Creamy Chicken Enchiladas With Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

I have probably made at least a dozen different recipes for Chicken Enchiladas over the years. It seems every time I see a “new” one I am compelled to try it! It is one of my favorite chicken dishes! The creamier, the better! Typically the “creamy” chicken enchilada recipes call for sour cream, or whipping cream, or cream cheese, or cream of chicken soup….or some such combination. This is the first time I made a roux for the cream sauce mixture and wow…it turned out so delicious and creamy!

My husband was a big fan…and agreed…it was definitely the creamiest version we’ve tried yet. Now, just because I mentioned the word “roux”…don’t go running away thinking that sounds too complicated! Honestly, it’s so easy and takes only minutes! And in this case, I think it makes all the difference. So let’s give it a try….shall we?

Thanks to Joyful Momma’s Kitchen for this recipe! I adapted it a tiny bit to make it Gluten Free (minor changes you don’t need to make) and changed the name to reflect its’ best features!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce

Adapted from Joyful Momma’s Kitchen

10 soft taco shells (I used corn)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour (I used Gluten Free)
2 cups chicken broth (I used chicken stock from a carton)
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan
Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan, seam side down.
In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute on medium heat. Add broth (or stock) and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly. (Only takes a couple of minutes)
Stir in sour cream and chiles until combined. Do not bring to boil.
Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes. (Original recipe called for putting it under the broiler for 3 minutes at the end to brown the cheese. We’re not big “brown cheese” fans…so I omitted that step.)

I personally love this dish “naked”….just the way it is! But the hubster and kidlets like to doctor it up with sour cream and salsa. If I had some fresh cilantro around, I definitely would have thrown a little of that on top for color and flavor. I love the flavor of cilantro!

Overall impression: delicious, creamy, quick and easy, economical, and a crowd-pleaser! I’d have to give it four stars! :-) Oh…and an EXTRA gold star for being “leftover-friendly”. My hubby was already eyeing it for his lunch tomorrow.

So the next time you get the hankerin’ for creamy chicken enchiladas….emphasis on the creamy…give this recipe a whirl. And while you’re cooking it make sure you throw out the word “roux” a few times to impress your family and friends. ;-)