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
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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.
Does each enchilada actually have 530 kcal???
I think these enchiladas are my favorite meal I have ever cooked!
I made a few adaptations to the recipe;
I bake 4 pieces of chicken, with spices and water and c use the broth to make y chicken broth.
I always double the sauce since it’s so delicious and put plenty on the inside of the enchiladas.
I also double the cheese and use 8 oz.of Monterey Jack mixed with cheddar cheese.
I use white corn larger sized tortillas, lightly frying them in oil first.
They are my family’s favorite meal too, you must try these, you’ll love them too!
Then u
Go to recipe for green chile enchiladas. I lived in Albuquerque for 4 years and this rivals any recipe I’ve encountered hands down. Well done.
These were excellent!
Easy and delicious! Freezes well, too. I do double batches. Thank you, Mel
I made these last night for friends who came to dinner, and they were delicious! Everyone loved them. Our friends are gluten free, so I used corn tortillas (I layered them like lasagna instead of rolling them up because I’m very lazy). I also used white rice flour in place of the all purpose flour in the sauce. It was so yummy! Might them for another dinner party next weekend!
Going to make this tonight, but just curious…it says it makes 12 enchiladas, but ingredients say 10 flour or corn tortillas. Which is correct?
It really depends on how full you fill each tortilla, so it will make somewhere between 10-12.
I made this last night! OMG it was great! Half of the family is not fond of heat, I am not included in that group! Added a dash of heat to mine, everybody loved it !
Thank you Thank you Thank you
Could be the best chicken enchilada recipe I’ve ever made (and I’ve made a few), The sauce absolutely makes the dish. Will be putting this in my favorites file!
I’ve made these quite a few times, and recently I started using the listed homemade green enchilada sauce recipe instead of the salsa verde.
They were already delicious, but the homemade sauce takes it to a whole new level! I can’t make it any other way now! Seriously SO good!
This was a big hit with my family. Goes together quickly, the flavors are excellent plus there were leftovers for the next day. The only thing I changed was adding several splashes of Green Tabasco sauce as we like things a tad spicy. Really delicious
Tried this recipe last night and can’t wait for leftovers later today! The flavor was 5 + stars. I tweaked because of other reviews but nothing significant. I used 1 can chili’s and also 1/2 – 1 cup salsa verde to add moisture and only had corn tortillas (on the small side for enchiladas) so I layered them making a filling in the center also because corn tortillas don’t roll well for me. Will make again!
Everyone in the house LOVED these
How much milk in total do you use 1/4 c milk and 1/3 c chicken broth was not making sauce
Hi Glenda, I use 1/4 cup milk and 1/3 cup chicken broth. It makes a small amount of sauce but thins out a bit when you add the sour cream and green enchilada sauce
These are the most delicious chicken enchiladas that I have ever eaten.
Make them and I promise you will not be disappointed!
Only disappointed when they are gone.
The BEST chicken enchilada recipe! I made these for a dinner party and everyone raved! They are delicious and tender! My friend is a chef and she had to have the recipe! I am making these again today for my adult son and friends for a dinner party and I know they will love these. I served with cilantro, mexican rice.
These are a family favorite and I make them quite frequently. I do leave out the beans and we use the green chili enchilada sauce.
I made these last night and my husband thought they were takeout from our favorite Mexican restaurant! They were amazing. I followed the recipe almost to a T. The only thing I did differently is use both cans of green chili and added a little of the enchilada sauce as well, maybe 2 ounces. All in all it was amazing and is moving to a recipe card with your name on it to use a million times over! Thanks for the great recipe!
So first off there are two types of enchiladas. The kind where the tortillas stay together and are firm is one kind. This kind is more of a smothered enchilada recipe. The tortillas will be gooey and it’s more like a casserole than regular tortillas.
If it’s too creamy consider using half the cream cheese for this. Smothered enchiladas do require the filling to be similar to the sauce or the different textures taste off.
I do modify this recipe quite a bit. I don’t use green chilies. I use nopalitos (cactus). They are tender and perfect for enchiladas without as much heat. I don’t use the beans but I do add fajita style onions to the filling. I also use crema which is a Mexican sour cream. More authentic. I add a little cotija cheese too. I always forget to put the cheese in the enchiladas so I just pour it all on top. I have a deep love for cheese. I add cheddar too.
This recipe is a great recipe to start with and tweak however you want. I really like how versatile it is. The real gold in this is the sauce. Bechamel sauce is a great sauce for making creamy foods and the ratios are perfect.
I loved this, very easy to make! I would double the enchilada sauce next time but that’s just me!
This recipe is fantastic and I have been using it for years!!! I have recently tried it as a vegetarian dish — used 2 cans of white beans ( cannellini and/or great northern), and also 1 whole brick of original tempeh.
It is delicious!!!
I love the vegetarian version now!!
The flavors were good, but this was a gloppy mess. I made exactly as written. I would keep the sauce, but completely omit the cream cheese in the filling and add more seasoning to the chicken. (I liberally added cumin, chile powder, onion powder, and garlic powder prior to cooking the chicken.) There is plenty of creaminess going on without the cream cheese. Definitely use corn tortillas- flour tortillas have no business being in an enchilada, anyway! Even if you don’t like corn tortilla tacos, they will soften considerably in the cooking process. If I had used flour tortillas for this, it wouldn’t have been edible.
I used flour tortillas and the enchiladas turned out amazing. No gloppy mess at all! Guess it’s just a matter of opinion 🙂
no issues with flour tortillas for me, corn tortillas are just not good. love this recipe
I’ve used floor tortillas multiple times and they turn out great.
