Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
If you haven’t had these green chile chicken enchiladas, you are missing out! The easy from-scratch white sauce makes them over the top!
If you haven’t made these creamy green chile chicken enchiladas, you have not lived.
Pinned over 50,000 times, there’s a reason they are so popular. They don’t just look good on Pinterest…they ARE good. Crazy good.
Homemade Creamy Sauce
What exactly are we doing with this homemade sauce?
We are basically making a homemade cream of chicken soup and bedazzling it with green enchilada sauce or salsa and bit of sour cream.
It’s thick, creamy and flavorful. You’re going to make it and set it aside.
Green Chile Enchilada Filling
The filling for these enchiladas consists of:
- cooked chicken
- green chiles
- cream cheese
- white or black beans
- cilantro
- fresh lime juice
Mash up all of that goodness into one glorious bowl of enchilada filling.
It.is.so.good.
How to Assemble Enchiladas
Flour or corn tortillas can be used for this recipe (both are delicious!). I use 6- or 8-inch tortillas. Whichever size I have hanging around.
Scoop about 1/2 cup filling onto each tortilla and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.
Grease a 9X13-inch pan and spread a bit of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Roll each enchilada up and snuggle it in with the others. I cram 10-12 enchiladas into the pan, cover with sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until bubbly-bubbly and golden.
White Sauce vs Red Sauce Enchiladas
These creamy white sauce enchiladas are glorious. And I firmly believe they have their place in the enchilada world, even though purists may claim that enchiladas only belong to the red sauce world.
My heart holds space for all enchiladas, no matter the sauce or the style.
But these creamy green chile chicken enchiladas are a huge favorite.
Make-Ahead and Freezable
Easy and delicious, the perfect combo for a weeknight meal, these enchiladas can be made ahead of time. Assembled in the pan, they can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours or frozen before baking.
Keep in mind that the tortillas (especially flour tortillas) will soften quite a bit more if making them ahead of time.
Adaptable Recipe
If you’ve made these in the past, be sure to check out the notes of the recipe below for some simple adaptations.
The enchiladas can be made:
- with flour or corn tortillas
- with white beans or black beans or without any beans at all
- with canned green chiles or with green enchilada sauce or salsa verde
After more than a decade, these creamy green chile chicken enchiladas are still one of my favorite meals ever.
What to Serve With This
- Mexican Rice
- Fresh, seasonal fruit
- Roasted broccoli or asparagus
- Garnishes such as lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream, extra cheese, or cherry tomatoes
One Year Ago: Almond Joy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Cinnamon & Sugar Dusted Whole Grain Applesauce Muffins
Three Years Ago: Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers {With a Slow Cooker Variation}
Four Years Ago: Smothered Sweet Pork Burritos
Five Years Ago: Peaches and Cream Sensation
Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Filling:
- 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
- 2 cans (4-ounces each) green chiles, lightly drained (see note)
- 8-ounce package cream cheese, light or regular, softened and cubed
- 1 can (15-ounces) white or black beans, rinsed and drained (you can really use any type of bean you prefer here or leave them out)
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup chopped onion, about 1/2 medium onion
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup green chile enchilada sauce or salsa verde (see note for homemade version)
- ½ cup sour cream, light or regular
Assembly:
- 8 ounces (about 2 cups) Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 10 soft taco size flour or corn tortillas
- Handful of chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and green chiles. Mix well. Add the chicken, beans, cilantro and lime juice. Mix to combine. Set aside.
- For the sauce: in a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth.
- Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream.
- Spread 1/4 cup of the sauce in a thin layer on the bottom of the prepared dish.
- Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of the chicken/cream cheese filling. Top with a small handful of shredded cheese, a couple tablespoonfuls for each enchilada. Save at least 1/2 cup cheese for the top of the enchiladas.
- Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full (I get about 10-12 enchiladas for this recipe; the exact number will depend on the size of tortillas).
