Chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup and rotel

Guys, this white chicken enchiladas has to be one of my all-time favorite enchilada recipes EVER! They’re cheesy, saucy, and truly downright divine.  All that and they come together quickly enough to work for my midweek dinner rotation.

There’s one reason and one reason only to make enchilada recipes: CHEESE! Piled on top and layered in the tortilla, all that cheesy goodness has everyone rushing to the dinner table. Of course, the enchilada sauce is also scrumptious and savory; and the chicken is perfectly moist. But, c’mon, CHEESE!

If you love this type 0f enchilada, you might want to try my sour cream chicken enchiladas or my creamy seafood shrimp enchiladas.

Let’s cook!

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Chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup and rotel

Why It’s Great!

Chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup and rotel

Recipe Notes

Chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup and rotel

Recipe Variations

Chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup and rotel

Similar Recipes

Chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup and rotel

What I Love About This Recipe

This white chicken enchilada is a fun variation on a beloved classic. Some of my favorite things about this recipe are that it’s:

  • Smothered in a rich, tangy homemade sauce
  • Quick to prepare
  • Loaded with cheesy goodness!
  • No Soup 

Chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup and rotel

How To Make White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

My decadently cheesy enchiladas recipe whips up in less than 45 minutes! A double win — delicious and quick.

Start by prepping your baking dish and heating up your oven. In a small bowl, mix the chicken and cheese, then fill the tortillas and place each one seam side down in the pan.

Next, heat up butter on a skillet and cook your flour to start your sauce. Whisk in your broth and cook until bubbling and thick.

Now, an important step in your sauce: let it cool! Let it sit for at least five minutes, THEN add your sour cream and chiles. If you don’t let it cool, your cream will curdle and leave icky chunks in the sauce. No one wants that!

Pour your cheesy sauce over the wrapped tortillas and sprinkle even more cheese on top. Then let the magic happen in the oven until golden brown!

Chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup and rotel

Chicken Enchiladas With White Sauce Recipe Notes

Few recipes will delight the whole family quite as much as a chicken enchiladas with white sauce. Saucy, cheesy, and rolled up in fun serving sizes, our recipe is sure to please even picky eaters.

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole Ingredient Notes

Here are some important notes for this white chicken enchilada casserole:

Diced chiles – Our recipe calls for mild chilies. If your family likes spicy food, you can substitute hotter chilies instead. Another tasty option is fire-roasted chilies. They should be on the shelf near the other canned peppers at your grocery store.

Chicken – You can cook the chicken according to your favorite method, such as roasting or poaching the breasts. If you’re pressed for time, using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from your grocer is a great time-saving shortcut. Honestly, 9 times out of 10, that’s what I use.

Shredded cheese – We love the flavor of Monterey Jack in this dish. It also helps keep the sauce white! If you have a different cheese on hand, feel free to substitute your favorite shredded cheese in this recipe. My son loves when I use Pepper Jack instead of the plain Monterey because it adds another layer of flavor and spice. It might be too spicy for little kiddos though.

Sour cream – We strongly recommend using full-fat sour cream in this recipe. It’s an important factor in the richness of the sauce. Also, low-fat sour cream tends to separate and get runny when heated. You might end up with gloppy enchiladas!

Green onions – Don’t have any green onions? A sprinkle of chopped cilantro on top will add a bright flavor, too.

Tortillas – The recipe calls for using flour tortillas, but if you prefer, you can switch them with corn tortillas. I used fajita sized tortillas.

Seasoning – I didn’t need to add any salt or pepper to this recipe. The chicken broth I used was very flavorful and had a lot of salt already in it. The chicken was also well seasoned and obviously, the cheese had a good amount of salt.

Tools to Make

You’ll need a handful of standard kitchen tools for this recipe:

  • A 9×13 baking pan
  • A stovetop skillet
  • Mixing bowls
  • A whisk

The whisk is important! This helps you get the creamiest, dreamiest sauce imaginable.

How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?

If you have leftover enchiladas, store them in an airtight container to keep them from drying out. The FDA suggests storing cooked foods in the fridge for 3-4 days for optimal freshness.

Can You Freeze This?

Sour cream can tend to get runny and/or chunky in the freezer. Freezing them will change the texture of the sauce. We suggest freezing the stuffed and rolled enchiladas without the sauce. Then make the white sauce on the day you plan to reheat and eat them.

