Discover how delicious Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce tastes without using condensed soup. Whip it up in under 15 minutes and use in sour cream enchiladas, baked chicken, and green bean casserole.
Quick and easy Sour Cream Enchiladas made from scratch need a good Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce. The quality of your sauce determines whether your recipe is average or whether your family requests the meal over and over again. This is true for all recipes that rely on sauce as one of the main ingredients.
Interested in making other sauces? Check out classic hollandaise sauce or healthier hollandaise sauce.
The sauce in enchiladas is integral. It both fills and covers the enchilada. It has to be great if you want tasty enchiladas.
A variety of recipes call for some type of Sour Cream Sauce and there are dozens of versions of this sauce. You can use it on baked chicken, in chimichangas, and in a green bean casserole.
Sour Cream Sauce Base – Start with Roux
I grew up in the 1980’s when everyone used Campbell’s condensed soup in casseroles. It was quick and easy to open the can, mix it with the other ingredients, and finish the prep work with minimal effort. Condensed soup was thick enough to be the base of a sauce on its own.
I certainly ate my shared of condensed soup casserole recipes, and I even liked them.
However, as an adult, I read food labels and pay attention to what I eat. And I didn’t like what I saw in condensed soup. Condensed soups contain additives, such as monosodium glutamate, flavoring (not very descriptive), soy protein isolate (avoid if you have a soy allergy), and sodium phosphate. Condensed soups also contain a lot of sodium and fat.
Ever since Dr. John Dorrence invented condensed soup in 1897, Campbell’s Soup Company has successfully marketed these soups as a recipe ingredient.
Using condensed soup as a base for a sauce will never be as healthy as making your own sauce from scratch. Condensed soup sauces will never taste as good either.
The solution? Make a roux as the base for your sauce. A roux is a mixture of an equal volume of flour and butter. A roux thickens sauces.
What Kind of Chili Pepper to Use
Choose a chili pepper that has the right amount of spiciness.
- If you like mild peppers, consider the Anaheim pepper. Canned green chili peppers usually contain Anaheim peppers.
- If you like a little more heat, try a fresh jalapeño pepper. The sour cream in the sauce can dilute the spiciness of the pepper, so spicy peppers taste milder in this sauce.
How Chili Pepper Heat is Measured
Peppers are sweet or spicy. Sweet peppers, such as bell peppers, have a thick, juicy wall and a mild, sweet flavor. Spicy peppers, such as Anaheim or jalapeño peppers, have a thin wall and a spicy flavor.
Each variety of hot peppers has different degrees of heat. Capsaicin, a substance produced in the pepper’s membranes, causes the spicy flavor in a pepper.
In 1912, a pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville invented the Scoville heat scale. The heat scale used human taste buds to rate how spicy a pepper was. Pepper extracts were diluted with water until tasters determined they were no longer spicy. The more liquid required to dilute a pepper, the higher the heat scale. And the spicier the pepper.
Now scientists use high performance liquid chromatography, which is a more effective way to determine heat level. It does not rely on human tasters, who might get “taster’s fatigue”.
Using high performance liquid chromatography, scientists can find out how many parts per million of alkaloids exist in any pepper variety.
How to Choose What Green Chili to Use
- In a hurry? Use canned green chilies. Anaheim chilies are the variety usually found in a can. They are milder, so you can use a whole 4 oz. can in the sauce.
- Want a fresh pepper? Try up to 2 teaspoons of a chopped jalapeño pepper. Use food handlers gloves when cutting, seeding, and chopping the pepper to prevent skin irritation.
- Looking for a smoky flavor? Roast a poblano pepper, chop it, and add up to 1 tablespoon to the sauce.
What Cheese to Use in Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce?
Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce is often used in Mexican recipes. Therefore, selecting a cheese common in Mexican dishes will lend an authentic taste to the sauce.
Monterey Jack cheese is my cheese of choice for this sour cream sauce. However, I have used cheddar cheese in this recipe with good results.
Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce Ingredients
- Butter
- Flour
- Onions, chopped
- Garlic, minced
- Chicken broth
- Sour cream
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Green chilies
Kitchen Tools and Equipment to Use
You will need the following kitchen tools and equipment.
- Saucier (best choice) or sauce pan
- Cutting board and knife
- Cheese grater
- Saucinator Whisk or other whisk
- Kitchen scale and measuring cups and spoons
How to Make Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce
Green chili sour cream sauce from scratch is easy to make and only takes just under 15 minutes. The recipe starts with a roux. A roux is a base used to thicken sauces. Make a roux with an equal volume of flour and fat. I use butter in this roux.
- Melt the butter in saucier or sauce pan on medium low heat.
- Add onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in flour and continue to whisk until butter and flour are combined. Cook roux for 5 minutes on medium low heat, until the roux turns a light tan color.
- Pour in ¼ cup chicken broth and whisk until a paste forms.
- Slowly add the remaining chicken broth. Whisk the sauce until it is smooth before adding more broth.
- Mix in the sour cream and green chilies. Stir until smooth and creamy.
- Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Sprinkle in ½ cup of shredded cheese. Mix until smooth.
Yield: 3 cups
Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce -- no condensed soup
Discover how delicious Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce tastes without using condensed soup. Whip it up in under 15 minutes and use in sour cream enchiladas, baked chicken, and green bean casserole.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) butter
- 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces (1 can) green chilies
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup onions, diced
Instructions
Make the Roux
- MELT the butter in a saucier pan on medium low heat.
- ADD onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until onions are soft.
- WHISK in flour and continue to whisk until butter and flour are combined. This creates your roux.
- COOK roux for 3 to 5 minutes on medium low heat, until it turns a light tan color.
- POUR in 1/4 cup of chicken broth and whisk until you have a paste.
- SLOWLY ADD the remaining chicken broth a little at a time, whisking until smooth before adding more broth.
- REMOVE from heat.
- MIX in the sour cream and green chilies. Stir until smooth and creamy.
- SEASON with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- RETURN to low heat.
- SPRINKLE in the shredded cheese. Mix until the cheese is melted and it is smooth.
Notes
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This was the best. I poured over cheese enchiladas. It was awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed the sauce. It is simple, but so tasty.