White Chicken Enchiladas
White chicken enchiladas that are spiced up with chipotle and green peppers then smothered in a creamy white enchilada sauce.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion chopped
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 2 to 3 (7 ounce) cans diced green chiles 14 to 21 ounces total
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped (or ½ teaspoon chipotle powder)*
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese grated
- ½ cup pepper jack cheese grated
- ½ cup cheddar cheese grated
- 8 tortillas flour, or corn
For the White Enchilada Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat an oven-proof 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and red bell pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- Remove from the heat and add the green chiles, chicken, cumin, oregano, chipotle, and salt. Toss to combine and set aside.
- In a medium-size bowl combine the three types of grated cheese. Reserve one cup of shredded cheese and mix the remainder into the chicken mixture. Toss to combine well.
- Place ½ to ¾ of a cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place in the casserole dish, seam side down.
Make The White Enchilada Sauce
- Melt the butter in a skillet or saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. It will look like a paste.
- Slowly drizzle in the broth, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until smooth, bubbly, and slightly thick.
- Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Stir in the cumin, salt, and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat whisk in the sour cream then stir in the cheese.
- Pour the creamy sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly on top.
Notes
If you use canned chipotle peppers, do not use the whole can. The recipe only needs 2 to 3 peppers from the can. You can freeze the rest of the peppers.
Poblano option: You can swap the canned green chiles for roasted poblano peppers.
For an extra smoky flavor, add a tablespoon of adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers to the chicken mixture.
If you like your food extra spicy, you can use an extra chipotle pepper from the can or use an extra 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder.
For the creamy enchilada sauce: When you add the broth to the flour and butter mixture, pour slowly and whisk constantly. If it starts to get lumpy, stop adding the broth and whisk until it smooths out then begin pouring the broth again.
Make-ahead instructions: You can prep the enchiladas up to the point of baking, cover the dish tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Add a few extra minutes to the bake time if going straight from the fridge.
Freezing and reheating: Assemble the enchiladas, cover well, and freeze unbaked for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen. Add 15–20 minutes to the bake time and cover loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly. Leftovers reheat well in the oven or microwave.
Looking for more from-scratch enchiladas? Check out our chicken mole enchiladas.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 535mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g