I enjoyed making this recipe! Used green chiles instead of salsa verde. The gravy came out perfect! Thanks for your tips on this..cooking as we speak!
How much milk or broth did you use the 1/3 and 1/4 wasn’t making sauce Did I misread something
I make these frequently and everybody loves them! One time I went to make them I realized I didn’t have any cream cheese so I added extra monterey jack and several tablespoons of mayonnaise and they turned out fine. The mayonnaise added moisture to the recipe.
As someone else asked, the cook temp in the written recipe and the cook temp in the attached video on this page for the recipe don’t match. The written states 375 and the video states 450. Would you mind verifying which is correct? Thanks so much!
Sorry about the discrepancy – The written recipe is correct (375 degrees).
This has fast become a family favorite! Easy enough for a weeknight meal.
Made this tonight. Followed directions precisely as written. Not sure where I went wrong? Mine turned out very soggy. It was so bad that we tossed the entire batch in the garbage afterwards. I am not blaming the creator….I just don’t have a clue what went wrong ? Oh well, there’s no fixing it….. when it becomes soggy the way mine was it almost made us cry because there were so many wasted ingredients.
Hi Nancy – what type of tortillas did you use?
Did you drain your beans?
Going to make these and a few other mexican dishes for 30 people. Did I miss where it said how many it feeds? Trying to figure out double, or tripling the recipe!
Hi Sheri, this dish serves about 6
These are fantastic. Very great combination of ingredients and flavors. Very tasty, very creamy.
Mel…..these are delicious. Made them with pinto beans I had on hand. Delish!! Another winner. Had some leftovers…..had them yesterday……just as good as leftovers as they were the first time around!!!!
This is one of my favorite “go-to” meals of yours when I want to impress company! So stinkin delicious!!
Do you think turkey would work for this recipe?
Yes!
Delicious. Just made them for dinner tonight. Made everything from scratch. Well worth it. I had the exact amount that you had. Thank you so much.
These are so so good!!!!
Making again for sure
My husband loves enchiladas. I do not. After making these enchiladas though, I think I may have converted! Thanks for a new recipe! I didn’t have any lime juice, so I threw in some hummus. It was amazing!!!
Made this last week to rave reviews and again this week by popular request. Seriously delish.
This was absolutely delicious! I made this yesterday afternoon and immediately took some to share with my friends. I used a 7 oz can of medium heat green chilis for the filling and another 7 oz can in the sauce because I did not have any green enchilada sauce. The sauce was far too thick so once I had followed the directions to finish the sauce, I added more chicken broth to bring it to the right consistency and to have enough to cover all of the enchiladas (there was enough filling for 10 generously filled enchiladas). I used a Mexican cheese blend for both the filling and for the topping and I used more than what was specified in the recipe. I will definitely make this again. Great recipe and great way to use up most of a frozen turkey breast that I had stashed in the freezer from the last turkey that I had roasted a few months ago.
Made these last night and they were delicious.
Thanks, Mel.
These enchiladas were so good! I will make them often!
I have made these several times. Very good! But does anyone know what the approximate calorie count is?
Is cook time 375F or 450F ? Written recipe states 375F but video states 450F for 35 minutes. Thanks for the update.
Hi Lina, I think you may have been watching a different video? I just checked and both the video for these enchiladas and the recipe state 375. Hope that helps!
Your video attached does say to cook at 450° for 25-30 mins.
About to try this recipe with the homemade green sauce! I usually make enchiladas with red sauce as a staple, but I’m curious to expand! I’m going to try using ricotta instead of cream cheese since that’s what I have on hand! We’ll see!
These enchiladas were excellent, so tasty, creamy & delish!
! I have been making your recipes for a couple of years but haven’t commented. Every one of the recipes is amazing. You have never let me down. Thanks for all you do to give us the best!!!
Thank you so much!
These were absolutely delicious! I dont know what took me so long to make them! Will absolutely make these again! Thanks Mel!!
Mel – Once again you post another absolute winner. A well-received recipe from the whole family. Added to the rotation for occasional since it’s a little dairy-heavy. Easily converted to vegetarian with “replacement” soy “chicken” alternative (used Delight Soy but I can see Gardein and Morningstar chicken replacements working perfectly fine).
Thanks for another excellent recipe.
Thanks so much, Jason!
I made these last night and they were very tasty, but a good bit of work. For me, they made a lot more enchiladas than suggested – I ended up with enough filling for 18 even without the beans. I also agree that they’re fairly rich. I wonder if they wouldn’t be just as good with just the green enchilada sauce, instead of the white. Your recipe for the green sauce was yummy. I did not need to double up on the sauce, by the way.
Thank you for this recipe. It has a great combination of convenience and home made flavor. Creamy and a nice heat. I added fresh cut tomatoes in serving. Excellent!
Just made these for dinner last night. They did not disappoint! So creamy and delicious! I absolutely love your recipes!
Thank you so much, Stacie!
Excellent dish, the sauce especially rocked. I’ve made so many types of recipes over the years which were okay, but this was exceptional. I recommend doubling on the sauce recipe so the enchiladas don’t dry out when baking. Fantastic recipe, thank you for sharing. I’d recommend it to anyone.
I love the flavor of the sauce and I made the salsa Verde from your recipe and it was so good mixed in to the sauce with sour cream.
Made this recipe on the spot for my nieces. with variation.. which the recipe allowed. Thank you. How are such a good cook? Don’t know. I guess I read recipes.
I made these with jalapeño cream cheese, gave it a nice kick. Also I leave out the beans, instead I add roasted bell peppers. I make a whole chicken in the insta-pot and it comes out perfect. This is my families favorite way of having enchiladas!! Thanks for the recipe!!