Filled with savory chicken, cheese, black beans and corn, these delicious Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas are a Mexican-inspired indulgence, especially when drizzled with an amazingly creamy and tangy homemade white sauce!
Why We Love It
We love chicken and cheese. We also love Mexican dishes. Anytime we have a chance to eat Rotel, guacamole and sour cream with something, we get excited. So it’s no surprise that we love these Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas! Whenever this dish is made with its tangy, cheesy, creamy goodness, it is a special treat! For an extra indulgence, we enjoy these enchiladas with our Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw!
And before we go any further, while these may look more like baked burritos than enchiladas, these ARE yummy enchiladas. I promise. Because of the folding method and the burritio-sized tortillas that are used, consider this a fusion of the best of both worlds!
Why You’ll Love It
Have leftover chicken in the fridge? This is a great way to use it. Maybe you’re craving Mexican inspiration. Maybe you love cheese and sour cream too. If so, then this dish is for you! You can make it ahead of time (even one day ahead) and bake it in the oven when you’re ready to indulge in cheese-infused Mexican-inspired comfort.
Love enchiladas, but in more of a soup mood? Check out our Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup, which (you guessed it) was inspired by this recipe!
Ingredients for Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
For the Enchiladas:
- 4 cups precooked chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed (can substitute canned corn)
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 7-8 oz. bag reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese blend (I usually use Sargento’s Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican)
- 8 burrito-sized flour tortillas
For the Creamy White Sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 &1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 &1/2 cups light or reduced fat sour cream (Breakstone’s or Daisy’s recommended)
- 1 &1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided (save 1/4 cup of this for your topping)
Optional toppings of your choice could include scallions, diced avocado, Rotel, salsa, enchilada sauce and more!
How to make Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
You’ll want to gather the following equipment:
- large cutting board
- chef’s knife
- medium saucepan
- stirring spoon
- large casserole dish or baking pan, lightly prepared with cooking spray
- parchment paper
Check out my video from my YouTube channel!
Kitchen Ready Betty tips:
- Before starting, thaw the frozen corn in a small bowl. You can always add a little water to your bowl to expedite the thawing process. Just be sure to drain the excess water before adding the corn to the enchiladas.
- Rinse and drain the black beans.
- Prep the chicken. Using your cutting board and knife, cut your pre-cooked chicken into 1 inch pieces.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Now Comes the Fun Part! It’s time to Assemble Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas!
Place a large piece of parchment paper on a workspace. Create 8 separate piles of chicken, black beans and corn as shown above.
Next, sprinkle the Mexican Cheese on top. Evenly distribute the entire bag over the 8 piles.
Now let’s get out the tortillas!. Place one plain burrito-sized tortilla on a separate workspace. This could be a large plate, additional cutting board, or even an additional piece of parchment paper for quick cleanup. Scoop up one of your chicken/corn/black bean/cheese piles and place it in the center.
Folding time! Now, I recognize that traditionally, enchiladas are rolled up in corn tortillas, but because I like to use burrito-sized flour tortillas, I fold them. I fold in the two sides toward the center, then I fold the bottom in toward the center and roll the tortilla up to the top. I then flip the folded tortilla over and place it into my prepared baking dish.
Again, I want to stress that while these don’t look like traditional enchiladas, this is the way I like to do it. This is a personal preference, but one that has always worked well for me!
Kitchen Ready Betty tip: Even when I use foil in a pan, I lightly grease it by spraying it with cooking spray.
How to Make the Creamy White Sauce
- Place the flour and chicken broth in your saucepan. Stir over medium high heat until mixture gently boils. Then reduce the heat to low and cook another 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit an additional 2 minutes.
- Gently fold the sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese into the sauce. (Remember, we are saving the other 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese for the topping).
- Stir, stir, stir. We want the sour cream and the shredded cheese to blend into the sauce. What we don’t want are large chunks or glops of cream or cheese floating around in there, so stir the sauce until it is smooth.
Drizzle the sauce over the enchiladas in the pan.
Then sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Then let stand 5 minutes before serving. Make sure you have your favorite toppings on hand (for us, it’s Rotel and a little guac) for the ultimate yummy experience!
If you’re making Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas ahead of time and cooking it later (like I often do), simply cover your baking dish and place it in the fridge. It can stay there for up to 24 hours. Keep in mind it will most likely take an additional 10-15 minutes to bake if you choose this option because it is starting out cold.
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Leftovers?
Lucky you, because you get to enjoy them again!
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within three days.
Reheating instructions: Bake covered at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until enchiladas are heated through.
Because of the sour cream, freezing is not recommended.
A Note About the Chicken
We love using leftover grilled chicken breast for this recipe. It is our go-to every time. But it’s understood that you might not always have that on hand, so yes, you can use a rotisserie chicken instead if that’s easier for you!
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Description
Filled with savory chicken, cheese, black beans and corn, these delicious enchiladas are a Mexican-inspired indulgence, especially when drizzled with an amazingly creamy and tangy homemade white sauce!
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Enchiladas
Creamy White Sauce
Instructions
Prep time!
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Before starting, thaw frozen corn in a small bowl.
For faster thawing, place cold water in the bowl with the corn. Drain before adding to the enchiladas. -
Cut pre-cooked chicken into 1 inch pieces.
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Drain and rinse black beans.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Enchilada Assembly:
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Lay a large piece of parchment paper on workspace. Place 8 separate piles of chicken on the paper; then top each pile with corn, followed by black beans and then cheese.
You will use the entire bag of Mexican cheese. Evenly distribute it over the 8 separate piles. For guidance, refer to the pictures in the above post. -
Place one burrito-sized flour tortilla on a separate workspace. Place one chicken/corn/black bean/cheese pile from step above in the center. Fold in the two sides of the tortilla toward the center. Next fold the bottom in toward the center; then roll up to the top. Turn folded tortilla over and place in a lightly greased baking dish. Repeat this step until all 8 tortillas are filled.
For guidance, refer to the pictures in the above post.
Make the Creamy White Sauce.
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Place flour and chicken broth in a saucepan. Stir over medium high heat until mixture gently boils. Reduce heat to low and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit an additional 2 minutes.
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Gently fold sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese into the sauce. Stir until sauce is smooth and fully incorporated.
The other 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese will be used for the topping (see next step). -
Pour the white sauce over the folded enchiladas in the pan. Then top with remaining cheese.
Bake.
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Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling.
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Allow enchiladas to rest for 5 minutes before serving, then enjoy with your favorite toppings!
Topping suggestions include Rotel, fresh salsa, additional sour cream, enchilada sauce, sliced avocadoes and more!
Enjoy it again!
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Storage.
Store in an airtight container, refrigerate and enjoy any leftovers within 3 days. Do not freeze.
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Reheating instructions:
Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until enchiladas are heated through.
Note
You can prepare this dish ahead of time! Assemble the enchiladas and drizzle them with their sauce. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Please note: You will bake these uncovered because they haven't been cooked yet, but you will most likely have to add on an additional 10-15 minutes of oven time.
You can swap out the pre-cooked chicken breast for rotisserie.
Feel free to use a different cheese for the filling or topping. I try to use reduced fat cheese when I can, but Sargento's Nacho and Taco cheese would probably be excellent in this recipe!
