This easy Tex-Mex recipe can be assembled a day ahead of time and baked when you're ready to eat.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Ultra creamy, cheesy, and bursting with Southern flavor!
- Tender chicken filling in a simple homemade enchilada sauce.
- Super special method to more easily roll the tortillas (and infuse them with the addictively spicy sauce!)
This is one of the best enchilada recipes because the beauty is in the details.
From the perfect chicken preparation to the unique, peppery cream sauce finish, these easy chicken enchiladas are the perfect way to get the whole family excited about eating dinner (and leftovers!)
Check out these other budget friendly Mexican dinner ideas!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions for creamy chicken enchiladas in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Sear the chicken then simmer with filling ingredients. Remove from pan.
- Add a bit more V-8 juice and bring to a simmer. Dip tortillas in liquid until softened.
- Fill with filling.
- Roll and place seam side down in a casserole dish.
- Melt butter in saucepan and stir in flour. Cook for 2 minutes then whisk in broth and cream.
- Stir cream cheese.
- Fold in sour cream and chiles.
- Spoon over enchiladas and bake.
🥫 Storage
There's something about the depth of flavors in Mexican food that just makes it taste even better the next day. These creamy chicken enchiladas are no different!
If you plan on eating the leftover enchiladas within a few days, wrap the dish in plastic/foil, or put the leftovers in a storage container.
Refrigerate and reheat in the microwave until warm.
Meal prep the easy way—you can freeze leftovers (or extra batches) for up to three months. Be warned - the sauce may separate a bit but it will still taste great.
Let leftovers thaw in the refrigerator before heating, or microwave straight from frozen.
This is one of my favorite recipes because you can do *almost* anything to these enchiladas and they'll still taste amazing.
You can also reheat refrigerated or frozen leftovers in a large, ovenproof dish. Bake covered in foil at 375 degrees F until warmed through again.
From frozen, estimate for 35-45 minutes. From refrigerated, it'll take 20-30. Remove the foil during the last five minutes of baking. (This works well when you have lots of enchiladas to heat up and don't want to stand in front of the microwave for hours.)
Also, I'd recommend making a double batch of the cream sauce, using about half of it, and saving the remaining sauce.
It'll last in an air-tight container in the fridge for about a week.
That way, after you polish off your first batch of enchiladas, you'll already have the sauce prepared when you're craving them at the end of the week.
That is, if you don't end up smothering the sauce on everything else you eat in the meantime!
📖 Variations
This easy recipe can be adapted in a variety of ways:
- Chicken: Instead of skinless chicken breasts, you can use boneless chicken thighs or shredded roast chicken. Try dicing up last night's leftover chicken. Rotisserie chicken enchiladas are fabulous, too!
- Fillings: To make these enchiladas "stretch" even more (hi, big families!) add black beans, pinto beans, chopped bell peppers, a bit of cooked rice, and/or green chiles to the chicken mixture.
- Red enchilada sauce: If you prefer a milder spice level, use regular V-8 juice instead of spicy. You can also sub in a jar of red or green enchilada sauce, but take it from me—it's not as good as this homemade version!
- Cheese: The recipe calls for Monterey, but you can use cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese if it's all you can find at the grocery store.
- Toppings: Feel free to garnish with green onions, fresh cilantro, cold sour cream, salsa verde, or more chopped tomatoes.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Stop rolling dry tortillas! It's essential to dip the tortilla in the warm sauce to soften it before you roll it up. Plus, this trick helps infuse the whole dish with an extra burst of delicious flavor and really makes these the best chicken enchiladas ever!
- This is a great recipe to use leftover chicken in!
- Save time by starting with a rotisserie chicken.
- When filling your baking dish, place enchiladas seam side down so that they don't unroll. It also makes the finished dish look prettier!
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot when making your cream sauce to prevent it from burning too quickly, and, whatever you do, don't stop stirring! A whisk works great first, then switch to a wooden spoon.
👩🍳 FAQs
Yes! Prepare the enchiladas as directed. Then, wrap the baking dish tightly. Refrigerate or freeze until you're ready to bake! If baking from frozen, you will have to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
*Sigh.* You can use flour tortillas if you must. Corn tortillas have more flavor and more texture, and they don't get soggy. It's a win-win...win! Give corn a try using the method in this recipe, and you just might be surprised by how much you love them!
📚 Related recipes
- Beef Enchiladas are a Tex-Mex staple, and you won't be able to get enough of this flavorful, filling dinner!
- Sometimes you just need a grab 'n go meal, like these creamy and spicy Chicken Empanadas.
- For a spicy, smoky flavor, try this Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce made with Ancho Chiles—it's super authentic!
