These creamy Poblano Enchiladas can be made with chicken or roasted cauliflower (or both). Flavorful and tangy with a subtle, lovely heat, they are filled with corn, cilantro, lime zest, coriander and cumin and bathed in the most flavorful poblano sauce.

white chicken enchiladas (creamy chicken enchiladas with green chilies )

If you are in the mood for something cozy, comforting, and delicious…. this recipe for Creamy Poblano Enchiladas is just for you!  What makes the recipe is the incredible sauce, which can be made with either roasted poblano or, if in a hurry, a small can of green chilies. The enchilada fillings can be made in two ways:  with chicken as the filling, or with roasted cauliflower as the filling. Or use both!
Lime zest, melty cheese, corn, fresh cilantro, cumin and coriander give the filling a nice burst of flavor, and these could easily be made gluten-free (see recipe below).

Chef’s Tip

The secret to this amazing sauce is from fire-roasting poblano peppers, which is easier than it seems. But if in a hurry, use store-bought green chilies, in a can! Just as good! 

How to Roast Poblano Peppers

Roasting poblanos (or any pepper) can be done in a couple of different ways.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
Once the poblanos are charred, place them in a bowl with a towel to cover them so they continue to steam and soften. Let them get cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Rinse under water to remove all the charred skin, core and seeds. Finely dice them.
Tip: To save a step, you can use canned green chiles instead. They will still taste good, but these fresh poblanos incorporated into the sauce actually make me swoon, they are that good!

How to make Roasted Poblano EnchiladaS

Step one: Make the creamy poblano sauce using roasted poblanos or canned chilies.

Step two: Then make the filling. Today I made half the enchiladas vegetarian using roasted cauliflower. The other half was made with shredded chicken. Here is the roasted cauliflower filling….seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin and coriander.
Feel free to play around with the filling if you like by adding corn, sautéed mushrooms, black beans, onions, or spinach.  Basically, you’ll need about 4 cups of filling, to make 8 enchiladas. 

If making this with chicken, use leftover rotisserie chicken, baked chicken breast, shredded chicken, or even this chicken carnitas recipe.

Step three: Warm the tortillas to make them pliable.
Step four: Then create an assembly line.
White Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Poblano Sauce- an easy, delicious comfort food meal. These creamy chicken enchiladas will not disappoint! #whitechickenenchiladas #chickenenchiladas #creamychickenenchiladas #enchiladas #comfortfood
Fill tortillas with a little sauce, filling and cheese.
White Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Poblano Sauce- an easy, delicious comfort food meal. These creamy chicken enchiladas will not disappoint! #whitechickenenchiladas #chickenenchiladas #creamychickenenchiladas #enchiladas #comfortfood

For this recipe, I used 8-inch tortillas that were flour.

Roll them up and place seam-side down in a greased 9×13 baking dish brushed with a little enchilada sauce.

White Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Poblano Sauce- an easy, delicious comfort food meal. These creamy chicken enchiladas will not disappoint! #whitechickenenchiladas #chickenenchiladas #creamychickenenchiladas #enchiladas #comfortfood

Cover with the remaining poblano sauce and the remaining cheese.

White Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Poblano Sauce- an easy, delicious comfort food meal. These creamy chicken enchiladas will not disappoint! #whitechickenenchiladas #chickenenchiladas #creamychickenenchiladas #enchiladas #comfortfood
TIP: If you have a mixed household where some are vegetarian and some are meat-eaters, you can serve up the enchiladas in individual baking dishes like this. Make some with cauliflower and some with chicken.
White Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Poblano Sauce- an easy, delicious comfort food meal. These creamy chicken enchiladas will not disappoint! #whitechickenenchiladas #chickenenchiladas #creamychickenenchiladas #enchiladas #comfortfood
Step five: Bake in a 350°F oven for  20 minutes, uncovered, until the edges are crispy and the cheese is golden and melty. If you prefer soft enchiladas, you can cover them for half the time. 
White Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Poblano Sauce- an easy, delicious comfort food meal. These creamy chicken enchiladas will not disappoint! #whitechickenenchiladas #chickenenchiladas #creamychickenenchiladas #enchiladas #comfortfood
Sprinkle with cilantro and scallions and serve!
White Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Poblano Sauce- an easy, delicious comfort food meal. These creamy chicken enchiladas will not disappoint! #whitechickenenchiladas #chickenenchiladas #creamychickenenchiladas #enchiladas #comfortfood

Storage

Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Or freeze for up to 3 months.

