Delicious 35-Minute Chicken Enchiladas Joy

Oh, welcome back to my kitchen! I’m Alex, and if your evening looks anything like the corporate blur I used to have, you know that sometimes you just need food that wraps you up in a warm, cheesy hug. We all need recipes that require minimal effort but deliver maximum comfort, right? That’s exactly what we are making today! Forget complicated sauces and hours on the stove; these Ultimate Easy Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas are the weeknight answer you’ve been searching for. I use rotisserie chicken because, honestly, nobody has time for more work after 5 PM! Finding joy in simple meals like these chicken enchiladas is why I started this whole site—proving that incredible food doesn’t need to be complicated.

Why You Will Make These Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas Weekly

I know you’re busy! That’s why I designed this recipe to fit right into your hectic schedule. When I finally started finding peace in cooking, it was because I found shortcuts that didn’t compromise on that delicious, soulful flavor. These creamy white chicken enchiladas are the perfect example of that philosophy in action. Trust me, they’re going to earn a permanent spot on your rotation.

• Rotisserie Chicken Magic: Seriously, this is our biggest time-saver. Using pre-cooked shredded chicken means you are already halfway there. We skip the entire process of boiling or roasting chicken breasts, making these chicken enchiladas perfect for a true weeknight dinner.
• Pure Comfort Food Factor: There’s something about that rich, creamy white sauce mixed with melted cheese that just feels like a spa day for your stomach. They are satisfying without being heavy, which is exactly what I look for when I need a comforting meal to really hit the spot.
• Minimal Cleanup: Because everything happens on the stovetop for the sauce and then finishes right there in one baking dish, cleanup is a breeze. Less time scrubbing means more time relaxing!
• Family Approved: My family absolutely devours these! If you’ve got picky eaters, the mild, cheesy flavor profile usually wins them over instantly. It’s the ultimate crowd-pleasing, Tex-Mex dinner that doesn’t rely on spicy red sauces.
• Freezer Friendly: While they are lightning-fast to assemble fresh, they are also fantastic for making ahead. Assemble them one night, cover them, and bake them for an even easier weeknight dinner later in the week.

Ingredients for the Best Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

When you aim for the best chicken enchiladas, especially the creamy white sauce kind, you can’t skip on quality, even if you are cutting corners on time! I’ve laid everything out below exactly as I measure it for a perfect sauce consistency and flavor balance. Pay close attention to how the cream cheese and cheeses are cut—that helps them melt beautifully into our white sauce!

• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (and seriously, rotisserie chicken works great for these chicken enchiladas)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• Cooking spray

Essential Equipment for Making Perfect Chicken Enchiladas

You don’t need a dozen fancy gadgets for these, which is part of why they are so easy! But having the right tools makes the process smooth and prevents last-minute scrambling. When I was first learning to make any sort of casserole, I realized good equipment saves so much headache later on. For these creamy chicken enchiladas, here is what you’ll want ready on your counter.

• A standard 9×13 inch baking dish. This is the classic size for this quantity of enchiladas, providing just the right depth for plenty of sauce!
• A medium saucepan. This is where our star—the velvety white sauce—gets built. Make sure it has a heavy bottom so the roux doesn’t scorch on you.
• A good whisk. You absolutely need a whisk for incorporating the flour into the melted butter to make your roux—the base of that creamy sauce. A fork just won’t cut it here if you want lump-free deliciousness!
• A mixing bowl. You’ll need one dedicated bowl to toss your shredded chicken with a little bit of the finished sauce before rolling.
• A sturdy spatula or tongs. These are essential for gently warming those flour tortillas so they roll up nicely instead of cracking apart on you when you try to fill them.
• A cutting board and knife. You’ll need to cube up your cream cheese for easy melting and shred any leftover additions you decide to toss in your filling.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Easy Chicken Enchiladas

This is where the magic happens! I promise you, even if you’ve never made a sauce from scratch before, these Easy Chicken Enchiladas come together faster than you think. My goal here is simplicity, so follow these steps right along with me. We’re building flavor layer by layer, and trust me, it’s satisfying work! If you want to see the whole process laid out in photos, check out my deep dive on creamy, cheesy baked chicken enchiladas!

