These are the best sour cream chicken enchiladas with the perfect blend of tangy, creamy and cheesy! Tortillas are rolled around tender, juicy shredded chicken and then coated with an easy homemade white enchilada sauce made with sour cream and tangy salsa verde. Make a double batch because these white chicken enchiladas will disappear so fast!!
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Test Kitchen Review
Brittany
The green chili white enchilada sauce is what MAKES these chicken enchiladas so incredibly good. We always order these at our local Mexican restaurant here in Texas, but I swear to you that these were so much BETTER. My husband went back for 3rds before I was able to hide the last two enchiladas for leftovers!
Featured Reader Review
The sauce is out of this world and best I’ve had (Texan here). I use the sauce and filling with spinach and sautéed mushrooms and another pan with chicken filling. Corn tortillas - everyone begs for me to cook these
Why These Are The Best Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas!
Growing up in Texas, a hot plate of creamy white chicken enchiladas were one of my all time favorite meals. When I moved to Florida, we couldn’t find anywhere that made GOOD enchiladas anymore! So off I went on a quest, using friends and family recipes, to perfect this sour cream chicken enchilada recipe. 16+ years later, it is still the one we all use whenever the craving strikes! Here’s why I know you will also love this white chicken enchilada recipe:
- Best White Enchilada Sauce: The key to good enchiladas is all in the sauce! The way this white enchilada sauce blends the tangy salsa verde, warm spices, and sour cream is just magic.
- Quick and Easy: This creamy white chicken enchilada recipe is ready in under an hour, with half of that time being spent baking in the oven!
- Crowd-Pleaser: Always a hit with both kids and adults, these enchiladas can be prepped ahead of time, making them great for family dinners or gatherings.
- Comfort Food: This dish is the ultimate comfort food, combining warm tortillas, creamy sauce, and lots of melty, cheesy goodness in every bite!
Looking for more enchilada recipes? Try my easy cheese enchiladas recipe, these vegetable enchiladas or this great chicken enchilada pasta!
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for green chile chicken enchiladas with white sauce. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Shredded Chicken: I like to make shredded chicken in the Instant Pot – it’s so easy! You can also use up leftover chicken in the fridge if you have any. Or, make life even easier and grab a rotisserie chicken.
- Serrano Peppers & Jalapeño Peppers: If you’re sensitive to spice, you may want to double up on the jalapeños and omit the serranos. For the spicy lovers, leave the seeds in the chiles to double the heat!
- Sour Cream: I highly recommend using regular (not low fat) sour cream for the best creamy consistency.
- Salsa Verde: I personally love using a homemade salsa verde for the best flavor! For store bought, I like the Ortega Medium Salsa Verde as it is not hot, just flavorful.
- Tortillas: Use soft flour tortillas or corn tortillas, it’s up to your personal preference!
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese are the best! I like to shred them myself right off the block for the very best flavor.
- Yellow Onion: A white onion also works great.
How to Make Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce
Creamy chicken enchiladas are easier to make than you may think! Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Sauté the peppers. Sauté the peppers in butter until soft. Add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute, then stir in the flour and cook a couple of minutes more.
- Make the cream sauce. Whisk in the broth until smooth and let cook until bubbly. Stir in the sour cream, salsa, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cilantro until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.
- Prepare your baking dish. Grease a 9×13 baking dish, then spread 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan.
- Fill the tortillas. Place some shredded chicken, cheese and chopped onion in the center of each tortilla. Roll up each tortillas and place them seam-side down in your baking dish.
- Cover with sauce and cheese. Pour the rest of your creamy white enchilada sauce over the top of the filled tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.
- Bake. About 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling.
Chef’s Tips & Variations
- Add the sauce to the bottom of the dish: This seems like a simple step but it’s very important since it prevents the tortillas from sticking to the bottom of your baking dish and gets the flavorful sauce all around!
- Soften the corn tortillas: If using corn tortillas, you will need to soften them before rolling to prevent cracking. Wrap a stack of tortillas in a damp paper towel and place inside a microwave safe dish that’s large enough to fit the tortillas without folding them. Place the lid on top but don’t seal the container, you need an opening for steam to escape. Microwave for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until they are warm, soft and flexible.
- Add more vegetables: Add a handful of corn, black beans, diced tomatoes into the stuffing for the enchiladas. I love to add avocado like in my white chicken enchiladas!
- Make ahead: Some readers will prepare their enchiladas, but instead of baking them, they cover them and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before baking. While this is definitely an option, I find they become soggy if stored for more than a couple of hours. Instead, I prepare the sauce and enchilada fillings and store them separately in the fridge. Then assemble and bake the enchiladas the day of for maximum freshness.
What to Serve with Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
- Appetizers: Serve up a trio of dips with some homemade tortilla chips! Try my loaded guacamole recipe, roasted salsa ranchera and this Mexican bean dip!
- Sides: Chicken enchiladas always pair well with Mexican rice, cilantro lime rice, black beans or refried beans. I also can never say no to a soupy bowl of these instant pot charro beans!
