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White Chicken Enchiladas

White chicken enchiladas with a creamy white sauce and tortillas baked until golden at the edges. Shredded chicken, green chiles, and melted Monterey jack pool on top for a Tex-Mex casserole-style enchilada bake.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and enchilada filling
  • 3 cup cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
  • 0.5 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded Reserve 1/2 cup for the filling; use the rest for topping.
Enchilada assembly
  • 8 flour tortillas (8-inch)
Cheese topping
  • 0.5 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded Remainder of the cheese for the golden-bubbly top.
White sauce
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles Add to the sauce after thickening.
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.25 salt To taste.
  • 0.25 pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep and assemble
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 baking dish so the enchiladas release cleanly after baking.
  2. In a bowl, mix shredded chicken with diced green chiles and 1/2 cup Monterey jack, then divide the filling among the tortillas.
  3. Roll tortillas tightly and place them seam-side down in the greased dish.
Make the creamy white sauce
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it foams, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Slowly add the chicken broth while whisking constantly, cooking until thickened—about 3 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, diced green chiles, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Bake
  1. Pour the white sauce evenly over the enchiladas, then top with the remaining Monterey jack cheese.
  2. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes at 375°F until bubbly and golden-edged, then garnish with fresh cilantro.

Notes

Pro tip: Whisk the flour-butter mixture into the broth slowly so the white sauce turns out silky instead of lumpy. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3–4 days in a covered container; reheat in the oven or microwave until hot. Freezing is not recommended because sour cream can break when thawed and reheated. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat sour cream and half the cheese (you’ll still get a creamy, bake-and-brown top).