Preparing the Baking Dish and Oven

First things first: let’s get the workspace ready. Preheat your oven right away to 375 degrees F. While that’s warming up, grab your 9×13 inch baking dish and give it a good spray with cooking spray. You want that bottom nice and slick so when the cheese melts and bubbles, your enchiladas glide right out later. No one wants to wrestle with stuck cheese!

Creating the Creamy White Sauce for Chicken Enchiladas

This sauce is the heartbeat of these Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas. Head over to your medium saucepan and melt that tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Once it’s shimmering, whisk in your flour. You’re making a quick roux here, so stir constantly for just one minute—don’t let it brown! Now, slowly, slowly whisk in the chicken broth, making sure you break up any lumps as you go. Let this simmer gently for about three to five minutes until it just starts looking a little thicker.

Reduce the heat way down to low—we don’t want a scorched bottom! Whisk in the heavy cream, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Next, drop in those cubed cream cheese pieces. Keep stirring gently until every single cube has dissolved and your sauce is silky smooth. This is the moment! Stir in the drained green chiles and then about half of your Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. Let those melt in until the sauce is totally unified and gorgeous. See? You made a sauce!

SAVE

Assembling Your Quick Chicken Enchiladas

Time to marry the filling components. Take about half a cup of that glorious white sauce you just made and gently mix it into your bowl of shredded chicken. This moistens the meat so it doesn’t taste dry inside the tortilla. While you are doing that, warm up your flour tortillas. I usually wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave them for about 20 seconds. Warm tortillas are flexible tortillas, and flexible tortillas don’t crack when you roll them!

Spoon about a quarter cup of the seasoned chicken mixture down the center spine of each warmed tortilla. Roll them up tightly and place them seam-side DOWN into that prepared baking dish. Don’t worry if they look a little snug; they settle together perfectly once baked for these Quick Chicken Enchiladas.

Baking and Resting the Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Now for the best part! Pour all that remaining white sauce right over the tops of your rolled-up tortillas. Make sure every single one gets a little blanket of sauce. From there, sprinkle the top with the rest of your Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. Get it nice and covered!

SAVE

Slide that beautiful dish into your 375°F oven and bake it for about 20 to 25 minutes. You are looking for that sauce to be bubbly all over and the cheese on top to be perfectly melted and just starting to get those pretty golden spots. When they come out, resist the urge to dive in immediately! Let your wonderful Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas rest on the counter for five minutes. This brief rest helps the sauce set up so when you slice into them, everything holds together beautifully.

Tips for Success with Your Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce

We’ve got the recipe down, but in my kitchen, I believe the little tweaks are what elevate a good meal to an incredible one. These Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce are already simple, but these tips will ensure they are absolutely foolproof every single time you make them. Think of these as little secrets I picked up over the years to make sure our family dinners always came out looking and tasting like a five-star Tex-Mex joint!

First up, let’s talk about the sauce consistency. If you find your sauce thickened up a bit too much while you were chopping your chicken or warming your tortillas, don’t panic! This is common, especially if you’re cooking on a high simmer. Just grab a splash of extra chicken broth or even a little milk, and stir it in slowly over low heat until it returns to that lovely, pourable consistency we want. Remember, it still has cheese to melt in, so aim for just slightly thinner than what you think you need.

Another thing I’ve learned about keeping those tortillas happy and un-torn relates to how you handle them. You can’t just toss cold tortillas into the filling! They have to be soft. If the microwave method feels too quick, grabbing a dry skillet over medium-low heat and warming each one for about 15 seconds per side works wonders. It makes them pliable and stretchy so they hug that filling tightly instead of snapping mid-roll. Trust me, torn tortillas make for a messy baking dish, and we want neat, tidy rows of pure comfort food!

SAVE

Now, about the cheese—don’t be tempted to pre-shredded cheese in a bag if you can avoid it. Pre-shredded often contains anti-caking agents that make the sauce turn a little gritty. I always buy the block of Monterey Jack and cheddar and grate it myself right before using it. That extra two minutes of grating yields a noticeable difference in the smoothness of your final creamy dish.

And finally, a note on the green chiles. Make sure you drain them well! If they introduce too much liquid, it will thin out your beautiful white sauce and make your Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas a little watery while baking. A quick shake over the sink or dabbing them dry with a paper towel makes a big difference in the final texture of the sauce.

