White Chicken Creamy Enchiladas with a Gooey Cheese Pull

A hot enchilada lifted from the dish with a long, stretchy cheese pull is the whole promise of this recipe. Tender shredded chicken and melted Monterey Jack get rolled into soft flour tortillas, covered with a silky sour cream green chile sauce, and baked until the top bubbles and turns golden in spots. It comes together in about an hour with simple steps, and it reheats beautifully for a second dinner.

White chicken enchiladas trade the usual red chile sauce for a creamy, mild one built from a simple roux, chicken broth, sour cream and diced green chiles. The filling is shredded chicken bound with a little sauce and cheese, so every roll stays moist from the inside out.

Because the sauce thickens on the stove first, the bake is short: just long enough to heat the rolls through, melt the cheese blanket and set the sauce around them. The dish goes from oven to table in the same baking dish, and it cuts cleanly into saucy portions. Everything here uses everyday supermarket ingredients, and the method has no tricky moments for a weeknight cook.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

The method works because the sauce is cooked before it ever meets the tortillas. A butter and flour roux whisked with broth creates a stable, thickened base, and the sour cream goes in off the heat, where it can stir in smooth without curdling.

That pre-thickened sauce clings to the rolled tortillas instead of thinning out in the oven, so the dish never bakes into a watery puddle. The green chiles season the sauce in every layer rather than sitting in a single spot.

The filling also gets a boost before rolling: a spoonful of sauce and a handful of cheese mixed into the shredded chicken bind the strands together and season them through. This means the inside of each enchilada is as creamy as the outside.

Arranging the rolls seam side down and packed together keeps them from unrolling, and the short 20 to 25 minute bake softens the tortillas just enough while the cheese on top melts into that stretchy, pullable layer.

Notes and substitutions

Choose plump, evenly sized chicken breasts so they finish cooking at the same time; thighs are a fine swap and stay extra juicy. Shred the chicken warm with two forks, which is much faster than waiting. Full-fat sour cream gives the sauce its body and its gentle tang; thinner styles can break under the heat, so pick a thick, spoonable one.

For equipment, a 9x13-inch baking dish, a large skillet, a medium saucepan and a whisk cover everything. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of the chicken.

Eight-inch flour tortillas roll most easily; if yours are straight from the fridge, warm them briefly so they bend without cracking. Diced green chiles come canned in mild or hot; pick according to taste, since the rest of the dish is deliberately mild and creamy.

• chicken breasts: Chicken thighs work well too; cook them the same way and shred, for even more tender, juicy filling.
• Monterey Jack cheese: A shredded Mexican cheese blend or mild cheddar melts the same way and keeps the stretchy top.
• sour cream: Plain whole-milk yogurt can replace the sour cream; stir it in off the heat so it does not curdle.
• diced green chiles: Chopped roasted poblanos give a deeper, slightly smoky flavor in the same quantity.

Equipment

• 9x13-inch baking dish
• large skillet
• medium saucepan
• whisk
• two forks for shredding
• spatula
• instant-read thermometer