Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream White Sauce

Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream White Sauce are the ultimate comfort food, combining tender chicken, gooey cheese, and a creamy, flavorful sauce made with sour cream, green chiles, and cream of chicken soup. This easy, budget-friendly recipe comes together quickly and delivers big flavor without much effort. It’s a non-traditional twist on classic enchiladas that’s sure to become a family favorite. Perfect for busy weeknights or potluck dinners, it’s a dish everyone will ask for again and again.

Love More Dinner Recipes? Try My Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Orzo or this Texas Roadhouse Chili next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe takes enchiladas to a whole new level with its rich and creamy sour cream white sauce that’s a refreshing change from the usual red sauce. Tender chicken wrapped in soft tortillas and topped with plenty of melted cheese makes each bite warm, tangy, and satisfying. It’s also quick and easy to put together using simple, everyday ingredients. Comforting, cheesy, and family-friendly, it’s a dish that always disappears fast at the dinner table.

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Ingredient List

For the Enchiladas:

• 10 flour tortillas (taco size)
• 5 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (divided)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

For the Sour Cream White Sauce:

• 16 oz sour cream (one container)
• 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
• 4 oz can diced green chiles

Why These Ingredients Work

Look, I’m not a food scientist. Sour cream tastes good. Soup makes it saucy. Green chiles add flavor without burning your mouth. Cheese melts. That’s it.

But seriously, there’s something about this combo that just works. The sour cream gives you that tang that cuts through all the richness. The cream of chicken soup adds this savory depth that makes it taste like you simmered something all day. Those green chiles bring just enough heat to wake up your taste buds without sending anyone running for milk.

I use Monterey Jack because it melts smooth and doesn’t get stringy like some cheeses do. The cheddar on top gets all golden and bubbly – that’s the money shot right there. Flour tortillas hold up better than corn when they get all saucy. Corn tortillas turn into mush. Nobody wants mushy enchiladas.

The chicken can be whatever you want. Leftover roast chicken, rotisserie from the store, whatever. I’ve used thighs, breasts, even that weird chicken you get at the deli counter when it’s on sale. All works fine.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Bowl for mixing (any size that fits your stuff)
• 9×13 pan
• Spoon for mixing
• Foil
• Measuring cups if you’re feeling precise

How To Make Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream White Sauce

Step 1: Preheat and Soften Tortillas

Turn oven to 350. Put tortillas in pan for 5 minutes. Don’t skip this or they’ll tear when you try to roll them and you’ll be standing there with a mess cursing at your kitchen.

I learned this the hard way. First time I made these I skipped warming the tortillas because I was in a hurry. Spent twenty minutes trying to roll cracked tortillas that kept splitting open. Finally gave up and just layered everything like a casserole. Still tasted good but looked like garbage.

Step 2: Make the Creamy White Sauce

Stir together sour cream, soup, chiles in your bowl. That’s literally it. Mix until it’s all combined and you don’t see any lumps of sour cream. Some people get fancy and use a whisk but a spoon works fine.

The mixture will look kind of pale and chunky at first but keep stirring. It’ll come together into this creamy, smooth sauce with little flecks of green chiles throughout. Taste it if you want. It’s good enough to eat with a spoon.

Step 3: Assemble the Enchiladas

Now comes the fun part. Take your warm tortilla and put about half a cup of chicken down the middle. Don’t overstuff or you won’t be able to roll it. Add a couple spoonfuls of your sauce right on top of the chicken. Sprinkle some Monterey Jack over everything.

Roll it up tight starting from the edge with all the filling. Keep it snug but don’t squeeze the life out of it. Place it seam side down in your pan. Do this nine more times until you’ve used up all your tortillas and they’re all lined up like little soldiers in your pan.

Pack them close together so they support each other and don’t unroll. If there are gaps they’ll spread out and look sloppy. Nobody wants sloppy enchiladas.

Step 4: Top with Sauce and Cheese

Pour whatever sauce you have left over the whole pan. Use a spoon to spread it around so everything’s covered. Don’t worry about making it perfect – rustic looks good too.

Now dump both cheeses all over the top. Use all of it. This is not the time to be conservative with cheese. More cheese equals more happiness. That’s a kitchen rule.

Step 5: Bake to Bubbling Perfection

Cover the whole thing with foil and stick it in your oven for 25 minutes. The foil keeps everything from drying out and helps the cheese melt evenly.

After 25 minutes, pull off that foil and put it back in for another 5 minutes. You want the cheese to get golden and bubbly on top. You’ll know it’s ready when the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the cheese looks gorgeous.

Don’t be tempted to skip the foil part. I tried that once thinking I’d save time and the top got all brown and crispy while the inside was still cold. Learn from my mistakes.

You Must Know

Room temp sour cream mixes way easier than cold stuff. Just leave it on the counter while you’re getting everything else ready. Cold sour cream gets lumpy and weird when you try to mix it.

I always save a little extra sauce to drizzle on each plate when I serve. People think you’re some kind of genius chef when you do that. Really you’re just being extra but it works.