Make Ahead & Storage for Family Dinner Chicken Enchiladas

One of the best things about these Family Dinner Chicken Enchiladas is they are champions of meal prep! When I was deep in corporate chaos, knowing I could prep dinner on Sunday and just slip the dish into the oven after work on Tuesday felt like winning the lottery. These creamy chicken enchiladas are just as good next day, too, if you happen to have any leftovers, which I highly doubt you will!

You can absolutely assemble these things ahead of time. If you want to prep them completely—meaning you’ve rolled them, smothered them in sauce, and topped them with cheese—just cover the entire 9×13 dish tightly with plastic wrap or foil. I always double-wrap them just to be safe against any fridge smells. You can keep them like this in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. We’ve all relied on make-ahead meals to save sanity, and this fits the bill perfectly!

When it’s time to bake them straight from the fridge, just remember that they are starting colder than usual. So, if the recipe calls for 20-25 minutes, plan on adding about 10 extra minutes to your bake time. You want that sauce completely hot and bubbly throughout the center before you pull them out.

Storing Leftover Chicken Enchiladas

Okay, let’s say miracles happened and you have some left over! Great news: these reheat beautifully. Place your leftovers into an airtight container. They generally keep well in the refrigerator for about three to four days. If you’re trying to save them longer, you can even freeze individual portions right now, wrapped well in plastic wrap and then tucked into a freezer bag.

Reheating Your Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

How you reheat them depends on how many glorious servings you saved! For larger quantities, the oven is my top choice. Transfer the desired amount back into a small oven-safe dish, cover it loosely with foil (this prevents the cheese top from turning rock-hard), and bake at 350 degrees F until they are heated through, usually about 15 to 20 minutes. Peek under the foil near the end if you want to crisp up that cheese topping again.

If you are just grabbing one or two servings for a quick lunch, the microwave is your friend. Just put them on a microwave-safe plate and heat them in short 45-second bursts until they are piping hot throughout. They won’t be quite as crispy as the oven leftovers, but they’ll still be fantastically cheesy and comforting!

Variations on Classic Chicken Enchiladas

Part of the joy of cooking for me, Alex, is seeing how a great base recipe can transform with just one or two little tweaks. These creamy chicken enchiladas are fantastic on their own, but if you’re already used to them or maybe you’re trying to use up a random ingredient hiding in the pantry, you have some amazing options! This recipe is flexible, which is exactly what a busy home cook needs.

You already know we used cream cheese and a little Monterey Jack for incredible texture in that white sauce. However, you can easily adjust the tang factor of the sauce to keep things interesting. If you happen to have some sour cream hanging around—and who doesn’t?—toss about 1/4 cup of it into the sauce right after you melt the cream cheese. Stir that in gently before you add the final cheeses.

This little addition of sour cream gives the entire dish a bit more zip and a slightly tangier lift. It cuts through the richness of the cream beautifully, and it’s a subtle change that my husband always notices! It moves the flavor profile closer to what some folks call an enchilada with sour cream sauce, and it’s a winner every time.

SAVE

Another fun direction, especially if you love a little bit more depth in your Tex-Mex flavors, is leaning into the green elements. While my main recipe highlights those mild canned green chiles in the sauce, you could totally amp that up! If you are ready for something a bit bolder next time, I have a fantastic deep dive into spicy green chile chicken enchiladas that use tomatillos and fresh peppers if you want to take it completely off-script for a weekend.

Also, don’t forget your cheese blend! While the standard Jack and Cheddar are perfect for meltiness, try mixing in a quarter cup of Pepper Jack for a gentle spice, or maybe some smoked Gouda for a totally different, nutty flavor profile. It’s amazing how much a different cheese changes the whole experience without changing the fundamental technique of making that luscious white sauce!

Serving Suggestions for Your Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

You’ve baked the enchiladas, they’ve rested, and they are smelling absolutely incredible! Now, the final step before we dig in: toppings and sides. Even the very best creamy chicken enchiladas deserve some stellar companions on the plate. I like to think of the sides as dressing up the main dish—they add color, crunch, and contrast to that rich, warm filling. You want balance, right?

First, let’s talk about the absolute must-haves right on top. Since these are so cheesy and saucy, a little freshness goes a long way. Please, promise me you’ll serve these with a dollop of cool sour cream—it cuts through the richness perfectly. Fresh cilantro sprinkled liberally over the top adds that bright, herbal lift that screams Tex-Mex perfection. And don’t forget the avocado! Sliced avocado or a quick scoop of fresh guacamole adds healthy fat and a beautiful creamy texture contrast.

