CHICKEN RECIPES · FAMILY CASSEROLES
These creamy chicken enchiladas get their sauce from a quick butter and broth base finished with blended cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and green chiles. No sour cream or cream of chicken soup: the sauce is silky, the filling is mostly chicken, and one 9×13 pan feeds six.
Jump to Recipe
- Serves
- 6 (8 enchiladas)
- Total time
- 55 minutes
- Pan
- 9×13 inches
- Protein
- About 45 g per serving
- Chicken done at
- 165°F / 74°C
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
- Creamy without canned soup. Blended cottage cheese and Greek yogurt make a smooth white sauce with real protein in it.
- Freezer-friendly. Assemble the pan, wrap it and bake it on a busy night.
- Mild enough for kids. Canned green chiles add flavor, not heat. Spice lovers can add jalapeño.
Ingredient Notes
Blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth. Stir it and the yogurt into the sauce off the heat so they stay creamy and do not separate.
Flour tortillas roll without cracking. Corn tortillas also work; warm them first so they bend (see the substitutions).
Poach your own chicken breasts or use the meat from a rotisserie chicken. You need about 4 cups shredded.
The recipe card below lists every quantity in one place.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Cook the chicken and make the sauce
Poach and shred the chicken. Cook a quick butter and flour sauce with broth, then take it off the heat and stir in the blended cottage cheese, yogurt and green chiles.
Roll, sauce and bake
Mix part of the sauce and cheese into the chicken, roll it in tortillas and set them seam side down. Pour over the rest of the sauce, add cheese and bake until bubbling.
Photos in this article are AI-generated illustrations of the recipe, created for AllRecipeEasy.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Keep the sauce off the boil. Once the cottage cheese and yogurt go in, do not boil the sauce again or it can turn grainy.
- Warm the tortillas. Ten seconds in the microwave under a damp paper towel keeps them from tearing as you roll.
- Save some sauce. Mix only 1 cup of sauce into the filling. The rest keeps the tops soft in the oven.
- Rest 5 minutes. The sauce thickens as it cools slightly, so the enchiladas lift out cleanly.
Substitutions and Variations
- Corn tortillas: Use 10 to 12 corn tortillas. Warm them in a dry skillet for 20 seconds per side so they bend without cracking.
- Rotisserie chicken: Use 4 cups of shredded rotisserie meat and skip the poaching step. Protein stays close; sodium goes up.
- Cheese: Pepper jack adds heat. Shredded Mexican blend or cheddar also melts well.
- Sour cream: If you prefer, use ½ cup sour cream in place of the Greek yogurt. Protein per serving drops by about 2 g.
Budget Tips
Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt cost less than the sour cream and cream cheese many creamy enchilada recipes call for, and they add protein instead of fat. Poaching a family pack of chicken breasts is usually cheaper per pound of meat than buying rotisserie chicken.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, avocado and rice or black beans. If you like this sauce, try the cottage cheese queso for dipping, or the chicken enchilada cottage cheese bowls for meal prep. More one-pan bakes are in our high-protein casseroles.
Storage, Reheating and Meal Prep
Refrigerate leftovers, covered, within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat portions covered in the microwave, or the pan covered with foil at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until 165°F in the center. To freeze, assemble the pan without baking, wrap it tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes more.
Food safety: Poach the chicken until it reaches 165°F / 74°C, and bake the assembled enchiladas until the center is hot to 165°F. Refrigerate the cooked chicken if you are not assembling right away.
Recipe Questions
What is the sauce in creamy chicken enchiladas?
It is a white sauce: butter and flour cooked with chicken broth, then finished with dairy. Here the dairy is blended cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, with green chiles and cumin for flavor.
Can I make creamy chicken enchiladas without sour cream?
Yes. This recipe uses Greek yogurt and blended cottage cheese, which give the same tang and creaminess with more protein.
Flour or corn tortillas for chicken enchiladas?
Flour tortillas are softer and easier to roll. Corn tortillas taste more traditional; warm them first so they do not crack.
Why did my enchilada sauce curdle?
The dairy was added while the sauce was boiling, or the sauce boiled again afterward. Take it off the heat, wait a minute, then stir in the cottage cheese and yogurt.
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Method
- Put the chicken in a saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer, cover and cook 12 to 15 minutes until it reaches 165°F / 74°C. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then shred with two forks.
- Heat the oven to 375°F / 190°C. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until thickened.
- Take the pan off the heat and wait 1 minute. Whisk in the blended cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, green chiles, cumin, garlic powder and salt.
- In a bowl, mix the shredded chicken with 1 cup of the sauce and ½ cup of the Monterey Jack. Spread ¼ cup of the remaining sauce in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Warm the tortillas, then divide the filling among them, roll them up and place them seam side down in the dish. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of Monterey Jack.
- Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and the center reaches 165°F / 74°C. Rest 5 minutes and sprinkle with cilantro.