- Chicken, cheese, tortilla chips, creamed corn, AND veggies—Monterey Chicken Casserole has it all and comes together in just 30 minutes.
- We love this easy green chile chicken casserole for busy nights.
Try this cheesy chicken enchilada soup, too! Done in just 20 minutes!
🍽️ Serve with...
📞 The last word
I do love my Tex-Mex food and this recipe is fantastic. It was even featured on the homepage of Today when it first was published back in 2014!!
You may also like this super easy crockpot chicken and dressing casserole.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Chicken Enchiladas in Homemade Cream Sauce
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Ingredients
Enchiladas
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 ½ cups corn, fresh is best but you can use thawed frozen
- 10.5 ounces Ro*Tel tomatoes
- 1 cup spicy V-8 juice
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 16 corn tortillas
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded. Reserve ½ cup for topping
Cream Sauce
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup chicken broth, hot, but not boiling
- ½ cup heavy cream, hot but not boiling
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 ounces green chiles, chopped
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Instructions
Enchiladas
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Grease a 13x 9 inch baking pan.
- Add a little oil to a large sauté pan and add the chicken.
- Brown it quickly on both side and then cut it into cubes.
- Add onion, cumin, garlic, corn, Ro*Tel, and cilantro to the chicken and simmer until the juice is reduced.
- Remove chicken and vegetables and set aside.
- Add a little more V-8 if necessary and bring the liquid to a simmer.
- Cover the bottom of the baking pan with a little of the liquid.
- Dip in one tortilla into the pan and let soften (but don’t let it get mushy).
- Lay the tortilla out on a plate, spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling inside, sprinkle with cheese, and roll up.
- Place seam side down in the baking pan.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
Cream Sauce
- Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour.
- Cook, stirring constantly.
- Whisk in hot chicken broth and cream - bring to a boil, stirring.
- Add cream cheese and blend well.
- Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and chilies.
Finishing
- Pour the sauce over the enchiladas in the pan, top with ½ cup cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Always dip the corn tortillas in the sauce to soften them so that they roll easily and without cracking.
- This is a great recipe to use leftover chicken in!
- Save time by starting with a rotisserie chicken.
- When filling your baking dish, place enchiladas seam side down so that they don't unroll. It also makes the finished dish look prettier!
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot when making your cream sauce to prevent it from burning too quickly, and, whatever you do, don't stop stirring! A whisk works great first, then switch to a wooden spoon.
Nutrition Facts
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published November 7, 2014. Last updated on July 4, 2023 with better images and improved instructions.
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life
These sound delicious! My family would devour this dinner in a hurry!
Marye Audet
Thank you so much, Jocelyn.
Heather Kinnaird
these sounds just about perfect! I love your tip about dipping the tortilla in sauce before rolling, and I am tam corn all the way
Marye Audet
It's the only way!
allie
Girl - of course you are right. I didn't know about dipping the tortillas. Glad to be in your tribe to get the real scoop. Can't wait to try these Marye, thanks!
Marye Audet
🙂 Let me know!
Laura Tabacca
Regarding the corn versus flour tortillas, preach it, sista! My kids insist on eating flour and I just do not get it! These look fantastic!
Jenny B @ Honey and Birch
Thank you for the tip on dipping the tortillas first - definitely going to give that a shot and see if it works better for me. Its sounds like a genius idea!
Kirsten
Marye,
These enchiladas look like perfect comfort food. I eat seasonally, and I start to anticipate the upcoming ripe veggies with relish. With the Hatch chile harvest approaching I'm eyeing ways to incorporate them. My local grocery store gets cases of Hatch chiles and roasts them in the parking lot--then I pick up a tub and am good to go. Those chiles would be perfect for this!
Thanks!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass
Yes Marye, you are so right. Corn tortillas all the way and dip them in sauce. I did not know about the sauce dipping. I love visiting here because I always learn something new. Great post and delicious recipe!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist
I love, love, love your cream sauce, particularly since it is not made with any cream of soups. Saved!
Mirlandra @ Mirlandra's Kitchen
Mind. Blown! Wow, I never thought of putting cream sauce on enchiladas. Thank you! I'm pinning this to make soon - as in next week? Yum!!!
marilyn
not sure about two things
1. rotel - tomato with chilis or without?
2. v8 - when and how much to add?
sorry if these questions sound silly
thanks
Marye Audet
Rotel with Chiles. 🙂 Add the V8 with the onions..and all of it called for in the recipe. No such thing as a silly question! Hope you enjoy these... Let me know if you have any problems... you can usually catch me on the Restless CHipotle Facebook page..https://www.facebook.com/RestlessChipotle