- Pour the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas and spread evenly. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top and serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe originally posted May 2010; updated with new pictures, recipe notes and commentary.
I haven’t made the enchiladas yet but I Can’t wait to too. I love sour cream
enchiladas and these look so-o good. Thanks.
Delicious! I actually made them as a layered casserole in a 9×9 pan with corn tortillas (stacked up like a lasagna) and was extremely happy with how they came out!
I made these last night. I made them with corn tortillas, which was a perfect compliment to the other flavors. The recipe made almost 60% more filling than I could fit into the ten enchiladas I got into the pan. No regrets, though. I am happy for leftovers. These were the best enchiladas I have ever made. Of course, they were the first enchiladas I have ever made as well, but they were also the best enchiladas I have ever eaten. Thank you for a great recipe. It will stay in my family for many years to come.
Scrumptious! I’ve never been a fan of red sauce enchiladas but the delicious, slightly sweet, tangy, creamy flavor of this dish’s sauce is mouthwatering! Paired with the melt-in-your-mouth chile-chicken-cream cheese filling OMG, y’all got me licking the plate! Definitely recommend with corn tortillas, as flour would get soggy.
Thank you!
These were pretty good but not really my usual taste. For the effort that goes into making them, they aren’t worth it to me. That being said, my wife loves these and has them about once a month. They are very much worth my effort in her opinion, lol. She especially enjoys the green enchilada sauce. The only change we make is that we bake our chicken rather than rotisserie.
I made these delicious enchiladas. I added drained black beans & a little chili powder & cumin to my chicken mixture. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
Im coming right back here for more!
I am going to try this this week! Looks sooooo good! I also love your white baking dish. Where did you get it? I need a new one and I really love yours!
I got it from Amazon! I don’t think the exact one is still available but there are a lot of similar ones if you search there. 🙂
Way too much filling. I left the chicken out and used more beans, but still too much. I used corn tortillas filled to the gills. Also would definitely double the sauce and leave out the milk ( just use broth), since you add sour cream. Haven’t tasted yet, but looks great!
I recommend using Trader Joe’s hatch Chile salsa for the sauce. Perfect. Adds extra spice.
My family loved it! Added a little more sour cream to our own taste.
Mel, I love your recipes but this one didn’t work for me. Followed to a t except I didn’t add the beans. Baked at 375 for 40 minutes. The tortillas were soggy and the flavor was just a lot of spice and not much else. I wish I could have liked it more.
My friend made these for a freezer meal swap and I’m so excited to try them for my family/a family who needs a meal. One thing I didn’t see in the ingredients list were tortillas…..or am I crazy?
They are under the section titled “assembly” 🙂
The best, I added the broth from the breast cooking and used pepper jack cheese.
We love Mexican dishes! I made it! I must say that I rarely follow a recipe exactly, so as I usually do, I tweaked it just a bit by adding corn instead of beans and I also added sautéed onion, bell pepper and a variety of chunked cherry tomatoes to my chicken mixture. I also added 3 teaspoons of jalapeños instead of the second can of green Chile’s. We like it with a little more bite. I added a little cumin and chili powder to my chicken mixture as well. It was absolutely delicious and I will make it again! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I saw the directions for freezing and baking the dish from the assembled stage, but I baked the dish first and then froze it. How long should I bake it to reheat it?
I’d probably thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat it for 30 minutes or so in the oven.
Can these be frozen? I want to have these for a dinner later this week, and I’d love to make it on Sunday when I have more time.
Never mind, just reread the note! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made these for a party this past Christmas and they were a huge hit !!
I doubled the recipe and added jalapenos as well…making again today for dinner.
UNBELIEVABLE! Hands down the best Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas ever! I’ll never stop making and sharing these! I omitted the beans because some family members don’t like beans….but I just wanted to say thank you for an amazing recipe. It’s a 11 out of 10 on the delicious scale!
