Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas are loaded with shredded chicken, creamy white sauce, and plenty of cheese. This freezer-friendly recipe is easy to customize and great meal prep for busy weeknight dinners.
I can't get over how versatile sour cream enchiladas are and I've included plenty of options to customize yours. For more enchilada recipes, try my Shrimp Enchiladas, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, and the fully loaded Breakfast Enchiladas next!
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Sour cream chicken enchiladas are excellent comfort food. I love to order enchiladas at Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants. Just beneath that melted cheese surface lies soft, never soggy tortillas, tender, juicy chicken, and a scrumptious white enchilada sauce made from scratch (no canned cream soup required!).
Ingredients for Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
This chicken enchilada recipe has two main components: the sour cream sauce and the chicken filling. I use precooked chicken for convenience and suggest using rotisserie chicken for easy prep. But you can also use leftover boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
Sour Cream Enchilada Sauce:
- Unsalted butter
- Olive oil
- Flour
- Chicken broth, more for thinning sauce as needed
- Sour cream
- Adobo seasoning
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Salt to taste
Chicken filling:
- Chicken, cooked and shredded
- Onion, diced
- Monterey jack cheese, shredded (sub Mozzarella cheese)
- Sour cream enchilada sauce
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Salt
White Chicken Enchiladas Assembly:
- Flour tortillas
- Monterey jack cheese, shredded (sub Mozzarella cheese)
- Chopped cilantro to garnish (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Chicken Enchiladas
Make the Sour Cream Enchilada Sauce: Start by preheating your oven to 350ºF. To make the sour cream enchilada sauce, melt butter with olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then whisk in flour to form a roux.
Gradually add chicken broth, whisking constantly until smooth and thickened, then temper the sour cream by mixing in a bit of the hot roux before fully incorporating it into the sauce.
Adjust the consistency with more chicken broth if needed and season with adobo seasoning, cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper. Taste and add salt as needed, then remove the sauce from heat.
Assemble the sour cream enchiladas
- Step 1: For the chicken filling, combine shredded chicken, diced onion, shredded Monterey jack cheese, sour cream enchilada sauce, cumin, garlic powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Step 2: Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture.
- Step 3: Then roll them up tightly, and place them in the baking dish.
- Step 4: Once all the enchiladas are assembled, pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top and spread it out to ensure they are all covered.
- Step 5: Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the enchiladas, cover the dish with foil, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Step 6: Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired, and enjoy your delicious sour cream chicken enchiladas!
Hint: If you want your cheese to be golden brown and bubbly, remove the foil and set the oven to broil for 1-2 minutes. Keep a close eye on the chicken enchiladas with white sauce so that they do not burn!
Substitutions & Variations
- Vegetarian - Omit the chicken and replace it with beans (either black beans or pinto beans) for added protein. I suggest browning corn tortillas quickly in a pan to enhance the flavor and prevent them from absorbing too much sauce. You can also add veggies like bell peppers.
- Meat - You can swap chicken for ground beef or shredded pork (carnitas).
- Tortillas - Try corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. They are significantly smaller than flour tortillas so keep that in mind.
- Cheese - You can use whatever shredded cheese you prefer. Try pepper jack or cheddar.
- Toppings - Feel free to add fresh cilantro, pickled jalapeños, or salsa.
Equipment
For this chicken enchilada casserole, you’ll need a skillet, bowl, and 9x13 baking dish. Use the skillet to prepare your white enchilada sauce, the bowl for your chicken filling, and the baking dish to cook the enchiladas.
Storage
Once the leftovers have completely cooled, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave until warmed through.
To freeze chicken enchiladas, follow the recipe instructions up until it's time to bake. Cover the pan with one layer of plastic wrap, followed up with aluminum foil. Freeze it for up to 3 months.
To reheat the sour cream chicken enchiladas from frozen, allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Then bake them at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
Top tip
Ensure your sour cream enchilada sauce has a gravy-like consistency by gradually adding chicken broth as needed. A well-balanced sauce that isn't too thick or too thin will coat the enchiladas perfectly and enhance the overall flavor without making them soggy.
What to Serve with Chicken Enchiladas
This sour cream chicken enchiladas recipe is filling on its own but if you want to add sides, I have some tasty suggestions. Serve portions with Mexican rice, black beans, and guacamole.
FAQ
What is the secret to good enchiladas?
Make the best enchiladas by seasoning the sauce well and not overfilling the tortillas.
Why do my enchiladas come out soggy?
Enchiladas can become soggy if the tortillas are not briefly warmed or lightly fried before filling, as this helps them hold their structure. However, using too much sauce or not baking them long enough can also lead to sogginess.
What is white enchilada sauce made of?
Related
Looking for other Mexican-inspired recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Sour Cream Enchilada Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons Butter unsalted
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ¼ cup Flour
- 3 cups Chicken broth more for thinning sauce as needed
- 1 cup Sour cream
- 2 teaspoons Adobo seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- Salt to taste
Chicken filling:
- 2 cups Chicken cooked and shredded
- 1 small Onion diced
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese shredded (sub Mozzarella cheese)
- 1 cup Sour cream enchilada sauce
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Enchilada Assembly:
- 10 medium Flour tortillas
- 2 cups Monterey jack cheese shredded (sub Mozzarella cheese)
- Chopped cilantro to garnish optional
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 350ºF.
- Make the sour cream enchilada sauce: add the butter and olive oil to a skillet over medium heat and allow the butter to melt. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour into the skillet and stir it in with a whisk.
- Continue stirring the flour around for 1-2 minutes to let the flour absorb all of the fat, and to cook off the flour taste. Now gently pour in the chicken broth while whisking vigorously. Keep whisking until a roux is formed and the mixture is smooth and thickened.
- Add about 1-2 tablespoons of the hot roux to your sour cream and mix it in with a spoon. This is to bring the sour cream up to temperature so that it does not curdle when you add it into the hot roux.
- Once the sour cream is tempered, add it into the roux, and mix it until it is completely combined. If the roux gets too thick, add a bit more chicken broth until you get your desired consistency, (you want a gravy-like consistency).
- Add in all of your seasonings, including the adobo seasoning, cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper, and mix them until they are fully combined. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Assemble the enchiladas: Combine the shredded chicken, diced onion, sour cream enchilada sauce, Monterey jack cheese, cumin, garlic powder, and salt in a bowl and mix it together.
- Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and add about ¼ to ½ cup of the enchilada sauce to the bottom of the dish. Now scoop about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of each tortilla and roll it up tight, then place it into the baking dish.
- Continue rolling each enchilada until you have used all of the chicken mixture and flour tortillas. Then pour the sour cream enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas, and use a spoon to spread it out to make sure they are all evenly covered.
- Sprinkle the rest of the monterey jack cheese on top of the enchiladas. Cover the dish with foil and place it in the oven to bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired. And enjoy!
Francis says
I've made these twice now and my family loves them! They're easy to make and always delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Tamara J. says
I love to hear that! Thank you Francis 🙂