My family's FAVORITE chicken enchilada bake drenched in queso cheese made with tortillas stuffed with a creamy filling of tender flavorful chicken and taco seasoning.
I am about to present to you the best enchilada recipe. Ever. I’m not even kidding. And there’s no cream of chicken soup or sour cream. The filling is made with moist, flavorful poached chicken, cream cheese, sauteed onions and green chilies all flavored to perfection with taco seasoning.
Also? It’s made with the secret ingredient the Mexican restaurants use in queso: white American cheese. Still not kidding! That's what Mexican restaurants use to make queso dip: white american cheese and cream. That's it!
Want to hear something else that will blow your mind?? Guess where I got this recipe? From Husband’s ex-wife. And I’m STILL not kidding!
But she did tell me if I put this on the blog she'd haunt or hunt me - whichever came first. HA! She was kidding though. I think. I'm pretty sure she was kidding. Right??
I think this is more like a burrito bake since it's made with flour tortillas and there's no enchilada sauce but I'm not into picking fights so I'm leaving the name alone.
One of these days I'll update this post with better pictures but every time I cook it, it gets devoured so fast so I'm never able to take pictures!
I am so very grateful for this recipe because it really, truly is one of my family's favorites and we eat it at least once a month!
Be sure to scroll down to the end of the post where I have my recipe for restaurant-style Mexican rice shared below.
Enjoy!
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Yield: 6 Servings
prep time: 20 Mcook time: 40 Mtotal time: 60 M
My family's FAVORITE chicken enchilada bake drenched in queso cheese made with tortillas stuffed with a creamy filling of tender flavorful chicken and taco seasoning.
ingredients:
- 3 large or 4 small chicken breasts
- Water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 8-oz. package cream cheese
- 1 1-oz. package taco seasoning
- 1 4.5-oz. can green chilies
- 6 10-inch flour tortillas
- 1/2 lb. white American cheese, shredded
- 2 cups whipping cream
- Salsa or pico de gallo
instructions:
How to cook Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
- Poach the Chicken: Place chicken in a large pot and cover by one inch with water. Add salt. Heat on medium-low heat, covered, until water begins to boil. Reduce heat to low and let chicken simmer (do not let water reach a full rolling boil) for about 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside. Reserve cooking liquid for rice if desired.
- Make the Filling: Sauté onion in olive oil until tender. Add cream cheese, taco seasoning and green chilies (with liquid) to onions. Reduce heat to low and stir until all ingredients are combined and cream cheese is melted.
- Remove skin and bones from chicken if applicable (I highly recommend using bone-in breasts with skin any time you can as they are so much more flavorful and make a richer stock). Shred chicken with two forks then add to cream cheese mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Assemble Enchiladas: Spray a 13x9 backing dish with cooking spray. Fill tortillas evenly with chicken mixture and roll into enchiladas. Place enchiladas in prepared baking dish, seam-side down.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over enchiladas. Pour whipping cream over cheese. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove aluminum foil and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes or until cheese has started to brown.
- Serve with salsa and/or pico de gallo.
NOTES:
When I make this I add cilantro, black peppercorns and smashed cloves of garlic to season the poaching liquid because I make fresh pico de gallo when I serve this and have all those things on-hand but salted water will work too.
Absolutely no substitutions for the white American cheese! This is what they use to make queso dip at the Mexican restaurants. REALLY. You can find Land o’ Lakes White American cheese in the deli at Wal-Mart and Publix. You’ll need about 2-3 cups of shredded cheese.
Absolutely no substitutions for the white American cheese! This is what they use to make queso dip at the Mexican restaurants. REALLY. You can find Land o’ Lakes White American cheese in the deli at Wal-Mart and Publix. You’ll need about 2-3 cups of shredded cheese.
Keep up with my latest shenanigans by following South Your Mouth!
Mexican Rice
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon chili powder
Salt to taste
Sauté onion and uncooked rice in butter over medium-high heat until rice has started to brown (about 5-7 minutes). Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Combine rice mixture, chicken stock, chili powder and salt to taste* in a small casserole dish and cover with a fitted lid (I use my little 1-quart pyrex casserole dish with clear glass lid). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or microwave on high for 10 minutes then on 50% power for 10 additional minutes.
Fluff with a fork before serving.
