These sour cream chicken enchiladas are going to be your new go-to enchilada recipe! Rotisserie chicken and black beans are folded into tortillas, then topped with creamy green chile sauce and pepper jack cheese.
Don't get me wrong, enchiladas are always delicious—the Tex-Mex flavors, satisfying filling, and all that cheese. (So! Much! Cheese!) But when you make the enchilada sauce creamy, it really takes them to the next level of deliciousness.
These sour cream chicken enchiladas have everything you love about the traditional enchilada recipe, but they're also smothered in a creamy green chile sauce. The sauce is made with sour cream, green chiles, and taco seasoning, and it's absolutely amazing.
Even better, this recipe uses rotisserie chicken for the filling, which saves you time in the kitchen. You can pick up a whole rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and use it to make these sour cream chicken enchiladas, pair it with air fryer asparagus and ranch potatoes another night, and still have enough to make chicken gnocchi soup on the third day!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Salted butter
- Red onion
- Taco seasoning – Use store-bought or homemade taco seasoning.
- All-purpose flour
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Full-fat sour cream
- Green chiles – You can use mild or hot, depending on your family’s taste preferences.
- Black beans
- Rotisserie chicken – Remove the skin, then use a fork to shred the chicken.
- Pepper jack cheese – Monterey jack or a Mexican blend will work too, but I love the added flavor that pepper jack brings to the table.
- Flour tortillas
What Kind of Tortillas Are Used for Enchiladas?
This is one of those food-related topics that people have strong feelings about!
While corn tortillas are the most authentic option, I prefer to use flour tortillas for enchiladas. I find that they're less likely to tear, and they hold up better to being rolled and filled. And, in this sour cream chicken enchilada recipe, I think the milder flavor of flour tortillas works better with the sauce.
How to Make Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Get ready for a delicious Tex-Mex dinner! Here’s how to make these sour cream chicken enchiladas.
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter.
Make the sauce. Set a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the onions and cook for a minute or two, or until they’re softened. Stir in the taco seasoning and flour and let this cook for 30 seconds, or until a paste forms. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth; whisk in a little, then once the mixture is smooth, whisk in a little more. Once you've added all the broth, let this cook until the sauce has the consistency of a creamy salad dressing, then reduce the heat to low and stir in the sour cream and chiles. Remove from heat.
Make the filling. Combine the beans, chicken, a cup of pepper jack cheese, and a cup of the sauce in a large mixing bowl.
Assemble. Spread ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom of the prepared pan. Fill each tortilla with ½ cup of the chicken mixture. Roll the tortillas and place the seam side down on pan. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and top them with the cheese.
Cook. Set the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are beginning to brown on the edges.
Broil. Move the baking dish to the top rack and broil on high for about 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on it to make sure the cheese and tortillas don’t burn!
Serve. Let the enchiladas sit for 10 minutes, then garnish with jalapeños (picked or fresh), cilantro, and diced red onions.
Tips for Success
This sour cream chicken enchilada recipe is easy, but these tips will help make sure it turns out perfect:
- Don’t over fill the tortillas. If you do, the filling will ooze out as they bake. Use a scant ½ cup for each so you have enough to get to the end.
- Shred your own cheese. While you can use pre-shredded cheese if you’re in a time-crunch, I always recommend shredding your own. Pre-shredded cheese has cellulose added to keep the shreds from clumping together, which affects how it melts.
- Know your broiler. If yours tends to cook things faster, check the dish after a minute; if it cooks things unevenly, turn the pan at the halfway point. It’s easy for things to go from toasty and lightly browned to burnt very quickly!
Variations
Want to switch things up? I’ve got lots of ideas:
- Make it meatless. Swap the rotisserie chicken for a plant-based chicken substitute, or up the veggie factor by using roasted cauliflower instead.
- Use leftovers. Leftover baked chicken, or even turkey, can also be used to make these enchiladas.
- Add corn. Fresh, frozen, or canned corn is delicious in the filling.
- Swap the beans for rice. Not a bean fan? You can use cooked Mexican rice in place of the black beans.
Serving Suggestions
These sour cream chicken enchiladas are a meal on their own, but if you want to round things out, serve them alongside a simple side salad, Mexican rice, refried beans, or elotes.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Sour cream chicken enchiladas will last 3-4 days, and they can be reheated in a 350ºF oven or in the microwave until they’re warmed through.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
Yes, this recipe can be frozen. To freeze, place the enchiladas in a freezer safe dish, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat as directed above.
More Tex-Mex Favorites
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons red onion minced
- 2 ¼ teaspoon taco seasoning
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
- 1 (4-ounce) can green chilies
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken, about 1 pound (we like to use a rotisserie chicken)
- 2 cups pepper jack cheese shredded and divided
- 8 large flour tortillas
- Fresh chopped cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno peppers, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium sauce pan, make a roux. Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Sour cream chicken enchiladas will last 3-4 days, and they can be reheated in a 350ºF oven or in the microwave until they’re warmed through.
- Reduce heat to low and add in sour cream and green chilies. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine black beans, chicken, 1 cup of pepper jack cheese and 1 cup of the sour cream sauce you set aside.
- Apply cooking spray or grease a 9in X 13in baking pan. Coat the bottom of baking pan with ½ cup of sour cream sauce.
- Fill each tortilla with ½ cup of enchilada filling. Roll and place seam side down on baking pan.
- Pour remaining sour cream sauce over the enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake in oven on middle rack, uncovered for 20-25 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the tortillas should start to brown on edges.
- Move baking dish to top rack and broil on high for about 3 minutes. The cheese should start to brown but not burn, so watch carefully.
- Top with your favorite garnish like fresh cilantro, red onions or jalapeños.
Video
Notes
- Remove skin from rotisserie chicken before shredding.
- Check your enchiladas under the broiler about once an minute to be sure you do not burn the top of the dish
- Do not over fill the enchiladas. Use a scant ½ cup for each so you have enough to get to the end. You are not making burritos.
- Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with your favorite Mexican side. Mexican rice, refried beans etc.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days; they can be reheated in a 350ºF oven or in the microwave.
Cyndy
Super creamy and delicious. Using the store bought chicken made this recipe sooo much easier. My family loved it.
Jen
Delicious! I ended up blending up the black beans with the green chiles and a little chicken stock so that the filling was smoother. Perfect recipe for my entire family! Thank you!
Amy Nash
Great ideas!
Elena
It was a-ma-zing! What a great family dinner recipe!! My kids absolutely loved it. Thank you!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
This dish looks so easy and delicious, My family will love this as we always have leftover cooked chicken to use.
Beth
My kids love enchiladas and they really loved this version! So tasty and so easy to make.