Here are two things I learned in developing this recipe for my Creamy Chicken Enchiladas:

1. Picking the right enchilada sauce is key to making this dish.
2. It is hard to make white chicken enchiladas look good in photos.

OK. That’s not entirely true. I already knew picking the right enchilada sauce was important. My recipe for 5-Ingredient Beef Enchiladas uses red enchilada sauce, so I bought all the brands available to me and did a taste test. The Hatch brand was the winner.

For this recipe I knew I wanted to use green enchilada sauce. So we bought all the different brands we could find and threw in a few red sauces for comparison. I certainly expected the Hatch brand to be my favorite again, but I was surprised. The Las Palmas was the most flavorful – by far. And, honestly, all of the green sauces we tasted were better than any of the reds. In fact, I’m looking to find the Las Palmas red sauce so I can compare it to the Hatch.

So, what makes these enchiladas special? Well, a few things…

They’re pretty dang easy and call for only seven ingredients. While that’s a few more than the last enchilada recipe I shared with y’all, it’s still not many.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas have seven ingredients. (Stacey Little / Southern Bite)

These enchiladas don’t skimp on the filling. They’re generously filled. If you don’t like a lot of filling, you can reduce all the filling ingredients by half.

That chicken filling is pretty delicious. Made with shredded cooked chicken, cream cheese, sour cream and salsa, it has tons of creamy flavor. The salsa is the perfect shortcut as it adds tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic into the filling without ever having to peel, chop or cook a single vegetable.

Let’s talk about tortillas.

Most authentic Mexican-style enchiladas call for corn tortillas. My family isn’t big on corn tortillas unless we’re making tacos. So I use flour tortillas. You should pick whatever your family likes.

Just keep in mind that the corn tortillas will hold up a little better as the flour ones can get a little soggy. That’s a risk we’re willing to take because even if they fall apart, they’ll still taste great.

Use the topping of your choice. (Stacey Little / Southern Bite)

When it comes to the chicken in the filling, you’ll need about 4 cups of shredded cooked chicken. Many grocery stores sell packages of shredded cooked chicken in the deli section, which makes these even easier. You’ll need about 1 pound if you’re buying it that way. You can also grab a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat from that. And, of course, you’re welcome to cook some chicken breasts and shred those. Cooking it in the slow cooker is a great option, too.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded chicken (about 1 pound)
• 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup chunky salsa
• 8 (8-inch) tortillas* (corn or flour)
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 cups)
• 1 (10-ounce) can green enchilada sauce (1¼ cups) (I prefer Las Palmas or Hatch brand.)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Place the cream cheese in a small bowl and cover it with a paper towel. Microwave for 15-second intervals until very soft.
3. In a large bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, sour cream and salsa together until smooth.
4. Add the chicken and stir to combine.
5. Heat the tortillas according to the package instructions.
6. Pour about half of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan.
7. Place about ½ cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla.
8. Top each with a heaping tablespoon of the cheese.
9. Tightly roll up each tortilla and place them in the dish, seam side down.
10. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
11. Tightly wrap the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. To brown the tortillas a little, remove the foil during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
12. Top as desired.

Notes

Corn tortillas are traditional, but my family prefers flour.

This recipe originally appeared on SouthernBite.com. For more great recipes, visit the website or check out ”The Southern Bite Cookbook.”