Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

It’s the best chicken enchilada recipe I’ve ever tried and definitely an easy chicken enchiladas recipe that’s perfect for someone making creamy chicken enchiladas for the first time! Definitely a chicken enchilada recipe you’ll want to keep forever!

The Best White Chicken Enchiladas

I’ve never been a big fan of chicken enchiladas because most often they have either green chilis, onions, or some other sort of ingredient that I personally don’t love. Thank goodness I married a man who can cook, like really cook. I’ve always wanted to love chicken enchiladas but never could because of the typical ingredients. My sweet husband decided he wanted me to love enchiladas because he grew up having them for Christmas with his family every single year and wanted me to like them too! You guys – I love these white chicken enchiladas. My husband is a miracle worker. These white chicken enchiladas are not just something that I’ll like, they’re something that everyone will like. The flavor combinations are out of this world and just downright amazing. I’m totally making my husband make these for Christmas this year, even though we’ll be my with my family, probably playing these Christmas games!

How Do You Make Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce?

You make chicken enchiladas in five simple steps. It’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s the basis of it. You can watch the video in this post to see how quick and easy these are to put together. The most time-consuming part by far is filling and rolling all the tortillas. Good thing my father-in-law actually enjoys that part, makes making them for a family Christmas even easier! The full instructions are included in the printable recipe card below as well!

How Do You Make White Sauce for Chicken Enchiladas?

To make the white sauce for chicken enchiladas, we really just pour whipping cream and Mexican blend cheese together on top of the rolled enchiladas. The combination of the two gives these that creamy cheesy white sauce flavor.

White Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients

The ingredients in white chicken enchiladas is a pretty lengthy list, mostly including spices:

2 T olive oil1 can unsalted corn, drained and dried3 pinches of salt, plus additional to taste3 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded2 tsp dried oregano2 tsp cumin1 tsp garlic powder1 tsp chili powder1/2 tsp paprika1 cup chicken broth, reduced sodium1 can black olives, sliced into rings (or you can buy pre-sliced)8 oz cream cheese, cubed and softened10 flour tortillas2 cups Mexican blend cheese2 cups heavy whipping cream1 cup cilantro, chopped (optional – garnish)2 roma tomatoes, diced (optional)1 red bell pepper, diced (optional)1 can chopped green chiles, drained (optional)

That being said, there are a few key ingredients that you don’t want to forget in this chicken enchilada recipe. The first is the corn – just like in this white chicken chili recipe, the caramelized corn in the filling really sets these apart from other chicken enchilada recipes! Second, shredded chicken. Making shredded chicken enchiladas rather than cubed or sliced is huge because the sauce and spices really grab onto the shredded chicken, much more so than if you cut it any other way. And third – the additional toppings. I’ve written this recipe going all out with green chilis, red peppers, and tomatoes because that’s how my husband prefers his. It’s super easy to make this your own by leaving out the chilis, red pepper, and tomatoes in the recipe and just adding them as extra toppings to your own personal enchiladas while they’re hot. That’s typically what we do since I don’t like any of those things in mine. Same with the black olives – you can totally leave those out as well but the saltiness of the olives really does add to the dish!

More Helpful Tips for Making Chicken Enchiladas

I’ve included answers to many of the questions I receive about these white chicken enchiladas below. If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to answer it ASAP!

What Goes With White Chicken Enchiladas?

White chicken enchiladas really can go with any sort of Mexican side dish or pretty much anything you want. I’d avoid anything with tortillas or chicken since you already have both of those things covered in the meal but anything else is fair game. Some of my favorite enchilada side dishes include:

Sopapillas Red Mexican rice Spicy Mexican beans Chipotle Mexican street corn (probably only do this if you omit the caramelized corn) Mini churro donuts Coconut rice

Can you freeze white chicken enchiladas?

Yes, you can freeze white chicken enchiladas. They’re actually a great freezer meal! If you know ahead of time that you’re going to freeze them, I recommend actually not baking them at all. Put all of the filled tortillas into a freezer safe baking pan then cover with airtight plastic wrap. Take them out of freezer for a few hours to thaw before baking then just bake like normal. If you just didn’t finish all of them, scoop them out of the baking dish and put them into some sort of freezer safe food storage dish. Thaw before reheating either in the oven or on the stove.

Can you make white chicken enchiladas ahead of time?

Yes, you can make white chicken enchiladas ahead of time. Either make them and freeze them like I mentioned above – just thawing far enough in advance that you are ready to bake. Or if you want to make them say the night before, simply do everything other than baking and store overnight in the refrigerator topped with plastic wrap. Take out of the fridge and bake whenever you’re ready. I don’t recommend making them more than one, maybe two days, ahead of time.

How to make chicken enchiladas with red sauce? How to make chicken enchiladas with green sauce?

To make chicken enchiladas with red sauce or green sauce, you’ll need to use a different recipe. This recipe is written specifically for white chicken enchiladas. Luckily for you, I’ve put together a collection of other delicious chicken enchilada recipes with every type sauce imaginable!

Red sauce enchiladasOne pot enchilada casseroleHealthy enchilada bakeGreen chile enchiladas

Are chicken enchiladas healthy?

Chicken enchiladas can be healthy but this particular recipe isn’t on the healthier side – it is delicious though! If you’re looking for a healthy chicken enchilada recipe, check out the list above!

Are enchiladas made with corn or flour tortillas?

These white chicken enchiladas are made with flour tortillas as are most enchilada recipes I’ve ever seen. It would be hard to fill and roll corn tortillas in the same manner as a typical enchilada recipe. If you want to make enchiladas with corn tortillas, I recommend trying out these chicken enchilada inspired bowls and using the filling to make sort of enchilada tacos with corn tortillas!

Are chicken enchiladas gluten free?

No, these white chicken enchiladas are not gluten free because they use flour tortillas. For gluten free enchiladas, see my answer to the previous question.