Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

The Best White Chicken Enchiladas

Forget everything you once knew about white chicken enchiladas. Typically, they lack punchy flavor and are a bit too plain for my family. Over the years, we have refined the basic recipe to create these delicious green chile chicken enchiladas, and they are truly restaurant-worthy.

In this version, we are elevating the flavor with a decadent white enchilada sauce that features a homemade spice blend, fresh garlic, butter, green chiles, sour cream, and shredded cheese. It’s incredibly flavorful and mouthwateringly delicious! You’ll never want a plain Jane white enchilada recipe again.

Key Ingredients

Chicken – rotisserie chicken is shredded up and tossed with lime juice, hot sauce, and homemade seasonings for maximum flavor.

Seasonings, Hot Sauce & Lime – a simple seasoning blend of cumin, chili powder, paprika, adobo, onion powder, and garlic powder. We also use a little hot sauce (like Valentina) and a squeeze of lime to add flavor to the chicken.

Flour Tortillas – 8-inch taco-sized flour tortillas are recommended for this recipe. You can use corn tortillas if you prefer; see below.

Diced Green Chiles – hatch green chiles in either hot or mild, depending on your preference.

Cheese – I use a combination of Monterey jack and pepper jack cheese. Cheese that is shredded fresh off the block will always melt better.

Butter, Garlic, & Flour – the base of the creamy white sauce starts with a roux of butter, fresh garlic, and flour.

Chicken Stock is added to the roux and serves as the liquid for the sauce.

Sour Cream – this adds creaminess and tang, creating the perfect enchilada sauce.

How to Make Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Combine the spice blend in a small bowl and set aside. Shred the monterey jack cheese and pepper jack cheese, combine them, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the shredded chicken, lime juice, hot sauce, and 1/2 of the seasoning blend. Add in one cup of cheese and toss together.

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add the butter and melt. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Whisk in the flour. Pour in the chicken broth, stirring continuously.

Bring the sauce to a simmering boil and add in the remaining seasoning and undrained green chiles. Once it begins to thicken, remove it from the heat and add the sour cream, stirring until combined. Add half the remaining cheese, stirring until it melts into the sauce.

Spread 1/3 cup of sauce to the bottom of a greased 9×13 casserole dish.

Assemble the enchiladas by spooning about 1/3 cup of the chicken filling into the lower half of each tortilla. Roll taut and place seam-side down in the dish. Repeat with the remaining shells.

Pour/spoon the sauce over the enchiladas in the pan. It makes a lot of sauce and you may not need to use it all but keep in mind the tortillas aborb it as they bake.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese evenly over the top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. If desired, you can broil for an additional 3-5 minutes to brown the tops.

Can I Substitute Corn Tortillas?

Absolutely. There is a significant debate about which type of tortilla is best suited for enchiladas. Some people have an affinity for corn tortillas because they aren’t as prone to getting soggy and stay a bit firmer once the sauce is added and they are baked.

Others adore the soft, delicate texture of the flour tortillas.

You are welcome to use whichever tortilla shell you prefer. They both taste delicious in this recipe. Just be sure to warm your corn tortillas before rolling; otherwise, they will crack and tear easily.

The Best Chicken to Use

I love using rotisserie chicken in my recipe for green chile chicken enchiladas, chicken taquitos, and other simple dishes. Not only does it cut down on preparation and cooking time (less work in the kitchen is always a plus!), but rotisserie chicken is always tender and moist.

If you desire to cook your chicken, I recommend poaching chicken tenderloins or chicken breasts. You can poach them in just water, or for added flavor, poach them in chicken broth along with chopped onions and celery.

How to Freeze Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas?

These white chicken enchiladas were one of the first recipes I added to my list of meals to freeze before my baby was due. Not only are they super quick and easy to make, but they reheat so easily.

You can freeze them before baking – omit the sauce until you are ready to bake. Then make the white sauce on the day you plan to reheat it and eat it.

Or you can bake them, allow them to cool, and freeze leftovers. I love using portion containers to freeze leftovers so that we can heat a dinner portion rather than a large batch for several days. This helps prevent burnout from eating the same meal.

Place the frozen enchilada container into the fridge the day before, and let it thaw. Then cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until bubbly, about 10 minutes more.