Chicken Enchilada Skillet (Printable Version)

One-pan meal combining shredded chicken, corn tortillas, cheese, beans, and vibrant enchilada sauce.

# Needed Ingredients:

→ Meats

01 - 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (rotisserie or poached)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
03 - 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Sauces & Canned Goods

05 - 1½ cups red enchilada sauce
06 - 1 can (14 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
07 - 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned)

→ Tortillas

08 - 6 small corn tortillas, cut into strips

→ Dairy

09 - 1½ cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar/Monterey Jack)

→ Seasonings

10 - 1 tsp ground cumin
11 - ½ tsp smoked paprika
12 - ½ tsp salt
13 - ¼ tsp black pepper

→ Toppings (optional)

14 - Chopped cilantro
15 - Sliced green onions
16 - Sour cream
17 - Diced avocado
18 - Lime wedges

# Steps:

01 - Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of oil, then sauté chopped onion and diced bell pepper until softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
02 - Incorporate ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper into the skillet. Stir to evenly coat the vegetables with the spices.
03 - Add shredded chicken, black beans, and corn kernels to the skillet. Toss gently to combine all components thoroughly.
04 - Pour red enchilada sauce over the mixture and bring to a gentle simmer on medium heat.
05 - Fold in the tortilla strips thoroughly until they are well coated with the sauce and ingredients.
06 - Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over the skillet contents. Cover the skillet and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Alternatively, place the skillet under a broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
07 - Remove the skillet from heat and allow the dish to rest for 2 minutes. Garnish with preferred toppings such as cilantro, green onions, sour cream, diced avocado, and lime wedges. Serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • One skillet means one thing to wash, which is basically a win in my book.
  • It comes together faster than delivery, and tastes like you planned it all day.
  • The cheese melts into those tortilla strips in a way that feels impossibly good.
02 -
  • Don't skimp on the sauté step for the onion and pepper; rushing it means you lose the sweet foundation that makes this taste less like assembly and more like actual cooking.
  • If your skillet isn't oven-safe, transfer everything to a baking dish before adding cheese—I learned this the hard way when my handle started smoking.
  • Cutting the tortillas into strips instead of keeping them whole changes the texture entirely for the better.
03 -
  • Use an oven-safe skillet so you can go straight from stovetop to broiler—it's the move that saves time and dishes.
  • If your enchilada sauce is thin, the tortillas will soak it up; if it's thick, fold gently so nothing breaks apart.
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