White Chicken Creamy Enchiladas with a Gooey Cheese Pull Step-by-step instructions

Before you start

Read the recipe through once, then set out everything: the chicken, spices, butter, flour, broth, sour cream, green chiles, tortillas and cheese, plus the skillet, saucepan, whisk, forks and baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center.

Pat the chicken dry and season it while the pan heats. Shredding goes fastest if you set two forks and a plate out before the chicken comes off the heat. Measure the sauce ingredients in advance, since the roux stage moves quickly and will not wait for you to open a carton mid-whisk.

Instructions

Cook and shred the chicken

1. 1Season the chicken
   Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and rub them all over with the olive oil, chili powder, cumin, 3/4 tsp of the salt and the black pepper. Let them sit on the counter while the skillet heats, no more than 30 minutes, so they cook evenly from edge to center.
   Look for The seasoning coats every surface and the chicken glistens lightly.
   Tip Drying the surface first helps the spices cling and gives the chicken a light golden sear.
2. 2Cook and shred the chicken
   Heat a large skillet over medium heat and sear the chicken 5 to 6 minutes per side, until golden outside and cooked through to 165°F (74°C) at the thickest point on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a plate, rest 3 minutes, then shred with two forks.
   Look for The juices run clear and the thermometer reads 165°F (74°C).
   Safe temperature 165°F (74°C) internal temperature (poultry)
   Tip Shred while warm; the meat pulls apart in long, tender strands much more easily.

The chicken comes off the skillet golden on both sides, with an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) at the thickest point and juices that run clear when pierced. After a 3 minute rest it shreds into long, moist, tender strands with almost no resistance from the forks. Before moving on, taste a pinch of the shredded meat: it should be seasoned enough to eat as is, since the filling will not be salted again. If it tastes flat, add a small pinch of salt and toss before building the sauce.

Make the sauce and roll the enchiladas

3. 3Start the sauce with a roux
   In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Cook the roux for about 1 minute, whisking constantly, until it smells faintly nutty and turns a pale sandy color. This short cook removes the raw flour taste without darkening the sauce.
   Look for The roux bubbles gently and smells like toasted pastry, not raw flour.
   Tip Keep the whisk moving; flour can catch and scorch in one quiet corner of the pan.
4. 4Build the creamy sauce
   Whisk in the chicken broth a little at a time, smoothing out each addition before adding more, then simmer 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream, green chiles and the remaining salt until silky.
   Look for The sauce ribbons off the whisk and coats a spoon without pooling thin.
   Tip Off-heat sour cream stays perfectly smooth; boiling it would break the sauce.
5. 5Fill the tortillas
   Stir 1 cup of the shredded cheese and about 1 cup of the sauce into the shredded chicken until the filling holds together when pressed. Spoon a generous line of filling down the center of each tortilla, roll it up snugly, and set it seam side down in the baking dish.
   Look for The filling is moist enough to pack but not wet enough to soak the tortilla.
   Tip A snug roll keeps the filling inside as the tortillas soften in the oven.
6. 6Arrange in the dish
   Nestle the rolled tortillas side by side in the baking dish, seam side down, so they support each other while baking. Spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the top, letting it seep into the gaps between the enchiladas so every bite stays creamy.
   Look for No dry tortilla edge peeks through; the sauce covers the whole dish.
   Tip Eight enchiladas fit a 9x13-inch dish in two snug rows with no gaps.

The sauce should be smooth and glossy, thick enough to coat a spoon, with the green chiles evenly distributed and no sour cream flecks floating on top. The filling should press into a soft mound that holds its shape. Each rolled tortilla sits seam side down in the dish, packed snugly in two rows, with the remaining sauce spread level over the top so no tortilla edge stays dry. At this point the whole dish is assembled and only the cheese topping and the bake remain.

Bake until bubbly and golden

7. 7Top with cheese and bake
   Scatter the remaining cup of shredded cheese evenly over the sauced enchiladas and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese is fully melted and freckled with light golden spots.
   Look for Bubbles break at the edges and the cheese pulls glossy from the spoon test.
   Tip Broil 1 minute at the end for deeper golden spots, watching constantly.
8. 8Rest and serve hot
   Let the dish rest 5 minutes out of the oven so the sauce settles and lifts cleanly with a spatula. Serve straight from the dish while the cheese still stretches, scooping a saucy enchilada onto each plate while it steams.
   Look for The sauce no longer sloshes in the dish and each enchilada holds its shape.
   Tip A thin spatula slid under each enchilada keeps the roll intact on the plate.

After 20 to 25 minutes the sauce bubbles gently at the edges of the dish, the cheese is completely melted and lightly golden in spots, and steam rises from the center when a knife slips between two enchiladas.

The rolls should hold their shape when nudged with a spatula, and the sauce around them should look set, not thin. Give the dish 5 minutes to rest before serving so the portions lift cleanly and the cheese keeps its stretch. If the top is pale, one minute under the broiler finishes it.

Common mistakes

The most common slip is boiling the sour cream: once it goes in, keep the pan off the heat, or the sauce will break and look grainy. Adding the broth all at once leaves lumps, so whisk it in gradually and smooth each addition. Under-seasoned chicken makes a flat filling, so season before searing and salt the sauce too.

Overfilled tortillas split in the pan; a generous but modest line of filling rolls cleanly. Finally, skipping the rest means the sauce runs loose on the plate; five minutes out of the oven lets everything set so portions lift with a spatula instead of spilling.

How to tell it’s done

The chicken is done when it reads 165°F (74°C) at the thickest point and its juices run clear; rest it 3 minutes before shredding. The sauce is ready when it thickly coats the back of a spoon and ribbons off the whisk.

The assembled dish is finished when the sauce bubbles at the edges of the baking dish, the cheese on top is fully melted with light golden freckles, and the center is steaming hot when a knife slips into an enchilada. A 5 minute rest sets the sauce so each roll lifts cleanly and the cheese still stretches on the plate.

• Poultry: 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part