White Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

We went to a potluck dinner a couple of weeks ago.  David took one look at the food table, and didn't think there was enough, so he took a quick trip to the closest grocery store.  He came back with 2 rotisserie chickens, a bag of rolls, and a package of cookies.  Turns out there was plenty of food, after some latecomers dropped off their dishes.  So the 2 chickens he bought came home with us. 

Now, having 2 whole chickens already cooked makes for a lot of possibilities in the kitchen, right?  I love this soup that uses cooked chicken but it's really too hot for soup right now.  I could also make one of my favorite chicken casseroles, and Rebecca requested quesadillas, but ultimately, I decided to make enchiladas.  I'd been researching white chicken enchilada recipes for a few days, and wanted to try at least one out.

Well, this recipe ended up making two full, 9x13 pans!  I divided the 2nd pan into 2 smaller pans so David could take one to work and heat it up for lunch.  There's a full kitchen where he works, so all he had to do was put the aluminum pan in the oven.  The smell generated comments from 2 of his coworkers, and they got samples as well.  One person liked it so much, she requested the recipe and I emailed it the next day.  So I guess they were pretty good. ;-) 

White Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

Serves 10-12
1 package white corn tortillas (30 count)
1 whole chicken, boiled until tender, meat picked free of skin and bones (or use 1 whole rotisserie chicken, meat picked free of skin and bones). You will have around 4-5 cups of shredded meat
4 cans mild green enchilada sauce
2 cans mild diced green chilies (I used roasted chopped Hatch chilies, but either one is fine)
1 yellow or green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salsa seasoning mix (I used Penzey's, taco seasoning mix is fine too)
4 ounces light cream cheese
1 cup light sour cream
4 cups Monterey Jack cheese
Additional sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, and green salsa for serving, if desired

Saute the bell pepper and onion in 1 tablespoon oil until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the cumin and salsa/taco seasoning. Add the green chilies and stir to combine. 

Add the cream cheese and stir until melted.

Pour in one can of enchilada sauce, then add the shredded chicken, and stir to combine. If the mixture is too thick, drizzle in a little more enchilada sauce. Set aside.

I originally wanted to make this a "lighter" enchilada dish, but while I stirred the veggies, I read the back of the can of enchilada sauce.  It had a recipe for enchiladas, and one ingredient was cream cheese.  I just happened to have exactly the right amount in the fridge...it needed to be used up, and it was not "light" cream cheese.  Oh well. :-)

In a separate pot, combine the remaining 3 cans of enchilada sauce and 1 cup of sour cream over low heat. Stir until the sour cream is well incorporated. Add in 1 ½ cups of the Monterey Jack cheese, and stir again until the cheese has melted. Don’t do this over medium or high heat, or you’ll curdle the sour cream in the sauce. Keep warm.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave or on a griddle. 

I liked using my grill pan (it's grooved on one side, flat on the other), because then I can put one tortilla on the pan to warm while I'm assembling an enchilada.  Once the first enchilada is done, the second tortilla is warm and ready to go. 

Place ¼ cup of the chicken mixture in each tortilla, top with 1-2 tablespoons of Monterey Jack cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

Continue until you’ve used all the chicken mixture. Pour the sour cream sauce over the enchiladas.

At this point, you can freeze the enchiladas.  Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.  Otherwise, bake right away!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  I don't have to tell you how good these smell coming out of the oven!

Garnish with sour cream, green salsa, and chopped fresh cilantro if desired.  I made black meals and mexican rice on the side (Nothing fancy, out of a can, and out of a box!  Something's gotta give when you have a baby and 4 other kids to take care of). 

*This makes approximately 24 enchiladas, enough to fill two 9x13 pans. Half the recipe if you don’t need to feed an army. ;-)  If you do need to feed an army, this is the recipe for you!  David's pan was enough to feed him for 3 days at work...which he really appreciated and enjoyed.  He's never been one for cold lunches. 

Hope you make these soon.  God bless your table tonight!