White Chicken Enchiladas —rsquo; The Dish That Becomes Yours When You Can Make It Without the Book

May 2021. One year since the pandemic changed everything. I have been thinking about what that year produced, which is a strange thing to assess because it produced fear and loss and the specific loneliness of screen doors and porch visits and also: it produced the clearest cooking I have ever done. I cooked through the pandemic the way I cook through everything hard. I paid attention. I made things from scratch. I shared what I made. I called Gloria every day.

The blog is bigger than I expected it to be by now. I have consistent readers and a mailing list and occasional inquiries from food publications about contributing, which I handle carefully and on my own terms. The writing has to stay what it is: honest and specific and about food as love and survival and the particular way that cooking can carry you through things and carry you toward people. If it becomes anything else I will know because it will stop feeling like the thing it is.

I made the gumbo again, the chicken and sausage version, the one I made for Gloria that first time and she said yes. I have made it perhaps fifteen times now and each time the roux is darker and more precise and the gumbo is deeper. I brought a pot to Sunday and James said: this is your signature dish now. I said: I learned it from a cookbook and from practice. He said: everything is learned from somewhere. It is yours when you can do it without the book. I can do it without the book. It is mine.

The gumbo is mine now, but it is not the only dish that has taught me something. White chicken enchiladas came later, after I had learned to trust myself in a kitchen and stopped needing the recipe to hold my hand — they are the kind of dish you bring to a Sunday table and people ask you to write down. Rich and creamy and deceptively simple, they carry the same energy as anything you have made fifteen times and finally understand: the roux gets darker, the sauce gets smoother, and eventually you stop measuring because your hands already know. If you are in the middle of learning to cook from a place of love and survival, start here.

White Chicken Enchiladas

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 10 small flour tortillas (6-inch)
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• Fresh cilantro and sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Fill and roll. In a bowl, combine the shredded chicken with 1 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.
3. Make the white sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute until the mixture is pale and smooth. Gradually pour in the chicken broth, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens and begins to bubble, about 4–5 minutes.
4. Finish the sauce. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the sour cream, diced green chiles, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. The sauce should be creamy, loose, and deeply savory.
5. Assemble and top. Pour the white sauce evenly over the rolled enchiladas, making sure the ends are covered. Scatter the remaining 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese across the top.
6. Bake. Bake uncovered for 30–35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden in spots and the sauce is bubbling at the edges. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
7. Garnish and serve. Top with fresh cilantro and sliced green onions. Serve directly from the baking dish alongside rice, a simple green salad, or on their own.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 720mg