For seasoned cooks and kitchen novices, cookbook author and nutritionist Robin Miller takes it back to basics with great, family-friendly recipes worth making over and over again.
Robin Miller| Special for The Republic
White chicken enchiladas are baked under a satiny white cream sauce flecked with green chilies, topped with bubbling jack cheese and hit with a dollop of tangy sour cream. They offer incredible depth of flavor in every bite, which you might find hard to believe after reading the super short ingredient list.
Basically, the only thing you're making from scratch is the sauce. Don’t be afraid of the cream sauce. I say this because when folks see a butter-flour roux, they often panic. Take note: You cannot mess up this cream sauce. We start with a simple blend of melted butter and flour. Stand by the stove for a minute, without walking away, and you’ll be fine. It’s just a minute. We create the base of the sauce with chicken broth, not milk or cream, so you don’t have to worry about curdling. And we let the sauce cool for a few minutes before adding sour cream and chiles, which further prevents breaking the sauce.
This dish can also be made ahead to have on deck after a long day or as a crowd-pleasing meal to serve at a party. To make them in advance, assemble the stuffed tortillas as instructed and arrange them in the pan. Make the sauce as instructed, but keep the enchiladas and sauce separate until ready to bake (this prevents soggy tortillas). Cover the enchiladas and sauce with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, pull the enchiladas and sauce from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. If the sauce has thickened too much to pour, reheat it in a saucepan over low heat, adding a little broth or milk if necessary to thin it out. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, top with the cheese and bake as instructed.
Follow the easy instructions below and you'll be rewarded with the creamiest, most delicious white enchilada sauce you've ever made.
Enchiladas
A simple combination of pre-cooked chicken, tortillas, plenty of Monterey jack cheese and an easy, homemade cream sauce mean this dish is as easy to make as it is to enjoy. Here's what you need in your shopping cart.
Chicken. This recipe calls for 4 cups of shredded or chopped cooked chicken. There are just two ingredients inside the tortillas — chicken and cheese — so I strongly suggest using ultra-flavorful rotisserie chicken. Rotisserie chickens are seasoned and brined and always come out moist and delicious. If you’d rather use your own cooked chicken, use roasted or poached chicken, or leftover chicken from a previous meal. Both light and dark meat work (or a combination). When using your own cooked chicken, make sure it’s well seasoned.
Tortillas. The classic choice for these enchiladas is small (fajita-size) flour tortillas. Depending on how thick you stuff the tortillas, you'll need 8 to 10 for this recipe. If you’re looking for a gluten-free option, use gluten-free or corn tortillas instead. When using corn tortillas, warm them in a dry skillet before rolling to prevent cracking.
Cheese. I used shredded Monterey jack cheese both in the enchiladas and on top of the sauce. For the best flavor and meltability, I suggest buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself. If you’d like a little more heat, use pepper jack cheese. You can also use a shredded Mexican cheese blend.
Butter and flour. As mentioned above, we use a roux to thicken our cream sauce. It’s a simple blend of butter and flour. For a gluten-free alternative, use gluten-free flour.
Broth. Chicken broth makes up the bulk of this sauce, so choose a good-quality product. Choose low or no sodium broth so you can control the salt level.
Seasonings. While most white sauces contain no seasonings, I add aromatic onion and garlic to this enchilada sauce. Both add depth and complexity. You could also add adobo seasoning or taco seasoning, if you like.
Sour cream. Sour cream finishes the sauce and adds richness and tang. I recommend using full fat for the best results; lower fat sour cream often curdles when heated.
Chopped green chilies. Canned chopped green chilies (sometimes label diced or minced) are ripe chilies that have been roasted, peeled and chopped. You can use mild, hot or fire-roasted green chilies in the sauce. If you’re sensitive to spiciness, note that even the mild varieties deliver a tiny amount of heat. Taste and adjust the amount as needed.
Garnishes. While not necessary, garnishes add great color and a burst of fresh flavor to the enchiladas. I suggest fresh green onions or cilantro or both.
Additions. These white chicken enchiladas are flawless as is, but if you want to beef up the filling, consider adding diced bell peppers, minced jalapeños, seasoned or regular canned black beans, fresh corn or canned Mexican-style corn.
Chicken enchilada recipe
While it's unlikely you'll have any leftovers of this creamy white chicken enchilada dish, if you do, be sure to cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap (or transfer to an airtight container) and refrigerate for up to 3 days. While you can freeze leftovers, sour cream tends to change its texture and separate upon thawing, so it’s not recommended.
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken, preferably rotisserie chicken, or well-seasoned roasted or poached chicken
- 3 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
- 8 to 10 small (fajita-size) flour tortillas, or tortillas of choice (i.e., gluten-free, corn)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream, preferably full fat
- 4-ounce can chopped or diced green chilies, mild, hot or fire-roasted
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions, or chopped fresh cilantro, or both, optional for garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray or a thin layer of olive oil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and 1 cup of the Monterey jack cheese. Mix to combine.
- Arrange the tortillas on a flat surface and spoon an equal amount of the chicken mixture straight down the center. Roll up the tortillas and place them, seam-side down, in the prepared pan. Nestle them tightly if necessary. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until blended. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds to gently cook the flour (and remove its raw taste). Whisk in the broth, garlic powder, onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens to a gravy-like consistency. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes (don’t skip this step or the sour cream may curdle).
- Whisk the sour cream into the cooled broth mixture until blended. Fold in the green chilies and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the enchiladas in the pan. Use a spatula to pull the enchiladas from the edges of the pan, allowing the sauce to drip down the sides. Top with the remaining 2 cups of Monterey jack cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese melts. If desired, place the pan under the broiler to get the cheese golden.
- Top with green onions and/or cilantro (if using) and serve.
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