When it comes to the sides that fill out the plate, we need some substance! I always make a big batch of my fluffy Mexican rice alongside these. The rice soaks up any extra bits of that delicious white sauce, and it’s so easy to whip up while the enchiladas are baking. If you need a little green, a simple side of refried beans or black beans is always a traditional winner.

If you’re worried about freshness, a quick, crisp side salad tossed with a lime vinaigrette works too. But honestly, for true comfort food vibes, keep it classic: rice and perhaps a small bowl of pickled jalapeños on the side for anyone who wants to kick up the heat level when they eat their chicken enchiladas!

Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Enchiladas

I get so many questions coming through my contact form—honestly, I love hearing from you all! It means you’re cooking, and that’s what this is all about. I’ve pulled together the most common queries I receive about these Creamy Chicken Enchiladas here. Hopefully, this helps smooth out any bumpy spots in your cooking journey, especially when you’re whipping these up for a quick weeknight dinner!

Can I use red sauce instead of white sauce for these chicken enchiladas?

That is such a common question! Since this particular recipe focuses on that glorious, comforting White Sauce, the spice blend is tuned to complement creaminess—think cumin and garlic powder. But yes, absolutely! You can swap it out. If you decide to use canned red enchilada sauce, just skip the broth, cream, cumin, and cream cheese steps. Use about 3 cups of good quality canned red sauce instead. You’ll still want to mix your chicken with about 1/2 cup of *that* red sauce before rolling. They are totally different vibes, but both delicious!

How do I keep the tortillas from getting soggy in my chicken enchiladas?

Soggy tortillas are a nightmare, especially when you’re counting on that beautiful bake time! The warmth is key, as we talked about. If the tortillas are room temperature or cold, they tend to absorb the sauce too quickly and you end up with mush. Make sure you warm them just until they are super pliable—that slight steam helps seal them up. Also, try not to drown the very bottom layer of enchiladas when you pour the remaining sauce on top; focus most of that sauce over the tops and sides, giving the bottom a thinner coat.

What is the best way to shred the chicken quickly?

If you’re not using rotisserie chicken—my preferred method for speed—I have two go-to tricks! The first is the pressure cooker if you have raw chicken breasts or thighs. They cook in about 15 minutes, and then you can shred them right in the pot using two forks. But if you’re baking or boiling raw chicken and you want speed? Throw the cooked chicken pieces into your stand mixer! Attach the paddle attachment (not the whisk!) and run it on low speed for about 30 seconds. It shreds perfectly evenly, making your filing prep lightning-fast! Seriously, try the mixer trick next time; some folks even post videos of it on social media, like over on my page at Pure Cooking Joy!

Ultimate Easy Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas with Rotisserie Chicken

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I’m Alex, and I am happy you are here. These creamy white chicken enchiladas use rotisserie chicken for a quick, comforting, and cheesy weeknight dinner. This recipe is simple to make and delivers big flavor.

• Author: purejoyalex
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 25 min
• Total Time: 40 min
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Tex-Mex
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken works great)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• Cooking spray

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
3. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth until smooth. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking until it thickens slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in the heavy cream, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined.
5. Add the cubed cream cheese to the sauce, stirring until it melts completely and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the drained green chiles and 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese until melted. This is your white sauce.
6. In a bowl, mix the shredded chicken with 1/2 cup of the white sauce.
7. Warm the flour tortillas briefly in the microwave or a dry skillet to make them pliable.
8. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up the tortillas tightly and place them seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.
9. Pour the remaining white sauce evenly over the rolled enchiladas.
10. Top the enchiladas with the remaining 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.
11. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and lightly golden.
12. Let the enchiladas rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve immediately.

Notes

• For make-ahead convenience, assemble the enchiladas completely, cover the dish, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Add 10 minutes to the bake time if baking straight from the refrigerator.
• If you prefer a tangier flavor, substitute 1/4 cup of the heavy cream with sour cream in the sauce mixture.
• Serve these cheesy chicken enchiladas with fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, or a dollop of sour cream.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 enchiladas
• Calories: 580
• Sugar: 4
• Sodium: 750
• Fat: 35
• Saturated Fat: 18
• Unsaturated Fat: 17
• Trans Fat: 1
• Carbohydrates: 38
• Fiber: 2
• Protein: 30
• Cholesterol: 110