My easy recipe for Creamy Chicken Enchiladas only calls for 7 ingredients. These take white enchiladas to the next level with the addition of cream cheese and are perfect for those busy weeknights.
Here are two things I learned in developing this recipe for my Creamy Chicken Enchiladas:
1. Picking the right enchiladas sauce is key to making this dish.
2. It is HARD to make white chicken enchiladas look good in photos!
Ok. That’s not entirely true. I already knew picking the right enchilada sauce was important. In fact, I wrote about it in my post for my 5-Ingredient Beef Enchiladas.
That recipe uses red enchilada sauce, so I bought all the brands available to me and did a taste test. The Hatch brand was the winner.
For this recipe I knew I wanted to use green enchilada sauce. So like back then, we bought all the different brands we could find and threw in a few red sauces for comparison. I certainly expected the Hatch brand to be my favorite again, but I was surprised… the Las Palmas was the most flavorful – by far. And, honestly, all of the green sauces we tasted were better than any of the reds. In fact, I’m looking to find the Las Palmas red sauce so I can compare it to the Hatch.
So, what makes these enchiladas special? Well, a few things…
They’re pretty dang easy and only call for 7 ingredients. While that’s a few more than the last enchilada recipe I shared with y’all, it’s still not many.
These enchiladas don’t skimp on the filling. They’re generously filled. If you don’t like a lot of filling, you can reduce all the filling ingredients by half.
That chicken filling is pretty delicious. Made with shredded cooked chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, and salsa, it’s gots tons of creamy flavor. The salsa is the perfect shortcut as it adds tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic into the filling without ever having to peel, chop, or cook a single vegetable.
Let’s talk about tortillas…
Most authentic Mexican-style enchiladas call for corn tortillas. My family isn’t big on corn tortillas, unless we’re making tacos. So, I use flour tortillas. You should pick whatever your family likes.
Just keep in mind that the corn tortillas will hold up a little better as the flour ones can get a little soggy. That’s a risk we’re willing to take because even if they fall apart, they’ll still taste great.
When it comes to the chicken in the filling, you’ll need about 4 cups of shredded cooked chicken. Many grocery stores sell packages of cooked shredded chicken in the deli section, which makes these even easier. You’ll need about 1 pound of cooked, shredded chicken – if you’re buying it that way. You can also grab a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat from that. And, of course, you’re welcome to cook some chicken breasts and shred those, too. Cooking it in the slow cooker is a great option, too.
Recipe Card
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded chicken (about 1 pound) (I used a rotisserie chicken)
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup chunky salsa
- 8 (8-inch) tortillas* (corn or flour)
- 1 (8-ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 cups)
- 1 (10-ounce) can green enchilada sauce (1 1/4 cups) (I prefer Las Palmas or Hatch brand)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the cream cheese in a small bowl and cover it with a paper towel. Microwave it for 15 second intervals until very soft.
- In a large bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and salsa together until smooth. Add the chicken and stir to combine.
- Heat the tortillas according to the package instructions.
- Pour about half of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Place about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top each with a heaping tablespoon of the cheese. Tightly roll up each tortilla and place them in the dish, seam side down. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
- Tightly wrap the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. To brown the tortillas a little, remove the foil during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Top as desired.
Notes
Nice recipe. I use Mexicorn also in my chicken enchiladas and diced green chilies. Good job. No cream cheese for me or salsa inside. Salsa after baked for me. Plenty of cheese to finish. 🙂
Thanks, Charlotte!
In the oven now and smelling so good, can’t wait to dive in!!
Hope they tasted as good as they smelled!
Your recipes are so appetizing.. This one is TOPS,, I live in the Southwest, have spent much time in Mexico , and have also worked in the Food World for any years.. Bravo!!
Thanks, Estelle!
I just made this to celebrate my grandson is home with his Grammy thank you so much for the recipe
Oh wonderful! Enjoy your time with your grandson and I am so glad that everyone enjoyed it!
This a easy and really good recipe
Thanks so much Teresa!
Heavenly recipe! I had never used green enchilada sauce before, so I tried Las Palmas brand tonight. What a delightful flavor!!! As always, I’m a huge fan of ALL of your recipes, Stacey. Thanks, again and again, for sharing recipes that I can trust will be delicious and easy to follow.
I’m so glad you loved it! Green enchilada sauce may be my favorite!
Have you tried substituting Tomatillo Salsa Verde instead of the green chile sauce? It’s wonderful!!!
I will have to try that, thanks!
Made these for dinner last night and we enjoyed them. So creamy and tasty.
So glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Really delicious recipe. I love it yummy!!! It’s really awesome. Will surely try this.
So glad you like it!
My go to ( when I don’t have time to make my own) is the Las Palmas Brand of Enchilada Sauce period! Red & Green are the most flavorful, authentic canned sauces I’ve ever tried.. I hope you try the Red one and love it as much as me & my fam do..
My go to ( when I don’t have time to make my own) is the Las Palmas Brand of Enchilada Sauce period! Red & Green are the most flavorful, authentic canned sauces I’ve ever tried.. I hope you try the Red one and love it as much as me & my fam do.. BTW, Trying out your recipe for creamy Green one tomorrow night.
Can not wait to try the red sauce! Let me know how you like the recipe!
I leave out the sour cream because I don’t like it, use unflavored Greek yogurt instead. I also add a half of a red onion and half of a red bell pepper, chopped fine and sautéed till soft in 1 Tbsp olive oil and a drained can 4 oz of diced green chilies, absolutely delicious! We top the enchiladas with guacamole, sour cream and preferred salsa, per personal choice. This has become my favorite recipe to make and everyone loves it! We also prefer flour tortillas.
That sounds great too!
Hi, Great recipe. I made it tonight and was wondering if I could freeze the leftovers (there’s just two of us)?? Thanks for the recipe.
I freeze a pan every time I make them, unless we are having company. They freeze well but do get a little soggy. I have tried freezing the pan of cooked enchiladas and it turned out pretty good but you could freeze the enchiladas raw with out the sauce on top and then add the sauce later before you bake them. They don’t get as soggy that way.
Of course, but the flour tortillas may get a little soggy.
Making this right now. Actually, it’s in the oven right now
Hope you enjoy it!
Love your recipes.. Going to make this is
Let us know how you like it!