Easy Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
25 mins
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Total Time
45 mins
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Servings
12 servings
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Calories
356 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Easy Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas
Description
This recipe features shredded chicken mixed with pepper jack cheese and wrapped in flour tortillas. The enchiladas are placed seam-side down in a baking dish and covered with a homemade white sauce that starts with a roux of butter and flour, infused with garlic, then gradually whisked with chicken stock to create a smooth base. Sour cream, Rotel tomatoes, green chilies, and additional seasonings such as garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin enrich the sauce, giving it a creamy texture with mild heat.
The enchiladas are baked at 325°F until heated through and the cheese inside is melted, resulting in a hearty dish with a blend of creamy, cheesy, and slightly spicy flavors. The combination of pepper jack and fontina cheese adds sharp and mellow cheese notes.
They serve well as a main meal garnished with fresh cilantro. Adjustments like using smaller tortillas or varying the amount of cumin can tailor the dish to personal preference. The sauce leftover from this recipe can also be repurposed for other dishes, such as drizzling on scrambled eggs.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups chicken shredded (about 2 breasts)
- 3 Cups pepper jack cheese shredded
- 8 flour tortillas
- 5 tbs butter divided
- 3 tbs all-purpose flour
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup fontina cheese shredded
- 15 oz Rotel tomatoes
- 15 oz green chili
- 4 oz green chili
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Shred the chicken with two forks. Remove and discard any skin and bones.
- Mix the shredded chicken with 2 cups of pepper jack cheese. Place a handful of the mixture into each tortilla and roll the tortilla up and place seem side down in the prepared baking dish.
- In a large sauce pan, melt 2 tbs of butter and garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant - about a minute. Remove these from the pan and put in the remaining 3 tbs of butter and add the flour. mix well and cook the mixture over medium heat for 1-2 minutes to allow the flour to cook (this removes the flour taste). Add the garlic back into the mix.
- Using a whisk to whisk the butter/flour mixture, slowly add the chicken stock. It will seem that the flour mix is growing when you add the chicken water - just keep whisking - whisk very fast so as to remove any lumps that may want to form. Whisk until smooth and continue to cook this mixture over medium heat until it forms a bubbly sauce. You will note that it is somewhat thicker than when you started.
- Stir in the sour cream and the fontina cheese. When well mixed, add the Ro-tell tomatoes and the can of green chilis. Add garlic powder, onion powder and cumin. Mix well and allow to heat until starting to bubble. Taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour this sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Make sure the sauce goes down between the enchiladas. Do not over fill. Top with the remaining 1-2 Cups of pepper jack cheese.
- Place a baking sheet below the baking dish in the oven to catch drips. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until bubbly throughout. Cilantro as a garnish at the table. (it gets wilty if you put it on as it comes out of the oven)
Notes
- Freshly shredding cheese enhances flavor compared to pre-shredded varieties which may have additives affecting taste.
- Small tortillas can be used; fill the casserole dish accordingly without concern for size variations.
- Any shredded chicken cut works; adjust cumin quantity to preference for desired spice level.
- The flour tortillas puff during baking, so avoid overfilling the dish with sauce to maintain structure.
- Leftover cheese sauce can be saved for other meals such as topping scrambled eggs.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 12servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 356 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 356kcal | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 18g | 6% |
| Protein | 16g | 32% |
| Fat | 24g | 37% |
| Saturated Fat | 14g | 70% |
| Cholesterol | 70mg | 23% |
| Sodium | 591mg | 25% |
| Potassium | 271mg | 6% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 643IU | 13% |
| Vitamin C | 5mg | 6% |
| Calcium | 334mg | 33% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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