I’ve made these 3x now! Very good. I suggest making a little extra sauce. I suse flour tortillas, and didnt need to heat or soften. I prefer flour! I suggest adding a little
Extra cilantro, lime, and maybe even jalapeno. I am a VERY mild on heat person, and love cream.. but these are missing just a little more flavor. So I’d add even more if you love more heat and spice! Made it with cooking the chicken stove top which was just fine. Kind of a pain the shred of course 🙂 Amazing recipe, will always make for the rest of my days!
Not sure why, but my previous post didn’t show up. Love these! A family favorite. I added ground sausage one time because I didn’t have chicken it gives it a little kick and is so yummy. I love it both ways! Thanks, Mel, for another amazing recipe!
OMG These were awesome! I will be making them again. I did make a few substitutions, didn’t have sour cream so used yogurt which I think added a little extra tang to the recipe, and only had pepper jack cheese. Next time I’m going to make more sauce to use for leftovers.
I love the idea of using yogurt! Yes it does add a little bit of tang to the recipe. I’m going to use yogurt the next time I make this.
Hi give this 5 stars because it was delicious. But, I do have one issue. Need to warm or soften up the tortillas before filling. If you don’t they are too stiff and will break. The tortillas should be soft and malleable. Otherwise, great recipe.
Hello,
I am interested in making this recipe for dinner but do not have tortillas. How would I modify it just for the filling and the sauce to bake it as essentially a no tortilla casserole?
Thank You,
Julia
I’m not sure – sorry! I’d probably just follow the recipe and omit the tortillas (and the rolling up step)
Use zucchini, yellow squash or eggplant sliced thin length wise then roll the filling in the veggies.
I do the same thing with my lasagna by substituting thinly sliced zucchini for the pasta. My husband is diabetic and can’t eat too much pasta.
Delicious!! I like easy so i make everything and then layer items like 2 layer lasagna. Makes a great potluck dish and cuts nicely. I’ve made the beef enchiladas in casserole form for my sons sports banquet and it goes quickly. I needed something new. Everyone loved it
First off, thank you Mel for sharing your recipe! It sounds scrumptious!!
Christina,
Would you share how you layered the ingredients to make it into a lasagna, and if you had to alter the amount called for, for any of the ingredients? I would appreciate it!
Not the original commenter, but I always make my enchiladas “lasagna style” I can fit so much more in a pan. I have a large, active family and if I’m going to go to the trouble of making enchiladas I want it to serve two meals. I normally double all ingredients and then layer in three layers in my largest casserole pan. So, layer of corn tortillas (We have a gluten allergy) 1/3 meat, sprinkle cheese, drizzle sauce, layer of tortillas repeat. Then on top the rest of sauce and cheese. This usually fills up pan and I can feed 6 people two delicious meals!
My husband is type 1 diabetic. I was able to make this recipe using egg wrap tortillas, heavy cream instead of milk and no beans. It came out to 12 carbs a serving and tasted wonderful
First off, these enchiladas are AMAZING! I love to make these when we have guests over and they are always a hit!! Also, I’ve never formally thanked you for your amazing recipes! I’m just a newlywed (2> years married) and your recipes are what helped me gain confidence and love for cooking! Thank you, Mel!
Thank you SO much, Stephanie!!
Delicious! Liked using the Hertz salsa verde with the sauce.
Have you tried to double this recipe by simply doubling all of the ingredients? I need to make ahead for a big crowd and didn’t know if someone has doubled it and just doubling ingredients worked? Sometimes it varies when doubling so I wanted to check!
Note: There will be 8 people eating.
Hi Julia, I noticed that you didn’t get a reply, so I’ll tell you what I have done. I made white rice using chicken broth as the liquid (you could add other seasonings if you like) and stir in a chopped seeded jalapeño and some cilantro. I layer the rice in a casserole dish. Stir the filling and sauce together and put it over the rice, and top with shredded cheese. You could also add cooked pasta and stir it all together before putting in the casserole dish and topping with cheese. I doubled the sauce. You could even triple it and it would be great.
