These easy Enchiladas con Pollo (Chicken Enchiladas) are for sure a family fave, and particularly a fave of my daughter’s. You might make them at your house, too because I think these have become wildly popular. These are the easy chicken enchiladas that have a sour cream/green chile sauce. And lots of cheese!
Enchiladas con Pollo – Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce
To give you an idea of how long this recipe for Enchiladas con Pollo has been a fave at my house, I pulled them from a cookbook my Sis gave me. Women of Great Taste. That cookbook was given to me in 1995! 22 years, folks! Or at least 22 years this year. Who knows how many years by the time you read this post!
About Enchiladas con Pollo:
Enchiladas con Pollo is perfect family fare and great comfort food. The filling is easy; nothing but chicken and cheese and a touch of green onion. That’s rolled in a flour tortilla and then stacked in a casserole. What’s not to love there?
It’s the sauce, though, that takes these next level. A creamy, dreamy sauce made of chicken broth and sour cream, flavored with mild green chiles. There’s no real heat at all, just flavor. Mix up your sauce and then let it flow over the top of those enchiladas (put a little on the bottom of the casserole, first, before the enchiladas are placed in it), and then add what our family calls a crapton of cheese! Yup, that’s our measurement, and no one in the fam knows where that descriptive word came from!
Despite the name, Enchiladas con Pollo, I gotta tell ya, this isn’t a Mexican recipe at all! It’s got all the hallmarks of a distinctly American/Southwestern dish. I use the name from the cookbook I made it from, but many people call these Green Chile Sour Cream Enchiladas or something along those lines.
Making Enchiladas con Pollo:
First of all, the timing depends on having already cooked chicken to start. Sizes can vary, but about 4 cups of shredded chicken is about 2 good sized chicken breasts. You can also use leftover (cook extra chicken for another meal earlier in the week) or Rotisserie chicken. Make sure that chicken has enough salt and pepper before rolling the enchiladas.
Start with the sauce. The directions are easy and straightforward. Just know that sauce will be on the thin side. Don’t forget to divide the cheese in the filling and save some to top the casserole during the last few minutes of baking. If the cheese for this or any casserole isn’t melting well and staying in distinct shreds, try giving it just the slightest mist with some water! It does the trick!
Options for Enchiladas con Pollo:
While I absolutely love the Sour Cream Green Chile sauce, sometimes I spark it up just a little with a dash or two of hot sauce or even better, a pinch of cayenne. That sauce is so good, I use it to smother other things (here’s a version on my Steak Chimichangas.)
I also sometimes sub in another filling for the plainer chicken/cheese combo shown in the recipe. If I’m feelin’ a little spicy (lol) I might just use my Chicken Tinga (very well-drained) as a filling and if I want to go a little richer, I use the filling for my Turkey or Chicken Enchiladas.
Storing and Reheating the Enchiladas:
When storing a heavy, dense dish like this, add to the fridge after it has cooled just a bit and either don’t cover or only cover very loosely until it is chilled. It will cool down faster that way. Cover once cool.
As far as reheating, know that the flour tortillas will become a little soggy and the sauce will thicken up. We generally reheat in the microwave, a serving of about 2 enchiladas with any sauce near it in the casserole, covered loosely, for about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
Do not freeze; the sauce and enchiladas will not get any better and possibly worse. Items made with a roux (mix of butter and flour) usually do not reheat well.
Saving Money on Enchiladas con Pollo:
- Chicken regularly goes on sale, so make it a habit to know the lowest price and what’s a good buy in your area. Break it down into packages and freeze.
- Stock up on all kinds of Mexican food products in the weeks before Cinco de Mayo when they hit rock bottom. I generally buy scads of green chiles and replenish my hot sauces and salsas. You might also find items like this at great prices around the Superbowl. Those links will lead you to my pages on how to save during the respective holiday weeks.
- Grocery Store Cheese is a great item to pick up at rock-bottom prices and keep on hand. It keeps for weeks, unopened, and can be frozen. After freezing, it will be a little crumbly but still great for casseroles and cooking.
Enchiladas con Pollo – Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce
Enchiladas con Pollo
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 40 minutes 1x
- Category: main dish
- Cuisine: southwestern
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 can (14 ½ oz) chicken broth
- ¾ cup water
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 small can chopped green chilies (about 4 ounces)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 flour tortillas
- 4 cups cooked & shredded chicken breast
- 3 to 4 cups shredded (12 to 16 ounces) Monterey jack cheese or another melty cheese of your choice, divided
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions for the filling (about a small bunch) and enough to sprinkle on top when casserole is finished
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and spray or grease a 13 x 9″ casserole.
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add flour, stir until smooth and cook for a minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Dip a spoon in the mixture and run your finger over the back; the line should hold a distinct shape.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly, two to three minutes, then whisk in the sour cream and green chiles. Pour about a third of the sauce in the bottom of the pan.
Combine the chicken, 8 ounces (2 cups) of the shredded cheese and 1/2 cup sliced green onion. Soften the tortillas in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Place about a half cup of the chicken mixture on each tortilla and roll, tucking in the sides as you go. Place seam side down in the casserole. Pour remaining sauce over the top.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cup or two cups cheese (however much you wish to use) and bake an additional five minutes until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining green onion before serving.
Note: this sauce is very good over any number of items, especially Chimichangas.
Keywords: Bargain Meal of the Week, Cheese, Chicken, Chicken Breast, enchiladas, Family Recipe, Green Onion, leftover Chicken, leftover turkey, Mexican or Southwestern, Monterey Jack, Sour cream, tortillas, women of great taste
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