Easy White Chicken Enchiladas Make Ahead Tips

If you meal prep at the beginning of the week, these can easily be prepared several days in advance. Store the stuffed and rolled enchiladas in a covered baking dish. Keep the white sauce separate until you plan to cook the enchiladas. This will cut down on soggy tortillas.

If you’re making the sauce in advance, it may get a bit too thick when it’s cooled and reheated. This is easy to fix. Add whole milk or chicken stock, one tablespoon at a time, during reheating to achieve your desired thickness. Be sure to stir or whisk thoroughly to maintain the creaminess of the sauce.

Serving Recommendations

What better way to serve my chicken enchiladas than with a whole Mexican feast? My favorite things to serve with this are my Mexican Rice, and my Southwest Salad  (my family’s favorite salad! They always eat their veggies when I serve this). All the flavors in the dishes complement each other perfectly and I have a meal on the table that everyone is happy with.

Chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup and rotel

Recipe Variations

What variations can we shakeup in this already perfect dish? Plenty!

  • A squirt of honey and a squeeze of citrus will bring you to my honey lime chicken enchiladas.
  • Swap your chicken for beef with shredded beef enchiladas.
  • Not enough cheese for you? You’re my kind of person! Load it up cheesy chicken enchiladas.
  • Want to cut carbs? Toss the tortilla and use this easy to find veggie in zucchini enchilada boats.
  • Only a few steps away from enchiladas are casseroles, so let’s go full Midwest with Mexican chicken casserole.

More Mexican Chicken Recipes

Looking for more Mexican chicken recipes? Of course, I got you covered!

  • Burrito Bowl
  • Fiesta Chicken
  • Crockpot Mexican Chicken
  • Chicken Posole
  • Mexican Chicken Soup

Whip up the cheesiest, dreamiest dinner you've ever had with my sensational White Chicken Enchiladas! Guaranteed to please even the pickiest eaters!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Servings: 4 -6 servings

  • 8-10 small flour tortillas
  • 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
  • 3 cups Monterey jack cheese shredded-divided
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 (4-ounce can) diced green chilies mild
  • 2-3 tablespoons green onions sliced

  • Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  • In a small bowl, combine chicken and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese. Fill tortillas with this mixture and roll each one up then place seam side down in the prepared pan.

  • Melt the butter in a skillet.  Sprinkle flour over melted butter and whisk to combine.  Cook for 1 minute to remove the flour taste. Remove the skillet from heat and whisk in broth. Place back on the heat and cook until the mixture has thickened and is bubbly. Cool sauce for 3-5 minutes. (Don't skip this step- if the sauce is too hot and you add the sour cream it will curdle it-yuck!)  Add sour cream and chilies and stir until sauce is smooth and sour cream is completely dissolved.

  • Pour sauce over enchiladas and add remaining cheese over top.  Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until enchiladas are heated through and sauce is bubbly.  Turn on the broiler and broil until the top is nicely golden. Top with chopped green onions and serve.

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RATE THIS RECIPE

Serving: 1/4 of the recipe | Calories: 897kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1472mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 5.5g | Vitamin A: 1400IU | Vitamin C: 10.7mg | Calcium: 780mg | Iron: 4mg

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What is the secret to good enchiladas?

Treat Your Tortillas Right The most important tip for avoiding soggy enchiladas is to briefly fry your tortillas in hot oil before you fill and roll. This creates a little bit of a barrier so that the tortillas don't soak up too much of the sauce and therefore start to break down.

How do you make real good chicken enchiladas?

Cooking Instructions: Microwave Oven: Remove Enchilada tray from box. Leave Enchiladas wrapped in film and poke holes to ventilate. Place: Tray in microwave and heat on high for 3:30 to 4:30 min. Let sit 1 minute.

How do you keep enchiladas from getting soggy when baking?

After you fry and drain the tortilla, dip both sides into your enchilada sauce to coat the entire tortilla. Dipping your tortillas in sauce will ensure even distribution — and means you can use less sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, which will prevent them from getting soggy.

Do you cover enchiladas when baking in oven?

Most enchiladas are baked and covered with foil until heated through. Oven temperatures and baking times vary per recipe, but on average they cook in a 350°F oven for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the enchiladas after they are heated through.