Yes, I’ve doubled – works great!
I thought the sauce was fantastic. I bought a jar of meijers salsa verde and poured the entire thing into it. I would eat the sauce with tortilla chips alone . I wasn’t super impressed with the chicken filling… I also don’t like to spend money on a rotisserie chicken. Instead I used a six pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and put them in a slower cooker with a can of tomatoes with chilies, salt and pepper. I think next time I would add a spoonful or two of a better than bullion soup base (I use this in chicken tacos and it’s awesome). I love putting my meat in a slower cooker, especially as a mom with young ones. The meat is usually so tender. I beat the cream cheese together with the can of chilies and added the meat to that. I also used the beater to shred the chicken. It was super easy. I left out the cilantro and lime as I’m not a fan.
Yummy
I made these for supper last evening and they were a hit for the whole family! I made the homemade enchilada sauce and it was FAR superior to any store bought stuff! I could eat it just plain even! But it definitely made for more work! I was joking to my husband about the prep time being only 25 minutes and how for me the prep time would have to be at least tripled and he said “Well she probably didn’t include things like having to help the five year old clean up lego that he spilled on the kitchen floor before his 10 mo old sister could come along and start tasting it, among other interruptions!” How do you do it when cooking? Your children are a bit older than mine but what do you do when they are interrupting you and asking questions and having disagreements and begging for this or that and even just trying to converse with you when you’re needing to focus on what the next step in the cooking process is? Sometimes I just feel like pulling my hair out! Anyway I used a rotisserie chicken in this recipe and added one more cup of chicken to the meat mixture. I also used the fajita size flour tortillas and filled them with about a half cup of filling. It made 13-14 enchiladas. They did not all fit into one 9×13 pan so had to use a loaf pan for few of them. And then I served it with cooked corn and absolutely the BEST baked Mexican Rice that was ever created!
Well I definitely don’t think you are alone! It’s just been in the last few years that my dinner hour has settled down just a bit since my kids are a little older, but even now, it’s crazy! And sometimes I’m not able to get dinner on the table in the prescribed “prep” and “cook” times in my own recipes. Those are definitely written with ideal circumstances in mind and no toddlers in sight. 🙂 You are doing great, momma! It’s crazy, for sure, and I think people are surprised to find out that as much as I love food and cooking, I actually despise making dinner on most nights because schedules and life is so busy and the kids need so much of my attention (and gosh darn it, how come I don’t hear angels singing??) 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for a great recipe – it’s a keeper!
First, decent recipe…Just made this, and to be honest, I would recommend a few edits.
1× it’s really rich. Cut the amount cheese in half at least, use light sour cream to sub the missing portion, but only by a 1/4th. 2× it’s really mild. Like I’m not a omg I need spicy, but there is absolutely no heat to this. How I fixed it. In a small saucepan I combined over med. heat the following, the cheese that u were going to top it with, about 8-10 dashes of Louisiana, a little green tomatillo salsa, and a bit of sour cream along with some cayenne and lime juice. I spread the cheese mixture over the top to give it a little kick while still being able to give that pretty browned cheese crunch…just my 2 cents…
These were delicious. I made 12 with corn tortillas. I used gluten free flour, which worked perfectly.. I used a rotisserie chicken. I try a lot of chicken enchiladas, I think these are my favorite. I wish I had noticed they freeze well before baking, I would have frozen half—but we have lots of good leftovers. Definitely make this recipe.
In which Universe are these ENCHILADAS? ROTISSERIE CHICKEN? CREAM CHEESE? FLOUR TORTILLAS? WHITE BEANS? STUFFED WITH BEANS? LMAO
Seriously, I can’t believe you really think these are “Enchiladas.”
Best enchiladas ever! Enchiladas enchiladas enchiladas. Let’s sing it.