*The amount of salt needed really depends on the stock or broth that you're using. Once you get everything mixed up, taste the stock and add salt to taste. You want the stock to be as salty as you'd like your finished rice.
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon chili powder
Salt to taste
Sauté onion and uncooked rice in butter over medium-high heat until rice has started to brown (about 5-7 minutes). Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Combine rice mixture, chicken stock, chili powder and salt to taste* in a small casserole dish and cover with a fitted lid (I use my little 1-quart pyrex casserole dish with clear glass lid). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or microwave on high for 10 minutes then on 50% power for 10 additional minutes.
Fluff with a fork before serving.
*The amount of salt needed really depends on the stock or broth that you're using. Once you get everything mixed up, taste the stock and add salt to taste. You want the stock to be as salty as you'd like your finished rice.
Can't wait to try it and I am still laughing my ass off at the "bat shit crazy" comment! Thank you for not taking things too seriously!
ReplyDeleteNevahhh!!!! Thanks for your comment :)
DeleteSadly my husband came w/two ex-wives and both are 'bat shit crazy'.
DeleteSadly mine came with two also so I feel your pain!!!!!!
DeleteWhen I used to travel in Texas, no matter what small town I was passing through, just about every mom and pop restaurant had chicken enchiladas on the menu. Chicken enchiladas and Country Fried Steak were always my go to meals. Just couldn't go wrong. Still one of my favorite meals and I fix it at home. I like to grill my chicken breasts and then shred them. Either way would be good. Hope you had a good Christmas, I'm looking forward to more of your recipes in 2013. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Corky! Happy New Year!!!
DeleteI just got done making the Chicken enchiladas for a get together tonight and OH EM GEE they are AMAZING ( of course I had to try one before I let my friends eat them ;) ).. Thank you for sharing them and they will always be a go to recipe from now on.. Happy New Year!
DeleteSounds delish! Chicken enchiladas are my favorite! Definitely will make this soon!
ReplyDeleteWent to the store and got everything I needed to make these. Tonight I came in, cooked the chicken, made the sauce, mixed it together and then reached in the frig. to get the tortillas and my son had eaten over half the bag! We live out in the country so a "quick" trip to the store is out of the question! Oh well the filling is so good I can eat it straight out of the pan! Thank you for sharing your recipes, since finding your blog I have had a "South Your Mouth" week full of great "Mom this is sooo good" meals!
ReplyDeleteI can SO relate to that! I like to serve Fritos corn chips with chili and haven't been able to cook it yet because Husband keeps eating the Fritos!!! Glad you found your way here!
DeleteI was just looking at a recipe for flour tortillas & how easy they are to make..just sayin..!!!
DeleteMaking these for the second time. They are amazing! I had never attempted making enchiladas before, and am so glad I found this recipe. (Well, I love all your recipes!) These are so easy, especially since I freeze leftover chicken breasts or turkey when I bake a whole one. Thanks and keep up the good work! :)
ReplyDeleteHow am I just now seeing this?? THANK YOU!!! Sorry it took me so long to respond! I'm so glad you like them!
DeleteJust found you on FB, I love your stuff!! Just a hint on this recipe, especially for the lady who said hers went mushy, a friend of mine is Texican, she makes a dish very similar to this, except she uses corn tortillas instead of flour ones. She puts a little chicken stock and butter in a frying pan and she sorta sautes the tortillas for about a minute on each side, it keeps them from being firm and chewy, and the moisture makes them floppy and easy to roll the chicken mixture up inside.
ReplyDeleteMy mom just sautés corn tortillas in a little bit of cooking oil for a few seconds. We used to live in California, so I'm assuming that's where she picked it up from.
DeleteI do this same recipe only instead of the american white cheese and whipping cream I use the canned green chile sauce on top with cheddar cheese sprinkled on top of that. It's delicious! I'm excited to give this a try because I have one child that is anti-green anything!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWe loved the recipe. I bought the already seasoned and cooked chicken fajita meat and shredded it for extra taste. also used corn tortillas just because we like them better. will definitely make this again.
ReplyDeleteI made this last night for the first time for my Girl Friend. We loved it and it taste just a good the next day for lunch at work. She had me tell here where I found this recipe. She told me it was better then any restaurant she had. Which being it was my first time cook and I'm still new with cooking over all. It should made me feel proud. This is an A+ Dish and not hard to do.
