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Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Jalapeno Lime Sour Cream Sauce

These Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas are irresistibly cheesy, stuffed with juicy chicken, both Monterrey Jack cheese and sharp cheddar cheese then doused in the most irresistible creamy jalapeno lime  sour cream sauce - and of course topped with more cheese.  You can customize the Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas by adding vegetables, more or less cheese, and as much or as little heat to the sauce.  These sour cream chicken enchiladas are also perfect to make-ahead and refrigerate so you just pop them in the oven at dinner time!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breasts pounded thin (2-3 breasts)
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 Mexican squash (may sub. reglar) sliced and quartered (optional)*
  • Corn kernels from 1 ear of corn, about 1 cup (optional)*
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)*
  • 3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, divided more or less to taste
  • 2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided more or less to taste
  • 8-10 flour tortillas or 10-12 quality corn tortillas like La Tortilla Factory

Jalapeno Lime Sour Cream Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1-2 jalapenos, deveined, seeded, minced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 14 oz. can low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tsp EACH ground cumin, garlic pwdr
  • 1/2 tsp EACH salt, chili pwdr, smoked paprika, onion pwdr
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspooon cayenne pepper (optional for more heat)
  • 1-2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Garnishes (Optional)

  • sour cream
  • Tomatoes
  • Avocados
  • cilantro
  • chips
  • freshly squeezed lime
  • hot sauce

Instructions

  • Easily cook and shred chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Flip chicken and add 1 cup chicken broth. Cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, then flip chicken over and continue to cook 5-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked though and tender enough to shred. Remove chicken from skillet and let rest 5 minutes before shredding (or dicing if preferred). Discard any extra broth from skillet (if there is any). Meanwhile...
  • If using corn tortillas: (This flash frying is optional but recommended, see Notes for microwave option). Add enough canola or vegetable oil to a cast iron/medium skillet so it covers the bottom and heat over medium-high heat. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla and lightly fry for about 10 seconds on each side, just until soft with a few bubbles but not brown or crisp. Line finished tortillas on a paper towel lined plate, with paper towels in between each row. Repeat with 12-14 tortillas.
  • Jalapeno Lime Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in olive oil over medium heat. Add jalapeno and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and cook for 3 minutes (it will be thick).. Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in can of chicken broth until smooth followed by spices. Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and sour cream.
  • Filling: To the same skillet you cooked your chicken, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add squash, corn and red bell pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in shredded chicken, 3 tablespoons Jalapeno Lime Sauce and 2 cups Monterrey Jack Cheese and 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese.
  • Assemble: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spread 1/4 cup Jalapeno Lime Sauce on the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish (layer will be very thin). Add the enchilada filling to the center of each tortilla and roll them tightly, then line them in the dish. Top enchiladas with remaining Jalapeno Lime Sauce and remaining Monterey Jack and sharp cheese.
  • Bake: Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then broil until cheese is golden. Top with desired garnishes.

Notes

  • To microwave corn tortillas:  Flash frying the corn tortillas gives them texture, prevents them from tearing and enhances the flavor. You can microwave the tortillas instead but it's not as foolproof. To microwave corn tortillas, work in 2 batches. Place 6 tortillas on a microwave safe plate, cover with a moist paper towel and microwave 40 to 60 seconds so they are warm and pliable. Fill and roll tortillas while they're still warm then repeat with remaining tortillas.
  • Rotisserie Chicken: you can use a store bought rotisserie chicken in this cheesy chicken enchiladas recipe OR make your shredded own.  Rotisserie chickens are a great shortcut, but I promise, making your own shredded chicken is SO easy as well.
  • Cheese: these are CHEESY Chicken Enchiladas, so this recipe uses 5 cups of cheese total.  You are welcome to reduce the cheese to 3 cups if you prefer and use 2 cups in the filling and 1 cup as the topping.
  • Vegetables: I’ve included corn, zucchini and red bell peppers in this Cheesy Chicken Enchilada recipe.  They deliver phenomenal texture and cut through the cheesiness. That being said, I understand some  people just want CHEESE, so feel free o eliminate the veggies or substitute them with your favorite veggies such as spinach or beans.  If you omit the veggies completely, you will need to make up for the lost volume by increasing the chicken to 2 pounds.
  • Tortillas: as detailed in the recipe post, you can use either corn or flour tortillas for this recipe, totally personal preference.  Just take care you flash fry or microwave your corn tortillas and dip in the sauce before stuffing.  For fun, you can even make these Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with half corn and half flour tortillas and see what you like best!
  • Lime Juice:  you can use 1-2 tablespoons lime juice or leave it out completely if you prefer.  I love the hint of lime to to awaken all of the other flavors.  If you aren’t sure how much to add, start with 1/2 tablespoon and add more to taste.  Fresh or bottled lime juice is fine.
  • Sour Cream:  the sour cream is the creaminess in the jalapeno lime sour cream sauce.  If you want to live on the wild side, – you can use up to 1 cup sour cream as opposed to the 1/2 cup listed in the recipe.
  • Jalapenos:  only use one jalapeno if you don’t love spicy food, then season the sour cream sauce with additional cayenne pepper to reach the desired spice level.