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Chicken Enchiladas with an Avocado Cream Sauce is a delicious and easy weeknight meal that everyone will love. They are packed with flavor and drizzled with a sauce that dreams are made of. If you love avocados, this recipe is for you!
When it is good, it is good! Summer Corn Salad, Black Bean and Corn Salad or Grilled Mexican Street Corn are classic chicken enchilada side dishes that would pair great with this meal!
Chicken Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce
These chicken enchiladas with an avocado cream sauce were a huge hit with my family. They are picky eater approved because not only are the enchiladas themselves full of flavor, but once you add on that delicious avocado sauce… Well, let’s just say that I know that these will become a favorite at your house too.
This recipe makes quite a bit of dressing, so I was able to use the extras and put it over our salad. Serve this up with some delicious homemade tortilla chips and some guacamole. It makes a delicious and filling meal!
Ingredients in Chicken Enchiladas with an Avocado Sauce
Avocado Cream Sauce
- Butter: I used unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Flour: All-purpose flour and butter will create a roux to help thicken the avocado sauce.
- Chicken Broth: This adds additional flavor to the sauce.
- Sour Cream: I use some of this in the sauce and an additional topping to the enchiladas.
- Cumin: This adds a subtle but savory and nutty flavor.
- Salt: This enhances all of the flavors in the enchiladas and sauce.
- Garlic Powder: I love adding in garlic flavor any chance that I get!
- Pepper: A little bit of pepper adds some flavor without any heat.
- Avocados: Pit and slice your avocados before adding them to the sauce.
- Fresh Cilantro: I know this is a love-it-or-hate-it ingredient, so you can leave this out if cilantro isn’t your favorite.
- Lime: The juice of 1 lime equals about 2 tablespoons of juice. You can use this from a bottle, but it won’t have as bright of a flavor as fresh lime juice.
Chicken Enchiladas
- Olive Oil: This is used to cook and soften the onion.
- Onion: I used a white onion, but you can use yellow too.
- Poblano Peppers: Make sure to remove your peppers’ stems before slicing them.
- Jalapeño Pepper: Leave the seeds and membrane in for more heat. For less heat, remove these when you are cutting them up.
- Flour Tortillas: I like to use my homemade flour tortillas, but storebought works great too!
- Cooked Chicken: I like to shred rotisserie chicken before adding it to the enchiladas. It saves so much time!
- Monterrey Jack Cheese: This adds just the right amount of flavor to the enchiladas.
Optional Garnish
- Fresh Cilantro, Purple Onions, Feta Cheese: These are great toppings to add to any enchilada!
How do you make Chicken Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce?
These enchiladas are simple; you can whip them up in about 40 minutes. That includes all of the chopping and cooking. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact ingredient measurements.
Avocado Cream Sauce
- Make Roux: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly for about 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Blend: Stir in the sour cream, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and pepper, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Add avocados, cilantro, and lime juice, and pulse until smooth and well-blended. (Be very careful blending hot liquids — the heat will expand! So be sure to remove the lid occasionally so that the heat can escape.) Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.
Chicken Enchiladas
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sauté Veggies: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, poblano, and jalapeno, and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are cooked and translucent. Remove from heat.
- Assemble: To assemble the enchiladas, place a tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a tablespoon or two of the avocado sauce down the middle of the tortilla. Then layer on some of the vegetable mixtures, shredded chicken, and cheese. Carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining avocado cream sauce.
- Cover and Bake: Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through and begin to harden.
- Garnish: Remove from the oven and garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many substitutions, variations and ways to change up these chicken enchiladas with an avocado cream sauce! Here are some of the frequently asked questions (and answers!) so that you can make yours turn out perfectly.
- If I don’t have a rotisserie chicken, how can I cook my chicken for enchiladas? Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease with olive oil. Place bone-in chicken breasts, thighs, or both in the pan. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45-55 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken) or until it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the oven and shred using two forks.
- Can you use other meat instead of chicken? Yes! Go ahead and try it with beef, shredded beef, pork or steak.
- How do I make my enchiladas crispy? The key to avoiding soggy enchiladas and ensuring they are crispy is cooking the tortillas in oil for a few seconds before assembling your enchiladas. Warm some olive oil over very low heat in a heat-proof shallow dish or skillet. Dip each tortilla in the warm oil for 5 to 8 seconds until the tortilla is warmed through and pliable.
How to Store Enchiladas
These delicious chicken enchiladas with avocado sauce can be made ahead of time or even frozen! Here are the instructions so that you can know how to store them.
- In the Refrigerator: Once your cooked enchiladas have cooled, place them in an airtight container and store them in your fridge. They will last 4-5 days.
- In the Freezer: Prepare your enchiladas but do not bake them. Cover the enchilada dish tightly with plastic wrap, then cover it with foil. They will stay fresh in your freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake them, let them thaw in the fridge overnight. Remove the plastic wrap, cover them with foil, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25-30 minutes.
More Enchilada Recipes
I love enchiladas and there are so many variations that you can try. Here are a few more favorites that are always a hit at our house. Let me know which ones are your favorite!
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Chicken Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce
Ingredients
Avocado Cream Sauce
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 California avocados peeled and pitted
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- juice of one lime
Chicken Enchiladas
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 poblano peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced
- 8-10 flour tortillas
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie works best)
- 2-3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
Optional Garnish
Instructions
Avocado Cream Sauce
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly for about 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the sour cream, cumin, salt, garlic powder and pepper, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Add avocados, cilantro and lime juice, and pulse until smooth and well-blended. (Be very careful blending hot liquids — the heat will expand! So be sure to remove the lid occasionally so that the heat can escape.) Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.
Chicken Enchiladas
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, poblano and jalapeno, and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are cooked and translucent. Remove from heat.
- To assemble the enchiladas, place a tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a tablespoon or two of the avocado sauce down the middle of the tortilla. Then layer on some of the vegetable mixtures, shredded chicken, and cheese. Carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining avocado cream sauce.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through and begin to harden.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
what size flour tortillas do we use? taco size or burrito size? What size pan do we use? Thanks
Absolutely delicious, and full of flavor.
I made the avocado cream sauce, had too many avocados after buying them on sale and we couldn’t use them all in time. It’s a dream, worked wonderfully in the enchiladas and I plan to make it again to have in the fridge for dipping. Thank you!
Just made this. It is wonderful! The cream sauce is delicious. I’m not sure what I’ll put it on next but I’ll be experimenting. Thank you for such a delicious entree.
Every recipe I’ve tried on this website has been fantastic. After I made this I felt compelled to express my thanks for this site and the recipes. Simply amazing is all I can say. I love the flavors in these enchiladas with the avocado cream sauce. Your recipes are very easy to follow and for the most made with ingredients you keep on hand. THANKS. PS if your reading this stop and go to the Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce Ever recipe. This will blow your mind how delicious this is.
I don’t leave a ton of reviews, but i HAD to with this recipe. The sauce is soo good I find myself licking the spoon when I am making them! It could even go really well with a shrimp enchilada or even tacos. Stop what you’re doing and make these NOW!!!!
Hi Alyssa. I used some of your methodology (like putting the avocado sauce in the filling) to make poblano mushroom enchiladas. They were fabulous. I am giving you credit in my blog. Thanks.
HAHA! Thank you so much! I really appreciate the credit! Thanks for following along with me! XOXO
Alyssa, have you ever tried making enchiladas with corn tortillas from scratch? You should try. It is so tasty you would not believe it. This is a new way I have seen avocado sauce so Im going to try it. excited to taste it like this! Thanks!