ReplyDeleteFantastic recipe! I made these tonight to rave reviews. I tweaked my filling just a little by seasoning the filling with salt and pepper, and I added 2 cloves of minced garlic. I didn't have the American cheese so I substituted with Monterey Jack cheese. Very tasty. I think the next time I make these I will add some seasoning to the cream before pouring over the enchiladas. Perhaps some more garlic (since I love garlic) and possibly a little cayenne pepper for a little kick. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It's not on the short list of favorites!
ReplyDeletethat should read .... It's NOW on the short list of favorites!
DeleteThis recipe is fantastic! Made the enchiladas and rice last night and turned out great! My boyfriend said it's his new favorite! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to try these. I have pinned several of your recipes today. You, Ree Drummond, Christy Jordan and the awesome Paula Deen are my favorites. Thank you for sharing your recipes. I have just chaired putting together a Family Cookbook. It was so much fun and so many recipes we didn't get to add. I am thinking of starting a blog myself. Wow I'm a chatter box this afternoon. Have a wonderful weekend. <3
ReplyDeleteHO. LEE. COW. I'm honored that you could throw me in the same pool as those amazing cooks! Thank you so much for your comment! And you should TOTALLY start a blog! Go for it!
DeleteI made these tonight for my husband and in-laws. In front of my Mother in law, my husband said that he likes them better than the ones I usually make (which is his mom's recipe!). They were a HUGE hit! Thank you so much :)
ReplyDeleteCasey
These sound wonderful...was wondering if they'd freeze well? Thanks for a great site!
ReplyDeleteClew
I just made these but haven't put the whipping cream and cheese on yet and I'm just curious, doesn't the whipping cream screw them up with it being so liquid-y. I'd hate to pour it on these and ruin my hard work...
ReplyDeleteThe cream mixes with the cheese as it melts. Together they make something very similar to the queso cheese dip you get at the Mexican restaurants. I've never had a batch not turn out :)
DeleteIS whipping cream also known as heavy cream?
ReplyDeleteyes, that will work!
DeleteCan't wait to try this..I make one with a sour cream and green chili sauce...but this sounds even better :) For the rice, what kind of rice do you use?
ReplyDeleteLong grain white rice :)
DeleteThese are fantastic, especially if you use roasted chickens that are well seasoned. White American cheese works so much better than Monterey Jack; it's richer and smoother. Love this recipe.
ReplyDeleteMade these tonight for dinner. Really really good! I used a whole rotisserie chicken and one lb of white American cheese. I also added 1/2 tsp ground cumin 'cause I love the stuff. Next time I'll try adding some spicy peppers for an added kick. Thank you for the recipe. It's GREAT and really easy to make.
ReplyDeleteI am so gonna make these soon and when I do , I sure will be posting! Can't wait
ReplyDeletei like the flour tortillas with a little crunch how would i do this? brown in cast iron skillet with a little olive oil first ? these sound wonderful i will be making this weekend! thanks
ReplyDeleteI made these last night....DELICIOUS!!! I didn't have quite enough cream cheese (I had used some for a previous recipe), so I added some sour cream. I also added a can of HOT Rotel (drained) on top of the enchiladas, before adding cheese. The extra spice was yummy! These will be made many times over!
ReplyDeleteThese were very good. I added some diced onion that I nuked. I garnished with a tad of cilantro, sour cream and avocado.
ReplyDeleteSo so good!! Love your blog!!
ReplyDeleteMy husband loved it! Maybe I should say both! Made the enchiladas and the rice just as posted and he raved about them. Said was as good if not better than at a resteraunt.
ReplyDeleteThanks!!!!!!!!!
How long will the leftovers last in the refrigerator? Your recipe was so wonderful I absolutely hate to part with the little bit remaining.
ReplyDelete4-5 days :) glad you enjoyed them!
DeleteCan you use the white queso already made or would it get to thick ?
ReplyDeleteThis is a great recipe to use up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. I just substituted chopped turkey for thepoached chicken and did everything else the same.
ReplyDeleteBeen using this recipe for about 5 years now! It never gets old and everyone loves it. Its always my go to for get togethers
ReplyDeleteWe tried the enchiladas tonight and they were delicious!! Don't think we have had any better at any mexican restaurant we've been to!!
ReplyDeleteThat was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much. This is truly a great recipe.
ReplyDelete