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.

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Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Yield: 12 enchiladas

Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

4.60 stars (826 ratings)

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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

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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

Green Chiles: you can sub out the green chiles completely and use storebought or homemade green enchilada sauce or salsa verde. Use about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of sauce in place of the green chiles in the filling. 

Sauce: I wouldn’t classify these enchiladas as being overly saucy (because I’m ethically opposed to soggy tortillas); if you like things on the saucier side, consider doubling the sauce. 

Make Ahead: follow the recipe instructions, letting the sauce cool to warm room temperature before proceeding with filling the enchiladas. Assemble the enchiladas as directed in the recipe with the cooled sauce. Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-12 hours before baking. Bake according to the recipe, adding an additional 5-10 minutes if needed since the enchiladas were refrigerated. Alternately, after assembling, the baking pan can be covered with a double layer of foil and put in a jumbo-sized resealable bag and frozen for up to two months. Bake from frozen by decreasing the baking temperature to 350 degrees F and baking the enchiladas covered for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour until the dish is hot and bubbly.

Author: Mel

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Method: Bake

Serving: 1enchilada, Calories: 530kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 130mg, Sodium: 1121mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 11g

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Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe originally posted May 2010; updated with new pictures, recipe notes and commentary.

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