White chicken enchiladas are a great make-ahead meal. You’ll be over the moon knowing creamy enchiladas are waiting in your fridge at the end of the day!
White chicken enchiladas are one of those meals that threaten to make me crazy, only because I’m such a perfectionist when it comes to my cooking. I’ve told you guys about my food tantrums, right? Well, I’m a grown-up and I’ve told myself that having food tantrums is ridiculous, but when I make enchiladas all bets are off. Now, if I cook the tortillas for a few seconds in oil to soften them, they won’t break…but let’s be real. Who has time for that?
So, when I made these and heated the tortillas in the microwave I held my breath and hoped for the best. As you can see…they broke. And I almost threw in the towel and stopped taking photos of this dish because broken tortillas. Then, however, I remembered that the people who read my blog are real people who also break tortillas and this is not Food and Wine paying me to get glamour shots of the enchiladas. Because let’s be honest…food photos are about lies. If you see pretty enchiladas in a picture, they have probably been fabricated in some way very different from the way that you would actually make enchiladas in your own kitchen. So I’m here to tell you: Chattavore makes real food in a real kitchen. I promise not to get too real…I’ll always wipe the crumbs off the counter before I take a picture!
These may not look pretty, but the beauty in these white chicken enchiladas lies in the fact that you can cook up all the components when you have about 20 extra minutes (assuming you have some shredded chicken stored away somewhere, which I usually do), put everything in the fridge, and then assemble and bake. Perfect for a night when those 20 extra minutes might put you over the edge on time. There’s nothing like coming home and knowing that dinner is in the fridge, almost ready.
Oh, and the other beautiful thing about these white chicken enchiladas is how great they taste. Honestly, I am not a fan of the usual red enchiladas. Enchiladas always look and sound so good when I see them on a restaurant menu, but then I’m always disappointed when I order them because they’re so….meh. These though? These are not meh, not at all.
So, if coming home to almost ready to eat white chicken enchiladas waiting for you in the fridge is your idea of a great evening, you should definitely make these. You will not be sad that you did.
Yield: 4 servings
10 minPrep Time:
45 minCook Time:
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, seeded, quartered, and sliced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded and divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded chicken (I used smoked chicken, which was a fantastic idea)
- 8-ounce can salsa verde, divided
- 8 corn tortillas
- toppings: sour cream, chopped cilantro, avocado
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until beginning to turn translucent. Add the bell pepper and jalapeño and cook until tender.
- Sprinkle the flour over the cooked vegetables. Cook and stir for one minute. Add the cream and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream and 1/4 of the cheese until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a covered bowl and store in the refrigerator.
- Combine the chicken with half of the salsa verde. Pour the remaining salsa into a bowl and store in the refrigerator. Wrap the tortillas in paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds.
- Place 1/4 cup of the chicken and a tablespoon of cheese into each tortilla and carefully roll up (some of them will probably break, but that’s okay!). Arrange the tortillas in 2-2.5 quart oblong baking dish. Cover and store in refrigerator. Place the remaining cheese in a bag or covered bowl and store in refrigerator.
- To finish the dish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the sauce in the microwave or a small saucepan until it reaches a pourable consistency. Spread over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is browned. Serve immediately topped with remaining salsa and other desired toppings.
Click here to print the recipe for make-ahead white chicken enchiladas!
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