Instead of trying to roll a bunch of enchiladas, spend less time making this Chicken Enchilada Skillet while still enjoying the same flavor.
Jump to RecipeWhen we go out to eat at our local Tex-Mex restaurant, one of my few go-to meals is the chicken enchiladas. They are so creamy and cheesy and rolled into a tight little corn tortilla. I’ve tried to make my own at home before, but I usually can’t get the enchiladas tight. Or, if I do, they tend to come apart when they cook and it just makes a mess. So making a chicken enchilada skillet has been my go-to lately.
I saw a photo of a skillet enchilada meal, so I decided to give it a try. Of course, without having a recipe to go from, I was winging it a bit. The boys weren’t so sure about the meal. Tyler said he didn’t like it but didn’t not like it either. Ryan was willing to eat the chicken but didn’t like the tortilla pieces in it.
Even though the boys weren’t keen on the meal, Justin and I really enjoyed this dinner. Honestly, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Typically, I like bold flavors, but this was subtle.
The cream had a lot of flavor and was different than anything else I’ve had before. Normally, I don’t like when chips or anything similar (like the tortillas in this recipe) get soggy. But they didn’t feel like that in this dinner.
I definitely suggest a cast-iron pan for the skillet enchiladas if you have one. It seemed to heat up and cook really well in the cast-iron pan. Any pan would work, but the cast-iron was best.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet Step by Step
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 6 corn tortilla shells
- 2 cups colby jack cheese (shredded)
Preparation
In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour.

Pour the chicken broth into the pan and whisk until it is smooth and starts to thicken. Turn the heat to medium-high for cast-iron pans.

Stir in the salt and oregano.

Place the chicken breasts in the pan. Increase the heat to high until it boils, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Leave the pan on low heat. Remove the chicken from the pan and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces or shred, whichever you prefer. Stir the sour cream into the sauce. Add the chicken back into the sauce.

Cut the tortillas into small triangles and place those in the pan. Give everything a stir until the chicken and tortillas are covered with the sauce.


Layer the shredded cheese on top of everything and try to cover as much as possible. We really like cheese in our house, so I added a bit extra.

Cover the pan again and let it cook on low for about 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.


Recipe
Originally Published On: September 26, 2018
Last Updated On: September 14, 2023