Hahahahaha
There is really no need to be such a screamy bitch about. No one is claiming these are *authentic* enchiladas. If you aren’t interested in the recipe, don’t make it. And take your negativity elsewhere.
I made this last night for supper and we loved it. I used lower fat cream cheese and sour cream, and cannellini beans. I will definitely make this again in the future and may try it with corn tortillas instead of flour next time. Great recipe!
Made this today and it was wonderful!! It was a little time consuming, so I did use the rotisserie chicken and canned green enchilada sauce. I used the white beans( what a wonderful addition!!!) Next time I will take the extra time and make your enchilada sauce. Can’t wait to eat the left overs! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I couldn’t find my recipe that I really liked for chicken enchiladas. I’ve had it for 20 years. I knew the ingredients it had and wanted the same style. THIS RECIPE is the best! It took my old one up several notches! DELICIOUS!
This recipe is fantastic! I served this to dinner guests recently and they raved about this dish! Will definitely make this again soon!
This was so delicious! I made it for weekend guests and they just raved about it!
Wonderful. I got about 12 enchiladas out of this recipe. I used the taco size flour tortillas. Like another did, I also mixed in some of the Monterey Jack cheese with the filling mixture, only because I am a lazy cook and I like my cheese uniformly melted throughout the enchilada. I also made the sauce in my Vitamix, also because I am a lazy cook, and it turned out super-speedy delicious. I briefly heated the sauce afterward in a saucepan to thicken it and whisked in the sour cream cream at the end. So if anyone likes a smooth and creamy sauce, that worked very well.
I’ve made this recipe several times now and because everyone loves it, I make a double batch. I simplified the assembly by just mixing all the grated cheese (except the 1/2 cup set aside for the top) into the filling mixture. It still works out to about a 1/2 cup per tortilla.
Yay! Glad to hear it, Leesa!
So, these are a bit different than the honey lime ones, right? I have been making the honey lime ones for quite a while and we love them, just wondering if this is a simpler version or something totally different. Thanks 🙂
Yes, these are pretty different than the honey lime enchiladas…I think of the two, the honey lime enchiladas are a simpler recipe.
Ridiculously good. I made double to freeze another batch for later. The whole family loved them, even my picky 6 year old. I made Mel’s Calico Baked Beans in the crock pot to go with them. These are definitely going in the rotation!
I normally don’t post comments, but these were amazing! I had some roasted Hatch Chiles I wanted to use up so I used those to make your green enchilada sauce to go with it. Instead of sour cream I used plain Greek yogurt. Absolutely delicious – I can’t wait to make these again!!!
Glad you loved them, Debra!
These enchliladas are out of this world and I haven’t even baked them. Licking the spoon tells me all I need to know. THANKS.
This recipe is 100% reliable. I use it every time I am taking a meal to a family after a baby (or similar). Everyone always wants the recipe and tells me it was delicious.
Thanks, Brittany!
Do you have the nutritional information for this recipe, for macro counters?
I don’t – sorry!
Have you ever used the insta pot smoky honey cilantro chicken to make these enchiladas? I’m thinking of trying it out for Father’s Day and was wondering if you thought this would work or if you’d modify this recipe at all when using that chicken?
No, but I bet that would be delicious!
All I can say is YUMMY! This is one you will want to try. I made mine with canned mild green Chile’s and black beans. I used a rotisserie chicken to save time.
Mel, I served these enchiladas for a dinner party last night and everyone loved them. Thanks for a great recipe. My question is, I have enough left over for another meal. Do you think I could freeze them and reheat to serve again, even though already baked? Thank you.
Yes! I definitely think you could do that. The tortillas might be a bit softer, but the flavor should still be spot on.
I love this recipe! Second time making it
This one is one of my favorites!
Yummy! The best and creamiest chicken enchiladas I have ever made.
Thanks, cute Rachel!