of the tortilla and roll them cigar-style.

Spoon ¼ cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 7×11-inch baking dish and place the rolled enchiladas on top of the sauce

Spoon the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle the rest of the cheese evenly over the sauce. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden

To Make the White Enchilada Sauce:

White sauce, or Bechamel, is made by combining a mixture of cooked butter and flour with liquid until the liquid has thickened. The liquid is generally broth, milk, or a combination of both.

In this case, we are using milk, broth, and Mexican crema (or sour cream) to give it an extra creamy flavor. You can season the sauce with herbs or spices. We used coriander, cumin, and paprika, which are widely used in Mexican cuisine.

To Make the Filling:

The great thing about enchiladas is that you can vary the filling and have a different dish every time. In this case, we are using chicken, but you can use ground beef or turkey, carne asada, or any shredded cooked meat like carnitas. The choice of veggies is also something you can change to make them different.

Add any veggies and cheese you like. Corn and bell pepper are good choices, but you can also use black beans, sauteed onions, and black olives, for example. Adding a bit of sauce to the filling helps it all stick together and not fall off the tortillas when rolling them.

To Assemble them:

Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds. This will make rolling them easier. Place about ¼ cup of filling in the center of the tortilla and spread it lengthwise.

Fold one side of the tortilla over the filling and then keep rolling until you get a cigar-like roll. Spoon about ¼ cup of sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and place all enchiladas on top. Pour the rest of the sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas and sprinkle the cheese on top.

Bake until golden and melted.

What to Serve with White Chicken Enchiladas?

If you want an all-Mexican-themed dinner, I recommend you also serve these enchiladas with a Chicken Tortilla Soup Crockpot recipe to begin, or you can also make Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Soup.

You can also make Easy Taco Lettuce Wraps, or my Easy Shrimp Burrito Recipe and make it a buffet-style meal.

Storing, Freezing, and Make Ahead:

To store any leftover enchiladas, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

If you want to make this recipe ahead of time, I recommend you make the sauce and the filling, refrigerate them separately, then assemble and bake the dish the day you plan to serve it.

White Chicken Enchiladas

The white sauce makes white chicken enchiladas creamy, cheesy, and delicious!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 SERVINGS

Calories 832 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the white sauce:

• 2 ½ tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup 2 % milk
• ½ cup Mexican crema (or sour cream)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

For the enchiladas:

• 2 ½ cup shredded cooked chicken (or leftover rotisserie chicken)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• ½ cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp jalapeno, finely chopped
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded (or your favorite cheese)
• 8 flour tortillas, warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds

Instructions

 

Make the sauce:

• In a medium-sized skillet, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook for about 2 minutes until slightly golden.
  
• Whisk in the chicken broth, crema, milk, spices, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.
  
• Stir in the chopped jalapenos. Preheat the oven to 350 F
  

Make the enchiladas:

• In a large bowl, combine the chicken, bell pepper, corn, sliced green onions, chopped jalapenos, one cup of shredded pepper jack, and ¼ cup of white sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste
  
• Divide the filling evenly between the 8 tortillas. Place the filling in the center of the tortilla and roll them cigar-style.
  
• Spoon ¼ cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 7x11-inch baking dish and place the rolled enchiladas on top of the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle the rest of the cheese evenly over the sauce. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.
  

Nutrition

Calories: 832kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 40gFat: 41.7g