Here’s an updated recipe Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Poblano Sauce (AKA White Chicken Enchiladas) a cozy, comforting meal that is full of delicious flavor! Feel free to swap out roasted cauliflower for the chicken. Vegetarian adaptable! (updated recipe)
How to roast Poblano Peppers!
- On the Stovetop: If you have a gas stovetop, place directly over a medium-low flame, turning often, for about 5 minutes until blistered and blackened. The easiest, fastest way.
- Broiled In the oven: turning until they blister, about 10- 15 minutes. If you don’t have a broil setting, you can still roast in a very hot oven, but it will take a little longer for the skins to blister.
If making this with chicken, use leftover rotisserie chicken, baked chicken breast, shredded chicken, or even this chicken carnitas recipe.
Of course, you can make homemade tortillas from scratch!
For this recipe, I used 8-inch tortillas that were half corn/half flour.
Roll them up and place seam side down in a greased 9×13 baking dish, coated with 2/3 cup creamy poblano sauce.
I usually can fit 6-7 enchiladas, but if you make them very tight, you can fit 8.
What to serve with Enchiladas:
- Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime
- Mexican Pinto Beans
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Refried Beans! | Instant Pot or Stove Top
- Killer Guac!
- Fermented Hot Sauce!
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Poblano Sauce (or Cauliflower)
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 8 enchiladas
- Category: Main, vegetarian
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mexican,
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas (AKA White Chicken Enchiladas) with Creamy Poblano Sauce! Vegetarian adaptable! Sub roasted cauliflower for the chicken! See notes.
Ingredients
Filling ingredients:
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken – see notes (or sub 3 cups roasted cauliflower – see notes)
- 1–2 cups corn – fresh or frozen, or sub spinach, sauteed bell pepper, mushroom or onion
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 scallions, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
Poblano Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 fresh poblano chili roasted, peeled and finely chopped (use half) or sub-4-ounce can green chilies (use half)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 shallot, chopped (or half an onion, finely diced)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth or stock (or veggie broth)
- 3/4 cup Sour Cream
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
Enchilada Ingredients:
- 6–8 x 8-inch tortillas (flour, corn, or a blend- my preference) or make homemade tortillas !
- 1 1/2 cups queso fresco cheese, or shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Make the Filling: Prepare chicken (or cauliflower/spinach) see notes, and place in a bowl. Add corn. Mix with cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, scallions, fresh cilantro and lime zest. Set aside.
- Roast the poblano (or use canned green chilies) directly over a gas flame (or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler) turning regularly, until the skins have blackened and blistered. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let cool. Under running water rub off the blackened skin, carefully tear open and pull out the seed pod and stem and rinse all the seeds away. Dice finely. (If pressed for time, you can skip this step entirely by substituting 1 small can of green chiles)
- Make the sauce: In a medium pot, over medium heat 2 T oil or butter and saute shallot until golden and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Add 2 T flour, and toast, stirring 2-3 minutes on med-low heat. Whisk in 1 1/4 cups broth. Stir in the sour cream, and whisk until smooth. If using canned chilies, add 1/2 the can now, along with coriander, salt and pepper. Save the remaining chilies and add to the filling. Alternatively, if using the poblano, add a cautious 1/3 of the diced poblanos to start, tasting for heat. (Most are mild, but some, very occasionally are hot!) Then, according to your heat tolerance, add the remaining poblanos to taste. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Add some to the filling if you want.
- Assemble: Grease one 9 x 13-inch pan. Place 2/3 cup Poblano Cream Sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, just enough to lightly coat the bottom. If your tortillas are not soft and pliable, which is often the case with 100 % corn tortillas, lightly toast over a gas flame on the stovetop, or place them in a microwave covered for a few seconds, or spread on a sheet pan and place in a warm oven for a few minutes, or quickly pan-sear.
- Assemble: Add 2-3 tablespoons cheese to the center of the tortilla add about 1/2-3/4 cup filling and roll them up. Place them seam-side down in the pan on top of the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top. Add more cheese if you like.
- Cover with foil, place in a 400 F oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and scallions.
Notes
Use leftover rotisserie chicken, or make this simple baked chicken and shred, or this Chicken Carnitas recipe.
If subbing cauliflower/spinach: Preheat oven to 425 F. Chop one head of cauliflower into very small bite-size pieces, toss with olive oil to coat, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander and toss to coat well. Roast on a parchment-lined sheet pan until tender, and edges are slightly crispy. Wilt Spinach: Heat a little olive oil in a skillet, saute 1/2 cup diced onion until tender, add 2-3 handfuls of baby spinach and stir or toss until spinach is just barely wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the cauliflower and spinach in a bowl, mix in cilantro, scallions and lime zest. Add corn if you like, and taste for salt and pepper, adjusting. Use this to stuff the enchiladas.
If making ahead, either bake and reheat, or assemble ahead, leaving the sauce off the top until baking time.
Cotija cheese, a Mexican style cheese is much saltier than queso fresco, so make sure to use queso fresco, not cotija….the packages look similar, but there is a big difference.
Keywords: best chicken enchiladas, cauliflower enchiladas, Creamy chicken enchiladas, white chicken enchiladas, chicken enchiladas with green chilies, cauliflower enchiladas
Ooh, these were delicious! Another great recipe from your blog – I’ve made so many and they’ve all been fantastic. I cooked up some veggies and mixed them with black beans and cheese and rolled all that up in tortillas. The sauce is out of this world – I used diced green chiles and pickled jalapeños since I didn’t have a poblano on hand. So good- a keeper for sure!
★★★★★
This recipe is amazing!! First recipe I’ve tried from this site and it’s instantly in the rotation! Our toddler loved it as well! I was planning to use a chicken/cauli mix, but ended up having enough chicken. We are trying to eat less meat, so next time I will definitely do the mix. We baked the chicken using the recipe she has linked with the Mexican spices and made with her cilantro lime rice. All so good!
★★★★★
What side do you recommend with this dish? Can you provide the recipes for sides as well?
I added some to the bottom of the post. 🙂