Enchiladas are A delicious freezer meal

Bake, freeze, thaw, and reheat at 350°F until internal temp reaches 150°F. I prefer to bake these first, then freeze, but it can be done the other way, too. 😉

What to serve with Poblano Enchiladas

I hope you like these Poblano Enchiladas….it’s an older recipe on the blog, but I’ve fiddled with it over the years and did some updating. I think it’s pretty tasty!
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
xoxo

Watch how to make Poblano Enchiladas

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Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Poblano Sauce- an easy, delicious comfort food meal. These creamy chicken enchiladas will not disappoint! #whitechickenenchiladas #chickenenchiladas #creamychickenenchiladas #enchiladas #comfortfood

Creamy Poblano Enchiladas

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 68 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
  • 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
Print Recipe

Description

These creamy Poblano Enchiladas can be made with chicken or roasted cauliflower (or both). Flavorful and tangy with a subtle, lovely heat, they are filled with corn, cilantro, lime zest, coriander and cumin and bathed in the most flavorful poblano sauce.

Ingredients

Units

Filling ingredients:

  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken – see notes (or sub 3 cups roasted cauliflower – see notes)
  • 1 cup corn – fresh or frozen, or sub spinach, sauteed bell pepper, sautéed 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 large 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:

  • 8 x 8-inch flour tortillas
  • 2 1/2 cups queso fresco cheese or shredded jack or mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. Roast the poblano (or use canned green chilies) directly over a gas flame on the stove or grill (or place 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-don’t use jalapeños)
  3. Make the Poblano Sauce: In a medium pot, over medium heat oil or butter, and saute shallot until golden and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Add the flour, and toast, stirring 2 minutes on med-low heat. Whisk in the broth a little at a time, bring to a simmer, and once thickened turn off the heat.  Let cool 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, and whisk until smooth. If using canned chilies, add ½ of 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.
  4. Preheat oven to 350F. Warm the tortillas to make them pliable (over a gas flame on the stovetop, in the microwave covered for a few seconds, or warmed in the oven) and wrap in a kitchen towel.  
  5. Assemble:  Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan and add ½ cup enchilada sauce to the bottom. Create an assembly line with warm tortillas, filling, cheese and sauce. Add 3 tablespoons of cheese to the center of each tortilla, 2 tablespoons of sauce, and 1/2 cup of filling and roll them up. Place them seam-side down in the pan. Pour the remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
  6. Place in 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes, uncovered until golden and edges are crispy. If you prefer soft enchiladas, you can cover them with foil for the first 15 minutes.
  7. Garnish with fresh cilantro and scallions.

Notes

Leftovers keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350F oven or microwave.

Chicken: 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. Freezer Meal: You can freeze this before or after baking (I prefer freezing after baking), freeze up to 3 months, thaw and reheat at 350F until internal temp reaches at least 150°F.

Cheese: Cotija cheese, a Mexican cheese, is much saltier than queso fresco, and less “melty”, so make sure to use queso fresco, not cotija. The packages look similar, but there is a big difference in flavor. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: one enchilada - chicken and cheese
  • Calories: 309
  • Sugar: 2.7 g
  • Sodium: 1591 mg
  • Fat: 9.4 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 33.8 g
  • Fiber: 1.8 g
  • Protein: 22.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 35.6 mg

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Comments

  2. This recipe is so flavorful and adaptable! We used our homegrown poblanos, fresh corn and great refrigerated corn tortillas from our grocer. We made a half batch of chicken and a half batch of cauliflower. Both were so very good. Thank you for your excellent recipes – and for your time in perfecting them!