- Dessert: Homemade fried churros, my favorite easy tres leches cake made with a box of cake mix, or this creamy Mexican rice pudding are all classic choices!
Yield: 12 -15 enchiladas
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
⭐️Test Kitchen Approved!⭐️The best sour cream chicken enchiladas will have everyone going back for seconds with the perfect blend of tangy, creamy, and cheesy! Tortillas are rolled around juicy shredded chicken and coated with an easy homemade white enchilada sauce made with flavorful salsa verde.
Ingredients
White Enchilada Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 serrano peppers, diced (seeds-in if you like the heat; reduce to 1 if you’re not a fan of spicy food)
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, minced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups sour cream
- 16 oz salsa verde, for store-bought I recommend the brand Ortega Medium Salsa Verde
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Chicken Enchiladas:
- 6 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- 12 flour tortillas, or corn tortillas, small fajita size
- 1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1.5 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
Want to save this recipe?
We’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray, set aside.
White Enchilada Sauce
- Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the serrano and jalapeño peppers and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cooking for 30 seconds more.
- Stir in the flour and let cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until smooth and bring mixture back to a low boil.
- Stir in the sour cream, salsa, cumin, salt, garlic powder, white pepper, cayenne and cilantro until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat. I recommend tasting the sauce now to make sure it has the right amount of salt and heat for you. If you want to easily add more heat, add more cayenne pepper, to taste.
Assemble and Bake
- Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add chicken, cheese, and chopped onion to the center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat until pan is filled.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle the top with leftover cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Let enchiladas rest for 5 minutes to set up, then serve immediately!
Video
Notes
Storing: While best served fresh, you can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can either cover your baking dish with saran wrap or transfer the enchiladas to an airtight container.
Reheat: When you’re ready to reheat, cover the dish with foil and warm it in the oven at 350°F until heated through. This will help keep the enchiladas moist and prevent them from drying out. Or you can microwave individual servings in 30 second increments, until warmed through.
Freezing: While these turn out a little different texture wise than fresh, they are still absolutely delicious! Cook the sauce and cool completely. Assemble the enchiladas and wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw the enchiladas overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed. To cook straight from the freezer, cover with foil for the first half of the cooking time and add an extra 15-20 minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 enchilada, Calories: 405kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Sodium: 933mg, Potassium: 372mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 795IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 236mg, Iron: 2mg
Categories:
More Must Try Mexican Dinner Recipes
Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Excellent recipe! Everybody enjoyed all the flavors, the sauce, and the spices. Will definitely make it again!
Made this over the weekend. Was excellent. So full of flavor. I ended up making homemade salsa verde since I couldn’t find the recommended brand in the store. Super easy to make. Highly recommend this recipe!
This is the best recipe! The sauce is absolutely incredible. I will never be able to order chicken enchiladas again when at a restaurant as I know I would only be disappointed after having these!
I looked at a lot of different recipes similar to this one. I am so happy I decided to go with this one. It was absolutely delicious. Fixing to have it for dinner for the second time.
It was yummy!
This recipe sounds amazing. Can I sub in Greek yogurt for the sour cream?
Sure!
Just made this for dinner tonight, it was really good, didn’t change anything, will be making it again.
I am gluten free so I will sub in corn starch in the sauce and use all corn tortillas. This sounds wonderful and I am going to make it tomorrow. Thank you.
I’m from Texas. There was a restaurant chain, there, El Chico, that sold these but theirs were with corn tortillas. Thank you for the recipe, can’t wait to try them.
This recipe is fabulous. I cook a lot and love cooking from scratch. I discovered this recipe last year and it is in regular rotation. I recently made it for company and they raved about it. Also made it this week for a friend who lost her mom. At the funeral she told me that the enchiladas were “magical “ The sauce is magical!!!
These were fantastic, my husband couldn’t stop eating to the point that I had to put up the leftovers while they were still warm! The only thing wrong with this recipe is that it takes way longer than 15 minutes to prep and I had all the ingredients out and ready to go from the store!
Fabulous flavor. The sour cream sauce is the best! I have no idea what small fajita size tortillas are. No tortilla here are named as such, but I used what seemed to be a common size at my store… they were labeled as “large” but they weren’t so large, about 7”. I did 1/2 recipe with 3 cups of chicken, so about a half cup per tortilla for 6. They had just too much filling. Overwhelming, really. What size are small fajita size, I wonder? I think next time I will do with 9 tortillas and use 1/3 cup of filling.
These were very easy to make and were awesome! Will definitely make again!
We love the enchilada, but I make it in a different way. Your recipe sounds really good, I want to try it. Thanks 🙂
Made them for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing! Already told my daughter I found another “keeper”
SOOO Yummy! I used green onions instead and it was delicious! My husband especially loved them. Thank you:)
This is the third time I’m making these and we never have any leftovers! They taste just like at the restaurant. Love the homemade sauce, it adds ALL the flavor to these!!!
I made these today, they were amazeballs!
just made these today – turned out amazing!
I am a Texan, and I love Mexican food, too! I cannot wait to try these!