There’s something uniquely satisfying about a baked dish, emerging from the oven hot, bubbling, and smelling absolutely divine. While many of us immediately think of tomato-based sauces for dishes like lasagne or classic enchiladas, I want to introduce you to their equally delicious, creamier cousin. This White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe swaps out the red sauce for a velvety, rich white sauce that’s gently spiced with green chillies and packed with tender, shredded chicken.

This is one of those meals that has become a real fixture in our family’s rotation. My kids absolutely devour this every time I make it, often asking for seconds before they’ve even finished their first helping. What makes these white enchiladas so special is the wonderful balance of flavours. The sauce is creamy and comforting without being heavy, thanks to the tang of sour cream and the subtle warmth from the chillies. It all comes together under a blanket of gloriously melty cheddar cheese that gets golden and crisp in the oven.

It’s an ideal recipe for a weekend dinner when you have a little more time to enjoy the cooking process, but it’s also straightforward enough for a special weeknight meal. It’s the kind of food that brings everyone to the table, and it’s become a go-to for me when friends come over for a relaxed get-together. It’s a definite step up from our usual weeknight Easy Ground Beef Tacos Recipe, but with all the same satisfying flavours.

Recipe Overview

This White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe is all about tender chicken wrapped in soft flour tortillas and smothered in a luscious, homemade creamy sauce with a mild green chilli kick. The whole dish is baked until the cheese is bubbling and golden. After testing this recipe five times, I finally got the sauce consistency just right – it’s thick enough to coat everything beautifully but won’t make the tortillas soggy.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Servings: 6 people
• Difficulty: Medium

Why You’ll Love This White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

• Genuine Flavour: The homemade sauce is the star. It’s a savoury blend of chicken stock, butter, and flour, enriched with sour cream and mild green chillies for a gentle warmth that doesn’t overwhelm.
• Ready in Under an Hour: From starting the sauce to pulling the bubbling dish out of the oven, the entire process comes together in about 50 minutes.
• Flexible Recipe: You can easily add a tin of drained black beans or sweetcorn to the chicken filling for extra texture and fibre. You can also use leftover roast turkey instead of chicken.
• Great for a Family Dinner: This recipe works beautifully for feeding the family. It’s hearty, satisfying, and mild enough for younger palates while still being flavourful for adults.
• Family Tested: This recipe always gets compliments in my house. The combination of creamy sauce and cheesy topping is a combination that everyone seems to love.

White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

⏱️ 20 min prep  •  🍳 35 min cook  •  👥 4 servings

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Ingredients You’ll Need

For this recipe, we use simple, accessible ingredients. A good quality chicken stock will really elevate the flavour of the sauce. I often make my own, but a good shop-bought liquid stock cube works well too. For the cheese, I’d recommend a block of mature cheddar that you grate yourself; it melts far better than the pre-grated kind.

• For the Filling & Assembly:
• 500g cooked chicken, shredded (from a rotisserie chicken or poached chicken breasts)
• 8 large flour tortillas
• 200g mature cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 green pepper, finely diced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• For the White Sauce:
• 60g unsalted butter
• 60g plain flour
• 500ml chicken stock, warm
• 250g sour cream
• 120g can of mild chopped green chillies, drained
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Marcus’s Tip: Don’t be tempted to use low-fat sour cream for the sauce. The full-fat version is essential for achieving that rich, creamy texture and helps prevent the sauce from splitting when heated.

How to Make White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

We’ll start by making the filling, then the creamy sauce, and finally, we’ll assemble everything before baking it to perfection. The process is straightforward and quite relaxing once you get into the rhythm of it.

1. Preheat and Prepare: First, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Lightly grease a 23×33 cm (9×13 inch) baking dish.
2. Sauté the Vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the diced onion and green pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Make the Sauce Base (Roux): In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the plain flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. This cooks out the raw flour taste.
4. Create the Creamy Sauce: Gradually pour in the warm chicken stock, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a minute or two.
5. Finish the Sauce: Whisk in the sour cream, drained green chillies, ground cumin, and dried oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste. It’s important not to return the sauce to a high heat after adding the sour cream, as it can curdle.
6. Combine the Filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, the sautéed onion and pepper mixture, and about 100g of the grated cheddar. Pour in about 200ml (a good ladleful) of the white sauce and mix everything together until the chicken is well-coated.
7. Assemble the Enchiladas: I find that warming the tortillas for 15-20 seconds in the microwave makes them much more pliable and less likely to split. Spoon the chicken mixture evenly down the centre of each tortilla, then roll it up tightly and place it seam-side down in your prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
8. Bake to Perfection: Pour the rest of the white sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas, making sure to cover them completely. Sprinkle the remaining 100g of grated cheddar cheese over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted and golden brown. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips From My Kitchen

