Sour Cream Enchilada Sauce

Love the Sour Cream Enchiladas at your local Mexican restaurant? Now you can make restaurant-quality Tex-Mex Sour Cream Enchilada sauce in less than 10-minutes and with only a few ingredients. Perfect sauce for enchiladas, tamales or fajitas! This sour cream cheese sauce is perfect for Mexican dishes like chicken enchiladas, tamales, tacos, Migas and Beef fajitas. Some even like to put a swirl of this delicious sauce on black beans!

Why you'll love this recipe!

• Quick and easy to make - ready in about 10-minutes
• Simple, clean ingredients- all-natural, no preservatives or yucky stuff
• Awesome flavor and texture - make it as tangy, thick or thin as you like!

I love the Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Mazatlan, in Denton, Texas. This place has been around forever and while it's definitely not swanky, they do crank out some awesome Tex-Mex dishes and their Mexican white sauce is to die for! This recipe is equally as good.

Here's the ingredients you'll need:

This recipe has a hint of jalapeno. Use jalapeno juice from jarred jalapenos but if you don't want a jalapeno flavor, just use a teaspoon of white vinegar. The acid from either really rounds out the flavor!

Step by step instructions for Tex-Mex Sour Cream Enchilada Sauce:

In a large saucepan, add chicken broth and sour cream; use a whisk or fork to combine, then add cheese. Add a handful of shredded Monterey Jack, stir and let it melt; repeat until you've melted all the cheese. Once all the cheese has melted, add jalapeno juice and half of the cornstarch slurry. Important!!!  Read the recipe notes below (in the recipe card) about adding the slurry! The cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce.  

Expert tips:

• Use block Monterey Jack cheese and shred in food processor or by hand; pre-shredded cheese is not recommended
• Use a whisk or a fork to combine ingredients
• Add jarred jalapeno juice or vinegar; the acid from either one gives the sauce a nice "kick"
• Add half of the slurry; turn the heat up a little and stir constantly; remove pan from heat and continue to stir. Sauce will thicken slightly. If you want it thicker, repeat using the other half of the slurry.
• If you make in advance, you may have to add a little water upon reheating

Substitute for broth?

If you prefer not to use chicken broth, use vegetable broth or water. If you use water, you may want to add more salt, since most stocks and/or broths contain sodium.

What kind of cheese?

I use Monterey Jack because of the sharp flavor and because it's white and tangy. I suppose you could use a white "mexican melting cheese," but I have not experimented with any of them so I can't really comment. Yellow cheeses like Cheddar and Colby do not work as well because they're too oily.

Make in advance:

Yes, just store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to serve. It may tend to form lumps in the fridge, but that's easily remedied by adding a little water and stirring constantly. Simply heat the sauce on the stove, medium heat, and whisk until the sauce is creamy and smooth. If it's too thick, add a little more broth/water and continue whisking.

Storage and reheating:

Refrigerate Sour Cream Enchilada Sauce for up to a week. To reheat, pour the sauce into a pan and set the stove top to medium-low heat; whisk sauce until it gets hot; add a little water and continue to whisk until it thins and reaches your desired consistency.

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Related recipes:

• Best Guacamole
• Easy Mexican Rice
• Restaurant-Quality Canned Refried Beans
• Tortilla Soup
• Tex Mex Fajitas

Craving Tamales?

If you're ambitious enough to make your own tamales, you might want to check out my friend Kim @ 24bite.com. She and her son have been on a tamale roll lately and they're making all sorts of delicious Southwestern goodness! She's got chicken, green-chile, chorizo and more.... with step-by-step instructions! ♥ If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating! I love to hear from you!