SOUR CREAM CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas are rich, creamy and easy to make!  Tender juicy chicken, onion and loads of cheese are wrapped in flour tortillas and smothered in a simple homemade sour cream sauce, topped with cheese and baked until brown and bubbly!

Originally published April 6, 2014. Now updated with re-edited text and photos. Instructions were are also reworded to clarify points.


I’m a Mexican food hound… meaning I love it ALL. But a lot of my Mexican cooking tastes similar because I love the taste. I’ll call it spicy taco-ish.

And most of my chicken dishes have some of that red chili taste, also. This is a different good. Very good but not the “kicktail” Mexican I’m known for and not spicy.

Based on a geniouskitchen.com recipe Simple Sour Cream Enchiladas but I don’t know the origin since essentially the same recipe appears in many places.

The geniouskitchen.com version is from 2005 but I found one all the way back to 2001, but is just a posted recipe on a board so who knows the real origin.


I’ve never met an enchilada I don’t love but I have to admit, this recipe for sour cream enchiladas is probably my favorite recipe of all time. When I was a little girl my mom would make these for me, and it’s something my kids always beg me to make for them too!

These enchiladas have a shredded chicken filling rolled in a soft flour tortilla and are smothered in a simple and creamy sour cream sauce.  A layer of monterey jack cheese is sprinkled on top and the whole casserole is baked until hot and bubbly.  This delicious meal is the ultimate comfort food and one dish your family will request over and over again!

I have clarified the instructions a provided a more step by step instructions that will make it easier to get it perfect first time and every time.

The main differences in the various versions of this recipe was the amount of chicken.

The first time I did this recipe it was with 1 pound of chicken. It is quite acceptable, but I recommending 1 1/2 pound with a range of 1-2 pounds. We love meat here.

This is not spicy. Feel free to spice it up if you wish but this is Mexican for the whole family including the little ones as written.

he best part about this recipe, is that it’s really easy to make (and I’m all about easy in the kitchen).  I start with flour tortillas (you can most certainly replace them with corn tortillas if you prefer) and then create a simple from scratch sour cream sauce.  Don’t let the words “from scratch” scare you away from this recipe, the sauce is not only easy to make, it’s really quick, creamy and delicious!  We sometimes add in  a couple of ounces of cream cheese if I have it on hand and stir until hot and melted before adding the sour cream. This recipe works well with either regular sour cream or light and of course we love that it’s made without cream of chicken soup. You’ll want to be sure to turn the heat down to low before adding the sour cream so it doesn’t curdle.

If you’d like to add a little bit of extra kick and zest to this recipe, you can also add in a can of Rotel tomatoes to either the sauce or the filling.  We love the flavor it adds! I sometimes sneak veggies into the filling to stretch it out a little bit or to use up extras in the fridge.

For the filling in these chicken enchiladas, you can use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken breasts (we sometimes even use Slow Cooker Taco Shredded chicken in these which adds amazing flavor as well). If you prefer, these are also great made with lean ground beef.  If you prefer a milder onion flavor, you can cook the onion a little bit in some olive oil before adding it to the chicken. I love spice so I also add chopped jalapeno in mine.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb chicken breast diced or shredded. Use 1-2 pounds.
  • 1 onion medium
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 8 flour tortillas 8 inch each
  • 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 15 ounce chicken broth
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 ounce chopped green chilis

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 convection or 400 conventional.
  2. Trim and dice about 1 1/2 pound skinless boneless chicken breast into about 1/2 inch or smaller pieces. Dice one medium onion. You can use anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds of chicken.
  3. Add one tablespoon oil to a large fry pan over medium-high heat and when hot add chicken and onion together. Cook until chicken is done. About 5 minutes. (I checked the chicken with an instant read thermometer for 165. Only for the paranoid, it will also be cooked in the oven.)
  4. Spray a 9 by 13 baking dish with PAM. Heat 8 tortillas (8 inches) in a microwave for 15-20 seconds to soften.
  5. Assemble the enchiladas. On a tortilla add about 1/4 cup of chicken/onion (more if you increased the chicken) and about two tablespoons of Monterey Jack cheese. Place this not in the center but about at the 1/3 mark then roll over the short end and roll tightly. Place seam down in the baking pan. Repeat until done.
  6. In a medium saucepan melt four tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter over medium heat. When melted, add 1/4 cup flour. Whisk together and cook for a few minutes then add one can chicken broth and continuously whisk until thickened then a few minutes more.
  7. Remove from heat and add 1 cup sour cream and 1 (4 ounces) can chopped green chilis
  8. Pour over the assembled enchiladas. Top with 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese.
  9. Bake until golden brown and bubbling. About 20 minutes.

Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:

  • Use 1-2 pounds of chicken. It could be as little as 1 pound or as much as 2 pounds. Diced or shredded. Get you chicken where you can. Cook as directed or use precooked.
  • The tortillas will be much more flexible if warmed slightly in the microwave.
  • This is a bit bland so you can spice it up with some cayenne pepper or cu min.
  • I like the Monteray Jack cheese here but use what you want.
  • Cook to a nice brown top.

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All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.

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