Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas with Cream of Chicken Soup

These Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas with Cream of Chicken Soup are baked, cheesy, and packed with flavor in every bite. Made with rotisserie or shredded chicken and a quick white sauce, they come together fast with just 4 ingredients. You’ll have a homemade 30 minute meal that’s easy enough for weeknights but still feels special. Pin the best chicken enchiladas ever now to save your new favorite comfort food!

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Why this is the best creamy white chicken enchilada recipe

These creamy chicken enchiladas are so easy to make! You can't get easier than mixing soup, cheese, and chicken. Wrap the enchiladas, bake, and you're done! This really is a 30-minute recipe from start to table.

The ingredients for this easy recipe are common and inexpensive. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in virtually every grocery store.

This white chicken enchilada recipe is the easiest comfort food. The simple ingredients pack a big punch in terms of flavor, and I've included suggestions for additions to make them even better below.

This creamy white enchilada recipe is easy to serve. It doesn't get easier than enchiladas, which makes this a perfect weeknight dinner for a busy mom or dad.

It's creamy comfort food. Cheese, creamy sauce, and chicken - what could be better?

This creamy enchilada recipe is versatile. You can use chicken breasts or thighs, freshly cooked or leftovers, or you can use a rotisserie chicken or even canned chicken. Or, use leftover roast turkey.

These creamy white enchiladas can be made as instructed or dressed up a bit. I intended this to be a very quick and easy 4-ingredient recipe, and it tastes great just as written. However, if you have extra time, a few additions will send these enchiladas from great to spectacular! I've included a number of additions below in the Substitutions and Variations section, but let me just say ingredients as simple as sour cream, cream cheese, and a can of green chilies might just make these the best enchiladas you've ever eaten!

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What you'll need to make chicken enchiladas with cream of chicken soup

Equipment

• Chicken shredder - This is my second favorite kitchen tool (after my garlic press). I use it several times a week. All you have to do is place your cooked chicken on top of the spikes, then put the top on and twist a few times. Voilà shredded chicken in five seconds!
• 10-inch stainless steel skillet - Any large skillet will be fine. It needs to be big enough to hold the cream of chicken soup and chicken, plus anything else you decide to add to the filling.
• Deep 9x13 pan - You could make these enchiladas in a pan as small as 11x7, but I prefer a larger pan.
• Silicone spatula
• Grater optional - Purists will tell you that you need to grate your own cheese because store-bought grated cheese contains an anti-caking powder that prevents it from melting properly. You do you, but I buy shredded cheese, and I think it melts just fine.

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Condensed cream of chicken soup - This must be reduced sodium or your enchiladas will be too salty. You're not going to dilute the soup.
• Jalapeno flavor pepper jack cheese - I like jalapeno pepper jack or three pepper pepper jack for this recipe because it gives a very subtle heat without being overpowering. If you don't want the heat, you could use a Monterey Jack or a colby jack, or even a Mexican blend.
• Shredded chicken - You can use leftover roast chicken, a rotisserie chicken, or you can cook some chicken breasts fresh for this recipe. In any case, you will need to shred the meat before adding it to the soup mixture. If you don't have fresh chicken, a couple of cans of chicken would also work.
• 7-inch flour tortillas - These are usually labeled "taco size" tortillas.

How to make easy white chicken enchiladas

1. Preheat oven to 400 ºF.
2. In a large frying pan, heat both cans of soup (do not add water) and 1 cup of the shredded cheese over medium-high heat until the cheese has melted.
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3. Stir in chicken, reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Simmer means that small bubbles should form, but it should not be at a full boil with big, popping bubbles.)
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4. Place the first tortilla in the baking dish. Place about ⅓ cup of enchilada filling in the middle of the tortilla, top with ⅓ cup of shredded cheese, then tightly roll the enchilada and place it seam side down in the pan. Repeat with the 5 remaining tortillas.
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5. The remaining enchilada sauce can be spread around the edges of the enchiladas, if desired. (The tortillas will not get crispy in the oven if you add the sauce on top. If you want crispy enchiladas, discard the extra sauce.)
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6. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese over the top of the enchiladas.
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7. Bake in the preheated oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted and the tortillas are crispy (unless you used the extra sauce on top, then they will be hot but not crispy).
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8. Allow the enchiladas to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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9. Top with chopped avocado, chives, sliced jalapenos, sour cream, salsa, fresh cilantro, or lime wedges, as desired.