If your sour cream is still cold and lumpy, stick the whole bowl in the microwave for like 30 seconds. Just enough to take the chill off. Don’t cook it, just warm it up a little.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Put the sauce in the middle of the tortilla first, then add your chicken and cheese on top. When you roll from that end everything stays put better instead of sliding around.

Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is your best friend here. It’s already cooked, already seasoned, and saves you like an hour of work. Don’t feel bad about taking shortcuts. Life’s too short to poach chicken breasts for enchiladas.

If you have time and energy, shred your own cheese from blocks. Pre-shredded cheese has all that anti-caking stuff on it that makes it melt weird sometimes. Fresh grated melts smooth and creamy.

Warm those tortillas properly or they’ll crack and leak everywhere. Nobody wants enchilada filling all over their pan bottom.

You can assemble these earlier in the day and just stick them in the fridge until dinner time. Just add maybe 10 extra minutes to the cooking time since they’ll be cold.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Want some heat? Dice up a jalapeño and throw it in the sauce. Or use pepper jack instead of Monterey Jack. That’ll wake things up.

Mix some chopped cilantro right into the chicken before you roll them up. Adds this fresh herb flavor that’s really good.

Black beans and corn work great mixed in with the chicken. Makes it more filling and adds some texture.

If you want it really rich and creamy, beat some cream cheese into that sauce. Like 4 ounces or so. Makes it super indulgent.

I’ve tried it with different meats too. Leftover pork works. Turkey’s good. Even ground beef if you cook it first and drain off the grease.

Some people put onions in theirs but my kids pick them out so I skip that. You do you.

Make-Ahead Options

These are perfect for meal prep. Roll them up in the morning before work and stick the pan in the fridge. When you get home just put sauce and cheese on top and bake. Dinner’s done in 30 minutes.

You can freeze them too. Wrap the whole pan tight in plastic wrap and foil. They’ll keep for months. To cook from frozen just add like 20 extra minutes to the covered baking time.

I’ve made double batches and frozen half. Future you will thank present you for having enchiladas ready to go in the freezer.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

If your sauce comes out too thick for some reason, thin it with a little chicken broth or milk. Too thin? Add more sour cream.

Use the small taco-size tortillas, not those giant burrito ones. The ratio gets all wrong with big tortillas and they’re harder to roll neat.

You really can’t mess this up. Even when I’ve been distracted and overbaked them or underbaked them they still taste good. It’s a very forgiving recipe.

Don’t stress about making them look perfect. Rustic is fine. Taste matters more than appearance.

Serving Suggestions

They’re great just as they come out of the oven but I like putting out little bowls of toppings so people can customize their plates. Diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, fresh cilantro, black olives, whatever you have around.

Guacamole on the side never hurts. Neither does a dollop of extra sour cream. Some people like salsa but honestly these are saucy enough already.

They’re perfect for feeding a crowd. I make them when my extended family comes over because they’re filling and everyone likes them. Even the picky kids eat them without complaining.

Great for potlucks too since they travel well and stay warm in the pan for a while.

How to Store Your Enchiladas

Cover leftovers and stick them in the fridge. They’ll keep for 4 days easy. Microwave individual servings for a minute or two. Or reheat the whole pan covered at 350 for about 15 minutes.

They freeze great too. Up to 3 months wrapped tight. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Honestly they never last long enough in my house to worry about storage. But it’s good to know you can make them ahead.

These are comfort food at its finest. Nothing fancy, just good ingredients put together in a way that makes people happy. My family requests these at least once a month.

Allergy Information

These have dairy obviously – sour cream, cheese, cream soup. If you can’t do dairy you could try coconut cream or cashew cream instead of sour cream and dairy-free cheese. I haven’t tried it myself but it might work.

The flour tortillas have gluten. Corn tortillas would work for gluten-free but you’d need to warm them really well so they don’t crack.

The cream of chicken soup might have weird preservatives or MSG if that bothers you. You could make your own with butter, flour, chicken broth and cream but honestly who has time for that.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use corn tortillas instead of flour?

Yeah but warm them longer and maybe dip them in warm broth first. They’re more fragile than flour ones.

What if I don’t have cream of chicken soup?

Cream of mushroom works fine. Or make your own with butter, flour, chicken broth and heavy cream but that’s a lot of extra work.

How do I know when they’re done baking?

Sauce should be bubbling around the edges and cheese should be melted and starting to brown on top.

Can I make these spicier?

Add jalapeños to the sauce or use hot green chiles instead of mild. You could sprinkle cayenne in the chicken too.

Can I use leftover turkey instead of chicken?

Absolutely. Any cooked meat works. I’ve used leftover pork roast too.

Do I have to use two different cheeses?

Nah, you could use all Monterey Jack or all cheddar. I like the mix because Monterey Jack melts smooth and cheddar gets bubbly on top.

💬 Make these tonight. Your family will thank you. Let me know how they turn out – I love hearing about people’s variations.