Smothered in a creamy, tangy homemade white sauce, these family approved, Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas are packed full of savory chicken, corn, black beans and cheese!
This enchiladas recipe is a little unique because it uses burrito-sized flour tortillas instead of the traditional rolled corn tortillas.
The advantage to using the bigger size is that more tasty enchilada filling can be tucked inside-yum! Tender, precooked chicken, hearty black beans, corn and shredded Mexican cheese create a savory, hearty filling.
Once assembled (much like a burrito), the delicious and tangy homemade sour cream white sauce, along with additional cheese, is drizzled on top to seal in the goodness.
Serve the enchiladas with Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw and dinner is done.
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👪Why you'll love it
| Great for leftover chicken- This recipe uses 4 cups of precooked chicken. You can also use rotisserie. Make ahead if desired- Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas can be made in advance up to 1 day ahead of time! Tastes great with all your Taco Night sauces and condiments- If it goes well with a taco, it goes well with an enchilada! Two of our faves are South of the Border Salsa and Easy Cheesy Guacamole. |
Love enchiladas, but in more of a soup mood? Check out our Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup, which was inspired by this recipe!
🥘Ingredients
For the Enchiladas:
- precooked chicken breast- cut this into bite size pieces for easier eating
- frozen corn, thawed- can substitute canned or fresh corn
- black beans- provide a heartiness to the dish and added protein
- shredded Mexican cheese blend- I usually use Sargento's Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican
- burrito-sized flour tortillas- for easier folding, you may choose to heat these for about 30 seconds in the microwave
For the Creamy White Sauce:
- flour- thickens the sauce
- reduced sodium chicken broth- provides a savory flavor
- reduced fat sour cream- adds tang and cream
- shredded cheddar cheese, divided- some gets melted into the sauce and some is sprinkled on top
Optional toppings could include scallions, avocado, Rotel, salsa, jalapeño and fresh cilantro.
🔪Instructions
See recipe card for more detailed instructions
- On a clean workspace, create 8 separate piles consisting of chicken, black beans, corn, and cheese.
- Place one of the tortillas on a separate workspace. Scoop one of the piles into the center.
- Fold the tortilla as you would a burrito. Fold in the two sides toward the center, then fold the bottom in toward the center and roll up to the top. Flip the folded tortilla over and place it into a prepared lasagna pan.
- Place the flour and chicken broth in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium high heat until mixture gently boils. Then reduce the heat to low and cook another 2 minutes.
- Gently fold the sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese into the sauce.
- Drizzle the sauce over the enchiladas in the pan.
- Then sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top and bake.
Hint: When making the sauce on the stove, stir, stir, stir. You want the sour cream and the shredded cheese to blend into the sauce. What you don't want are large chunks or glops of cream or cheese floating around in there, so stir the sauce until it's smooth.
🥣Substitutions
Meat: Feel free to use leftover turkey or pork in this recipe. I would stick with poultry because it pairs better with the white sauce.
Beans: Pinto beans can be used instead of black beans for a slightly different flavor.
Cheese: Replace the Mexican cheese blend with cotija cheese, or add it in for extra flavor.
📖Variations
Spicy: Add 1 tablespoon of diced green chiles to the filling in each enchilada. Add a dash of hot sauce before folding the tortilla.
Smoky: Add a dash of chipotle sauce to each enchilada before folding the tortilla.
Very veggie: Add a can of sliced mushrooms and a can of mixed vegetables to the enchilada piles. If choosing this option, you can omit the frozen corn. You may even choose to omit the chicken and just add more cheese and beans.
🍽Equipment
- large cutting board
- serrated knife
- medium saucepan
- stirring spoon
- extra large casserole dish or lasagna baking pan, lightly prepared with cooking spray
- parchment paper, optional, can be used as a workspace
🍶Storage
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.
💭Top tip
Traditional enchilada recipes use corn tortillas that are rolled. This recipe uses flour burrito sized tortillas that get folded because they hold a lot more filling and are easier to work with. Warming the burrito tortillas for just 30 seconds each in the microwave makes them easy to fold.
🗨️FAQ
Most recipes say initially covered, so the sauce and tortillas don't dry out. But because our enchiladas are only baking for about 20 minutes, they can be uncovered the entire time.
This usually happens when sauce is placed in the bottom of the pan, which isn't necessary. Follow the instructions for this recipe and only use the sauce on top to avoid soggy enchiladas.
You want to use a good melting cheese, so yes, you could use mozzarella. Another good option is Monterey Jack.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas:
📋Recipe
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchiladas
- 4 cups pre-cooked chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed You can substitute 1 (12 ounce) can corn, drained
- 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 7-8 oz reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese blend Sargento's reduced fat 4 cheese Mexican blend recommended
- 8 burrito-sized flour tortillas
Creamy White Sauce
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 & ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 & ½ cups reduced fat sour cream Daisy or Breakstone's preferred
- 1 & ¼ cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided reserve ¼ cup of this for topping
Instructions
- Before starting, thaw frozen corn in a small bowl.
- Cut pre-cooked chicken into 1 inch pieces.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- 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.
- 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 lasagna pan. Repeat this step until all 8 tortillas are filled.
- Place flour and chicken broth in a medium 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.
- Gently fold sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese into the sauce. Stir until sauce is smooth and fully incorporated.
- Pour the white sauce over the folded enchiladas. Then top with remaining cheese.
- Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling.
- Allow enchiladas to rest for 5 minutes before serving, then enjoy with your favorite toppings!
- Store in an airtight container, refrigerate and enjoy any leftovers within 3 days. Do not freeze.
- Cover and bake leftovers at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until enchiladas are heated through.
Marie F. says
My kids loved this recipe. The sauce was excellent and tasted great with the enchiladas.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
The sauce really elevates this dish. So glad you gave it a try!