Cook's Tips

It is very important to use reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup as this recipe will get quite salty with regular soup.

If your tortillas are breaking when you try to roll them, check the package. More than likely, they are either corn tortillas (which aren't very pliable and don't work well in enchiladas) or they are expired and/or stale. Try heating them for about 15 seconds in the microwave before rolling them. This often helps to soften them up a little bit.

Save time by buying a rotisserie chicken or using leftover chicken breasts from a previous meal.

Use a chicken shredder to make shredding the chicken breasts a quick and easy task rather than a long and arduous one. This works best on warm, freshly cooked chicken. Cold cooked chicken is harder (but not impossible) to shred.

This cream of chicken filling is meant to stay creamy and fluid. It will not get thicker or set up.

This is a great make-ahead meal. The best option is to prepare the filling and store it in an airtight container in the fridge, then assemble the enchiladas at the last minute and bake. This will prevent the tortillas from becoming soggy. If you won't have time to prepare them just before baking, you can make the enchiladas, sprinkle them with cheese, then tightly wrap the dish with plastic wrap. You can store them unbaked in the fridge for up to 2 days. You may need to add a couple of minutes to the baking time since they will be chilled when you put them in the oven, and the tortillas probably won't get crispy when you bake them.

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Substitutions and variations

This is intended to be a quick and easy 4-ingredient recipe. If you want a richer, more complex flavor, consider adding any (or all) of the following to the cream of chicken soup before adding the chicken:

• 4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup of salsa
• 1 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 4 ounces of diced green chilies
• 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning or fajita seasoning

And of course, you have options for the filling, too. You could add:

• Half of a can of black beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• Sautéd veggies - chopped red and green bell peppers, chopped sweet onion, or sliced mushrooms would be great. Make sure you cook them first as the enchiladas don't bake long enough to cook the veggies.

Do not substitute corn tortillas for flour tortillas. Corn tortillas break too easily and won’t hold their shape once rolled up in the casserole dish.

The Monterey Jack jalapeno cheese (sometimes labeled as jalapeno pepper jack) adds a slight heat. If you have little ones who don’t like spicy food, you can substitute plain Monterey Jack or Colby Jack cheese. Really, you can use any cheese you want. Sharp cheddar, Mexican blend, nacho blend, or even mozzarella.

To add extra spice to this recipe, chop up a couple tablespoons of fresh jalapenos and stir them into the sauce before assembling the tortillas in the baking dish. You could also add about ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you're daring!) to add a bit more spice.

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What to serve with white chicken enchiladas

You can serve these enchiladas with something light, like:

• Cilantro Lime Rice with Black Beans, Corn, & Tomatoes
• Plain black beans
• Mexican rice
• Cucumber Pasta Salad - A Healthy Alternative to Creamy Pasta Salad
• BLT Salad with the Best Homemade Salad Dressing
• Roasted Beet Salad with Feta

Storing leftovers

Allow leftovers to fully cool before wrapping to store. Once the enchiladas have reached room temperature, wrap them in plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container and move them to the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

To serve refrigerated enchiladas, place several in a baking dish, covered with foil, in a preheated 350ºF oven for 20 minutes or until heated through. A single enchilada will reheat much more quickly than a pan full of enchiladas, so keep that in mind when reheating.

You can also freeze baked enchiladas. I would wrap them individually in plastic wrap (so that you can take out just one and heat it up for lunch, rather than having to defrost the whole batch), then put the wrapped enchiladas in a freezer container or plastic freezer bag. They will stay fresh up to 2 months.

To serve frozen enchiladas, allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the microwave or oven, as desired.

You can also reheat enchiladas from frozen. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Unwrap the frozen enchiladas and place them in a baking dish, covered with foil. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until heated through. Check often, starting at 30 minutes, because you don't want them to burn. A single enchilada will reheat much more quickly than a pan full of enchiladas, so keep that in mind when reheating.

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Try these other delicious enchiladas:

• The Best BBQ Chicken Enchiladas
• Quick & Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
• Cheese and Onion Enchiladas
• Beef Enchilada Casserole
• Leftover Turkey Enchilada Casserole
• Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Authentic Mexican Enchilada Sauce Recipe - If you like red enchiladas, you are going to LOVE this enchilada sauce. It's so much better than store-bought, and it only takes ten minutes to prepare with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

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