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Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas are the peak of Midwestern-Mexican food fusion. With a rich, creamy filling and plenty of red enchilada sauce, this might just be your new favorite enchilada recipe.
When I started cooking in college, enchiladas were one of the first things I learned how to make. These weren’t traditional Mexican enchiladas by any stretch of the imagination, mind you. As a child of the Midwest, these were our own special variation on the theme. My own “enchiladas” featured Cream of Chicken Soup, green chiles, and not a drop of enchilada sauce. Clearly, not classic, but still totally tasty.
Luckily, over the years I learned how good closer-to-classic chicken enchiladas can actually be, so you can bypass all my missteps and just enjoy the best chicken enchiladas recipe. Not too spicy and ultra-creamy, this is my family-friendly twist on a restaurant enchiladas platter.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Red enchilada sauce: A 10-ounce can of any purchased brand, such as Siete, Old El Paso, Las Palmas, or Frontera, acts as the base of the vibrant enchilada sauce.
- Chicken broth: Feel free to use Homemade Chicken Broth or your favorite store-bought brand. You’ll just need 1 cup for this recipe to layer extra flavor into the enchilada sauce, so no one will likely notice the difference.
- Chicken: 1 ½ cups of cooked chicken is all you’ll need for this enchilada recipe. Leftover chicken from earlier in the week or store-bought or Homemade Rotisserie Chicken. If you have time, whip up a batch Blackened Chicken to crank up the spice content.
- Sour cream: Or plain full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Corn tortillas: You’ll wrap a stack of 6-inch corn tortillas in a damp paper towel (see Step 4) so they’re pliable and easy to work with. You can also use flour tortillas if you prefer.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter until foaming. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in enchilada sauce, chicken broth, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.
- In medium saucepan or skillet, heat oil until shimmering. Add onions and green chiles and cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in chicken and sour cream until heated through and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, on a microwave safe plate, wrap corn tortillas in damp paper towels. Microwave 30 to 40 seconds.
- Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce in bottom of 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch baking dish. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, add ¼ cup of creamy chicken filling to a warmed tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling and place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over rolled enchiladas and sprinkle with Monterey jack.
- Bake until cheese is hot and bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Garnish with scallions and serve.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas recipe makes four two-enchilada servings, which makes for a satisfying main dish.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The enchilada sauce can be made 3 days in advance and the chicken filling can be made 1 day in advance.
- To go: Bake the enchiladas in the oven-safe insert of a 9×13-inch crockpot and then tote it with you to your family gathering. Bonus, you won’t have to ask your host to keep it warm!
- Pork enchiladas: Substitute leftover shredded pork for another great version of this enchilada recipe.
Recipe FAQs
For a restaurant-style feast, complete your meal with Mexican Rice and Pinto Beans, plus a round of Margaritas for the 21+ crowd. And I won’t charge you extra for Homemade Tortilla Chips, Guacamole, and Hot Salsa!
Sure. Try 1 ½ cups of thinly-sliced steak or pork, shredded turkey, or drained and rinsed beans.
Spanish Rice
Recreate a classic restaurant side dish with my homemade Spanish Rice. This tomato-infused stovetop version is exactly how they make it in Mexico, and it’s destined to be a new favorite for your weekly menu.…
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Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce (see note 1)
- 1 cup chicken broth (see note 2)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 (4 ounce) can green chilies drained
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken shredded and divided (see note 3)
- 1 cup sour cream (see note 4)
- 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas (see note 5)
- 2 cups (8 ounces) Monterey jack cheese shredded
- Scallions sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter until foaming. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in enchilada sauce, chicken broth, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.
- In medium saucepan or skillet, heat oil until shimmering. Add onions and green chiles and cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in chicken and sour cream until heated through and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, on a microwave safe plate, wrap corn tortillas in damp paper towels. Microwave 30 to 40 seconds.
- Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce in bottom of 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch baking dish. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, add ¼ cup of creamy chicken filling to a warmed tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling and place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Pour remaining enchilada sauce over rolled enchiladas and sprinkle with Monterey jack. Bake until cheese is hot and bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Garnish with scallions and serve.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Red enchilada sauce: A 10-ounce can of any purchased brand, such as Siete, Old El Paso, Las Palmas, or Frontera, acts as the base of the vibrant enchilada sauce.
- Chicken broth: Feel free to use Homemade Chicken Broth or your favorite store-bought brand. You’ll just need 1 cup for this recipe to layer extra flavor into the enchilada sauce, so no one will likely notice the difference.
- Chicken: 1 ½ cups of cooked chicken is all you’ll need for this enchilada recipe. Leftover chicken from earlier in the week or store-bought or Homemade Rotisserie Chicken. If you have time, whip up a batch Blackened Chicken to crank up the spice content.
- Sour cream: Or plain full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Corn tortillas: You’ll wrap a stack of 6-inch corn tortillas in a damp paper towel (see Step 4) so they’re pliable and easy to work with. You can also use flour tortillas if you prefer.
- Yield: This Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas recipe makes four two-enchilada servings, which makes for a satisfying main dish.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The enchilada sauce can be made 3 days in advance and the chicken filling can be made 1 day in advance.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Good morning Megan
I made your chicken enchiladas they turned out so good you were right in saying in the past I too would make it with cream of chicken soup (not so good) this is an amazing recipe and I will pass it on to my girls thank you so much -I also made your Mexican rice yum – I will say our meals are only as good as our recipes and some love of course – thank you – I enjoy reading the different things you have to say about each recipe and new recipes to come – I look forward to your emails.
Joanna Barocio
5 stars
Hi Joanna, thank you so much for your lovely comment! You’re welcome! And thank you too for taking the time to read my posts. 💜 Take care! – Meggan
Wow…this was so easy to make and it tasted delicious. Will never make enchiladas any other way!
Thanks Tricia! – Meggan
Do you think this could be frozen ahead of time?
Hi Hailey, I haven’t tried that myself, but I don’t see why not. I would prepare the enchiladas in a pan that is safe to go from the freezer to the oven, but not bake them. Cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze. I would then uncover and bake. It will likely take a little longer to bake. I hope this helps! – Meggan
Even though these enchiladas are not Mexican enchiladas, they look pretty tasty. My Husband who is Mexican, I already know will not eat these. My kids on the other hand will give them a try as long as I put some jalapeno in there somewhere
Hi Sharyn, thanks! Hope your kids enjoy! – Meggan
This recipe tastes so good!
These are DELICIOUS! Any opinion on adding a green sauce?
YAAAAS. All the enchiladas, please. Love the sour creamy-ness you’ve got goin’ on here too. Makes them so much better!