• Temperature Control: The most crucial step for a smooth sauce is to take the saucepan off the heat before stirring in the sour cream. If the mixture is boiling, the sour cream can split, resulting in a grainy texture. A gentle warmth is all you need.
• The Secret Step: I learned that for an extra layer of flavour, you can briefly fry the tortillas in a little hot oil for about 15-20 seconds per side before filling. This technique, common in traditional Mexican enchilada preparation, softens them and adds a lovely corn-like toastiness.
• Make-Ahead: You can assemble the entire dish up to 24 hours in advance. Just cover the baking dish tightly with foil and store it in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, you may need to add 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
• Storage: Leftovers keep brilliantly. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or cover the baking dish with foil and reheat in the oven at 160°C until warmed through. For guidance on safe reheating practices, you can consult the Food Standards Agency.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Large frying pan
• Medium saucepan
• Whisk
• Large mixing bowl
• 23×33 cm (9×13 inch) baking dish

What to Serve With White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

These creamy chicken enchiladas are quite rich, so they pair best with fresh, simple sides that provide a bit of contrast. Here are a few of our favourites:

• Cilantro-Lime Rice: A fluffy rice pilaf with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime juice cuts through the richness of the creamy sauce perfectly.
• Simple Avocado Salad: A simple salad of diced avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and a lime vinaigrette adds a fresh, zesty counterpoint.
• Black Beans: A simple side of seasoned black beans, either whole or refried, complements the flavours and makes the meal even more substantial. It’s a pairing that also works well with our Creamy Chicken and Rice Recipe.
• Drink Pairing: A cold Mexican lager like Corona or Modelo works wonderfully. For a non-alcoholic option, a sparkling water with a generous squeeze of fresh lime is very refreshing.

Frequently Asked Questions

White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Creamy, cheesy enchiladas filled with tender shredded chicken and sautéed vegetables, all smothered in a rich, homemade white sauce.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Calories: 1130

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the Filling & Assembly

• 500 g cooked chicken shredded (from a rotisserie chicken or poached chicken breasts)
• 8 large flour tortillas
• 200 g mature cheddar cheese grated
• 1 green pepper finely diced
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the White Sauce

• 60 g unsalted butter
• 60 g plain flour
• 500 ml chicken stock warm
• 250 g sour cream
• 120 g can of mild chopped green chillies drained
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Preheat and Prepare: First, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Lightly grease a 23x33 cm (9x13 inch) baking dish.
2. Sauté the Vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the diced onion and green pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Make the Sauce Base (Roux): In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the plain flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. This cooks out the raw flour taste.
4. Create the Creamy Sauce: Gradually pour in the warm chicken stock, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a minute or two.
5. Finish the Sauce: Whisk in the sour cream, drained green chillies, ground cumin, and dried oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste. It’s important not to return the sauce to a high heat after adding the sour cream, as it can curdle.
6. Combine the Filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, the sautéed onion and pepper mixture, and about 100g of the grated cheddar. Pour in about 200ml (a good ladleful) of the white sauce and mix everything together until the chicken is well-coated.
7. Assemble the Enchiladas: I find that warming the tortillas for 15-20 seconds in the microwave makes them much more pliable and less likely to split. Spoon the chicken mixture evenly down the centre of each tortilla, then roll it up tightly and place it seam-side down in your prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
8. Bake to Perfection: Pour the rest of the white sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas, making sure to cover them completely. Sprinkle the remaining 100g of grated cheddar cheese over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted and golden brown. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Let the enchiladas rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow them to set. Serve with a side of Mexican rice and refried beans.

I really hope you give this White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe a try. It’s a wonderfully comforting and flavourful dish that feels just a little bit special. It’s a true joy to pull from the oven and share with people you love. If you do make it, I’d be thrilled to hear how it turned out for you. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think! And if you fancy a sweet treat afterwards, a slice of our Giant Skillet Cookie is a perfect end to the meal.

Happy cooking,
Marcus