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Cream cheese chicken enchiladas made with shredded chicken, a luscious cream cheese sauce, and bubbly melted cheese. Easy, freezer-friendly, and ready in under an hour!
A Note from Isabel
I’ve been making these cream cheese chicken enchiladas for years, and they never fail to make everyone happy. The cream cheese makes everything ridiculously creamy and rich, while the salsa verde keeps things bright and tangy.
It’s ready in under an hour, it’s great for using up any leftover chicken you have in the fridge or grabbing a ready-made rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, and honestly, it makes fantastic leftovers (if there are any).
The secret is a luscious cream cheese sauce. I sauté onions and garlic until they smell amazing, then stir in cream cheese, green chiles, and salsa verde. It creates this silky, tangy sauce that’s absolutely divine. Half goes into the chicken filling, and the other half gets poured over the top. Trust me on this one. It’s good.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cream cheese: You only need half a block of cream cheese to get a great creamy flavor without it being too heavy. Make sure it’s softened so it mixes easily.
- Diced green chiles: These add some spice and tangy chile flavor. I used mild green chiles, but feel free to use spicy ones.
- Salsa verde or green enchilada sauce: Bright and tangy salsa verde or green enchilada sauce help to cut the richness of the cream cheese and sour cream. If you prefer a red enchilada sauce, feel free to swap it out. You can try my authentic enchilada sauce made with dried chiles or my easy enchilada sauce made with ground spices.
- Sour cream: Adds a bit more creaminess to the sauce. You can also use Mexican crema; note that its consistency is more runny than that of sour cream.
- Shredded chicken: The main protein in the filling for this recipe. You can use either homemade shredded chicken, any leftover chicken you have in the fridge, or keep it simple with a shredded rotisserie chicken (aka the ultimate shortcut).
- Shredded Mexican cheese: Shredded cheese is a must for any type of enchiladas. I like to use Mexican-blend for more Tex-Mex recipes, but mild cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey jack, or pepper jack are also great options.
- Flour tortillas: I prefer flour tortillas for this recipe (as opposed to corn tortillas) because the sauce and filling are a bit heavier and it holds everything together well without tearing apart. You can use your favorite store-bought brand or make your own using my flour tortilla recipe.
(This is an overview of the key ingredients I used and why. See the recipe card below for the full recipe.)
How to Make Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
Make the cream cheese sauce. Sauté diced onion and garlic until fragrant. Mix in cream cheese, diced green chiles, salsa verde, and sour cream until creamy. Reserve half of this sauce for topping.
Make the filling. Combine the shredded chicken with the reserved cream cheese sauce until evenly coated.
Assemble the enchiladas. Spread a bit of sauce at the bottom of your baking dish to prevent sticking. Fill tortillas with the chicken mixture and shredded cheese, roll them up, and place seam-side down in the dish.
Cover and bake. Top with the remaining sauce and shredded cheese and bake for 25 minutes, removing the aluminum foil halfway through. Top with cilantro, diced tomatoes, and extra sour cream.
Recipe Tips
- Shredded chicken shortcut. You can use homemade shredded chicken, any leftover chicken you have in the fridge (like from my salsa verde chicken or cilantro lime chicken), or keep things super easy by shredding a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Adjust the consistency of the sauce. For a thicker sauce, add 1-2 additional ounces of cream cheese. For a thinner consistency, add an extra ½ cup of salsa verde or green enchilada sauce.
- Freezer-friendly: This recipe stores and freezes well, making it great for make-ahead recipes. Just freeze in a freezer-safe container or disposable baking dish for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 350℉ for 25-30 minutes until warmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Corn tortillas work well, though you’ll end up making more enchiladas since they’re smaller. Just adjust the filling accordingly.
They’re amazing with cilantro lime rice, roasted Mexican vegetables, or traditional refried beans.
Add sautéed jalapeños or swap mild green chiles for spicy ones to add some heat.
Variations to Try
- Add extra vegetables. Sauté mushrooms, spinach, corn, or bell peppers and add them to the filling.
- Swap the green sauce. I like to pair creamy and rich sauces with more tangy and vibrant ones to balance the flavors, but you can definitely use a red enchilada sauce instead for a richer, deeper flavor.
More Enchilada Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! I love hearing about your experience, and it also helps others.
Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ white onion
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 1 ½ cups salsa verde or green enchilada sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 8 (10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed (often labeled as burrito-size)
- For topping (optional): Sour cream, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in the cream cheese, green chiles, salsa verde, and sour cream.
- Transfer half of the sauce to a large bowl and add the shredded chicken. Toss until fully coated.
- Assemble the enchiladas by spooning ¼ cup of the remaining sauce onto the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Spoon about a ¼ cup of the shredded chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese onto a tortilla, roll it up, and place it in the baking dish seam side down. Continue until all the tortillas have been filled.
- Pour the remaining cream cheese sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, removing the foil halfway through.
- Serve immediately and top with sour cream, chopped cilantro, and diced tomatoes.
Notes
- Shredded chicken. You can use my homemade shredded chicken or keep things simple by shredding a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Adjust the consistency of the sauce. For a thicker sauce, add 1-2 additional ounces of cream cheese. For a thinner consistency, add an extra ½ cup of salsa verde or green enchilada sauce.
- Storing and reheating. These enchiladas keep great in the fridge. Store them in an airtight container for up to a week. To reheat, simply microwave until warmed through, or bake in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until bubbly.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