Chicken Enchilada Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 6 corn tortilla shells
- 2 cups colby jack cheese (shredded)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat
- Whisk in the flour until combined
- Pour in the chicken broth and continue stirring until it starts to thicken
- Stir in the salt and oregano
- Place the chicken breasts in the sauce and bring to a boil
- Reduce the heat to low and cover
- Cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through
- Remove the chicken from the sauce and cut it into bite-sized pieces or shred the chicken
- Stir the sour cream into the sauce until it’s completely combined
- Cut the tortillas into small triangles
- Return the chicken to the pan, and the tortillas, and mix until the chicken and tortillas are both covered
- Cover everything with the shredded cheese
- Put the lid back on the pan and cook on low for about 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Recipes Using Tortilla Shells
- Homemade Tortilla Shells
- Veggie Tortilla Pinwheels Roll Ups Recipe
- Jack-O-Lantern Quesadillas
- Chicken Flautas with Buttermilk-Avocado Sauce
- Hawaiian Chicken Wraps: An Easy Summer Meal
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chipotle Chicken Tacos
- Spinach and Artichoke Quesadillas
- Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas with Homemade Fajita Seasoning
- Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
- Crispy Chicken Wraps
- Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- Chicken Fajitas from Scratch
- Avocado Fish Tacos
- Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas
- Seafood Enchiladas
- Bean and Cheese Tostadas
- How to Create an Allergy-Friendly Taco Bar
- Shrimp Tacos with Homemade Coleslaw Recipe
More TexMex Recipes to try
- Chili Nacho Dip
- Bean and Cheese Tostadas
- Taco Pizza
- 5 Layer Bean Dip
- Frito Pies or Walking Tacos
- Taco Tostadas
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Pico de Gallo Recipe
- Tex-Mex Queso Recipe without Velveeta
- Southwestern Salad with an Avocado Dressing
- Taco-Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Homemade Queso with Real Cheese
- Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- Two Minute Salsa
- Sheet Pan Nachos
- Chicken Flautas with Buttermilk-Avocado Sauce
- Taco-Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- How to Create an Allergy-Friendly Taco Bar
- Chicken Enchilada Suizas Skillet Dinner
- Chipotle Chicken Tacos
- Halloween Quesadillas
- Tortilla-Crusted Chicken
- Taco Dip
- Chicken Tortilla Soup (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)
Oh my! This looks so creamy, cheesy and delicious!!! I want to give it a try!
Yes, you’ve got it, creamy, cheesy, and delicious!
I’m trying to eat uber healthy till my cruise, but I am making this as soon as we get back. OMG the cheese!
I completely understand that! It’s something you can look forward to during that post-vacation blues time! 🙂
I have never tried to make enchiladas and did not know they were so easy to make. I am going to save your recipe and you bet I am going to try to make them soon.
Well, this is very different from a regular enchilada. This is one made into a skillet recipe rather than everything rolled up in the tortillas. It’s great for something different, though!
Yum! What a different way to enjoy some great Mexican food! I love chicken enchiladas but have never had them as a skillet! Definitely will try!
We loved this as something different, but still has that cheesy goodness I love with Mexican food!
this dish looks incredible! so much cheesy goodness, the colors and the melty cheese strings have me over here drooling! Recipe looks simple enough to replicate myself.
It’s a pretty easy recipe, and since it’s only in one pan, the cleanup is easy, too!
This dish looks so so delicious and creamy. I am craving it. Will try to make it.
I hope you give it a try! The meal doesn’t take too much to put together.
This looks like such a pan of cheesy goodness! Feeling super thankful that I finally got my husband to like cheese after him being very cheese-averse for so many years, because this is going into my dinner menu!
Oh man, I could eat cheese on just about anything!
Interesting! I never would have thought of a skillet version of enchiladas (but there’s skillet lasagna, so why not?). Reminds me I should make my family some enchiladas again soon – they love them, and I haven’t done any recently!
It’s definitely different but much easier than making regular enchiladas!
Oh I have never made a skillet before and this sounds delicious! I would totally enjoy making it too!
It makes it much easier in the end. It doesn’t take as long and you have a lot fewer dishes to clean up when you’re finished!
In addition to enjoying your version of the recipe, the feedback of you boys was so endearing to read. So sweet yet honest. Gotta love children 🙂 Especially Tyler’s comment had me smiling… Will check out your other recipes for sure.
Yeah, that’s part of why I like having them as my taste-testers. I know they will be brutally honest with me!
This is a cheese lover’s delight .It would make for a satisfying comfort meal on a cold night.
You’ve definitely got to like creamy and cheesy for this one!
Lately, I have been looking for one-pan meals to save me the trouble of washing up all day. This one certainly fits the bill! I love how simple yet delicious it looks! Nick will certainly appreciate it!
I agree, one-pan meals are the best!
This looks like an easy recipe as opposed to making the actual enchiladas (which can be daunting). My kids would love this one.
Yes, it’s much easier to make and to clean up. I also think this is easier for the kids to eat because they aren’t worried about their enchilada falling apart on them.
I love enchiladas and this skillet version looks absolutely delicious – I need to try this recipe out on my family…
It’s definitely different than regular enchiladas, but we all enjoy this just as much!
Who doesn’t love enchiladas? I love cheesy recipes and enchiladas are not an exception. This meal looks incredible delicious
I’m with you, I love everything cheesy!
I am glad that Justin enjoyed his dinner for sure that is a result. Will have to give these a go myself xx
Yes, he and I really enjoyed it. The boys weren’t quite as sure. But we will be making it again and maybe they’ll eat more next time.
I love everything cheesy and this looks simply yummylicous. Wished I had all the ingredients to make it now.
I always like cheesy foods, too. Luckily, even if you don’t have the ingredients now, they are pretty easy ones to gather up for the meal.
I love the idea of doing it in the skillet. I huge reason I never make enchilada’s is because it’s so many steps, but a skillet would make that easier!
That’s the same problem I have. Doing it as a one-pan meal means easy to make and easy to clean up when you’re done!
I have made the enchiladas by following your recipe, Stephanie, and it was a hit. If I had taken pictures, I would have shared in my blog and would give you the credit of course.
I’m so glad you all enjoyed the meal! We’ve made it multiple times here, too, and even though the boys aren’t as sure about it, my husband and I really like this recipe.
I like anything that has cheese! this looks so delicious!
I’m the same way, I love cheese!
I have never tried enchiladas but Gosh, this looks so delicious! I love cheese and this recipe has all my fav items, would love to try this soon😍
Usually, a regular enchilada is rolled up, but this skillet recipe is a great way to make them. It’s quicker, easier, and less to cleanup afterwards!