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If you have leftover chicken, you can make this dish in about 15 minutes.
My mother used to make these chicken enchiladas in a white sauce but she baked them. It was a family favorite. Here we converted it to a microwave recipe for those extra busy days.
When you have leftover chicken, this is an easy—and terrific—dish to make. Except for a little can of chopped chilies, there is nothing exotic that you’ll need.
Ingredients
6 six-inch tortillas
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups chicken white sauce or gravy (recipe follows)
1 four-ounce can of chopped chilies, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups diced cooked chicken meat
Sliced ripe olives (optional)
Chopped tomatoes (optional)
Sliced green onions (optional)
Directions
1. Lightly grease an 8 x 11 1/2-inch baking pan.
2. Place the chopped onion in a medium bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and cook in the microwave for one minute or until the onion is slightly tender.
3. Mix the cooked onions, sour cream, ground pepper, chicken sauce, chili peppers, and one cup cheese together in the medium bowl.
4. Place tortillas on a plate and cover them with plastic wrap. Heat them in the microwave until they are warm and soft, about one minute.
5. Mix about 2/3 cup of the sauce with the chicken meat. Spoon this filling onto the six tortillas. Roll the tortillas and place them seam side down in the prepared pan. Top with the remaining sauce.
6. Cook uncovered in the microwave for six minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and return to the microwave and cook until the cheese is melted, about two minutes.
Let stand for five minutes. Garnish by scattering the optional olives, tomatoes, and green onions over the enchiladas.
For the chicken sauce
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Melt the butter in the microwave in a bowl. Add the flour to the butter and stir to make a thick paste. Gradually add the broth, stirring with a whisk after each addition.
Cook the sauce in the microwave on high heat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and thick, stopping every 30 to 40 seconds to stir the mixture.
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More Ways to Make Chicken Cheese Enchiladas
This recipe is for enchiladas with a red sauce using salsa as a base. Since it calls for a lot of salsa, use a mild salsa if you don’t like it very hot.
Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sour cream
2 cups salsa
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 can corn kernels, drained
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
12 eight-inch corn tortillas
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
1. Beat together the cream cheese and the sour cream. Stir in about one-third cup of the salsa and one cup of the cheddar cheese.
2. In another bowl, mix the chicken, corn, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and 1/2 of the green onions. Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.
3. Spread about 1/3 cup of the salsa over the bottom of a baking dish. Place about a 1/3 cup of the filling on a tortilla, roll it up, and place it in the baking dish with the seam side down. Repeat for the other tortillas.
4. Spread the remaining salsa over the tortillas in the baking dish. Sprinkle remaining grated cheese over the top.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Scatter the remaining green onion pieces over the enchiladas.
6. Top with sour cream if desired.
Variation: Chicken Enchiladas in a White Sauce
To make enchiladas with a white sauce:
1. Delete the salsa. Instead make a white sauce by melting 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and then stir in 4 tablespoons flour. Once combined, measure two cups milk. Stir in several spoons full of the milk to make a paste. Then gradually stir in the rest of the milk.
2. Cook over medium heat until the sauce is bubbly and thick. Salt to taste.
3. Drain one small can of diced chilies. Add that to the sauce.
4. Use the white sauce in place of the salsa.
About the Author
Dennis Weaver has burned food from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. He is the founder of The Prepared Pantry in Rigby, Idaho. He loves to help people bake and shares his vast collection of cooking and baking knowledge on his blog as well as in his e-books and magazines. Dennis lives in Rigby, Idaho, with his wife, Merri Ann. They have five wonderful children and six beautiful granddaughters.