    Reply

  3. Lovely dish. The enchiladas were surprisingly delicate and seasoned perfectly. I did roast the poblano chili and used fresh corn. Corn tortillas were wonderful with the chicken and corn filling. Would increase sauce amount next time. Thank you for the recipe

    Reply

  4. Just made these for lunch…used cauliflower and spinach. They turned out perfect and looked just like yours…yeah! We felt they still needed some hot sauce or salsa…but loved them. You’re really improving my cooking and I truly appreciate that. Also, I love all your personal comments and glimpses into your world. I consider you part of my world now and look forward to your emails.

    Reply

  5. woweee that poblano sauce is *chefs kiss*… my husband ate four of these and immediately wanted me to make a second batch because he loved them so much! another winner, thank you sylvia.

    Reply

  6. So delicious and quick….love the sauce-used greek yogurt and it worked great…used pulled pork from previous dinner, sweet potato, corn and goat cheese. Thank you for the good base recipe…saved me tonight:)

    Reply

  7. I did this recipe with cauliflower and we all loved it. I discovered your blog through my daughter and have tried a few so far and we are just in love with everything we tried. We are trying to eat less meat/poultry and i feel I will be able to slowly transition to more of a plant base diet.

    Reply

  8. I made this with canned green chilies and it is delicious. The sauce is rich and the chicken mixture is perfect. I used WW flour tortillas and they didn’t hold up to well, but delicious nonetheless. Everything I have made from Sylvia is excellent, we’ll balanced and very flavorful

    Reply

  9. We love this recipe. We are dairy-free by necessity and I have found that vegan cheese and Kite Hill brand almond milk cream cheese (we like the chive flavor) works well for a replacement on the sour cream. It’s nice and thick, unlike many vegan sour cream options.

    Reply

  10. I made this recipe as a test. EVERY recipe I’ve tried of your becomes an instant HIT in our house! I really don’t like enchiladas so I decided to try making yours as a “test”.
    WELL, this recipe is AMAZING. My family LOVES the enchiladas and I have a new favourite! Thank you for your tried and tested recipes. It’s saves me so much time!

    Reply

    1. Awwwww thanks so much Tamara, I’m so glad these won you over!

      Reply

  11. Incredible! The whole family loved it and kept on eating even though we weren’t hungry anymore. It’s THAT good! I followed the vegetarian version: used cauliflower, added black beans, fresh corn. I subbed green chiles for the poblano peppers; yogurt for creme fraiche as well. Thanks for this AMAZING recipe that will now enter our regular rotation.

    Reply

  12. This recipe is a keeper! I used cauliflower, spinach, roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted corn. Served them with extra cilantro and a squeeze of lime. I’m looking forward to the leftovers!

    Reply

  16. Does this recipe freeze well? If you assemble with the sauce and freeze, then defrost later and cook?

    Reply

    1. Hi Michelle, I have not tried freezing this, but my guess is that it would freeze ok?

      Reply

  17. This was easily my favorite recipe of 2020. The roasted poblanos take this dish to the next level. The creamy white sauce is so easy to make and extra flavorful. I had to trade out the flour for gluten-free flour, but it worked great.

    Reply

  20. 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!

    Reply

  21. 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!

    Reply

  23. Made the cauliflower version. Added corn, spinach, mushrooms and red pepper. Forgot to put the cheese inside the enchiladas but it was still delicious. My husband and I ,both, loved them. Will make again.

    Reply

  24. I am in the process of making this & everything tastes great so far so I’m confident that once it is all done it will be fantastic. I’m wondering if you can clarify the sauce recipe in regards to the 1 1/4c broth. The instructions state to add 1/4c. but does not address the remainder 1 c. I’m assuming that it should read, add 1/4c at a time, stirring until thick between each 1/4 c. Then add the sour cream (I’m using greek yogurt). My sauce is pretty runny before baking, but when I added the remainder of the broth, after adding the sour cream, I realized that something wasn’t right because the sauce then became very runny.

    Reply

    1. So when I read the instructions, it reads to add 1 1/4 cups broth and 3/4 sour cream. It should be slightly runny and you should have about 2 cups sauce. Is that what you see?

      Reply

  25. So delicious!!! I didn’t have time to wrap and roll, so I made layers. Hope the enchilada police don’t read this! Thanks for another great recipe. So yummy!

    Reply

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