Skillet Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Spicy chicken enchiladas made in a cast iron skillet with seasoned chicken, black beans, green chilies, and lots of cheese.

Skillet Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Skillet chicken enchiladas are a cheesy, gooey favorite of ours. Seasoned chicken, black beans, green chilies, red enchilada sauce, and lots of cheese all come together to deliver a simple and delicious Mexican classic. This recipe uses a shortcut of canned enchilada sauce, making this an easy, fuss-free weeknight dinner!

My skillet enchiladas are prepped and cooked in a single cast iron skillet for easy cleanup. You can sauté the chicken and filling, transfer to a bowl, assemble your enchiladas on the counter, and then arrange them back in the skillet for baking.

This recipe makes about 5 enchiladas, making it the perfect amount for a smaller crowd of 2-3.

Lastly, these go exceptionally well with guacamole and margaritas.

Table of Contents

Skillet Enchilada Filling

I drew inspiration from my go-to chicken chimichanga recipe to create the enchilada filling. All wrapped up in a flour burrito-sized tortilla. My enchilada filling consists of the following:

Diced seasoned chicken: You can use either chicken breast or chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are my favorite because they’re super tender and juicy.
It’s important to dice the chicken into tiny chunks, so they easily blend with the other ingredients.
Low-sodium black beans: Always rinse in a colander before using.
Chopped green chilies (canned)
Green onions
Mexican blend of cheeses: I usually get prepackaged shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend but feel free to use your favorite cheddar cheeses.
Mild or hot red enchilada sauce: If you like spicy food, I highly recommend the hot enchilada sauce. You will need about 20 ounces for this recipe.
Spices: Cumin, salt and pepper, and chipotle Chile powder are my favorite seasonings for the chicken filling. This recipe works well with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for excellent Smokey heat.

Enchiladas are assembled with enchilada sauce, chicken and bean filling, and shredded cheese and then tightly rolled and placed back in the skillet on a bed of enchilada sauce.

Skillet Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Quick Overview

PREP TIME: 10 MINS
COOK TIME: 25 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES
YIELD: 2-3 1X
CATEGORY: DINNER
CUISINE: MEXICAN

Spicy chicken enchiladas made in a cast iron skillet with seasoned chicken, black beans, green chilies, and lots of cheese.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon cumin
5 large burrito flour tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 15.5-ounce can of black beans, rinsed
4.5 ounce can of chopped green chilis
1/4 cup chopped green onions for garnish
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
optional 1 chipotle chili in adobe sauce, chopped
Guacamole or sour cream for topping if desired
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 3–4 chicken thighs, diced small
20 ounces of canned mild or hot red enchilada sauce

Instructions to Cook

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cut chicken into small bite-sized chunks. I typically cut into small half-inch cubes.
Heat oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken for 2-3 minutes; then add green chilis and black beans. Season all over with salt and pepper.
Add cumin, chipotle Chile powder, and optional diced chipotle chili to incorporate.
Once the chicken is fully cooked (3-4 more minutes), transfer everything to a bowl and set aside.
Add 1/2 a cup of enchilada sauce to the empty cast iron skillet. (Just enough to have a thin coating on the bottom of the skillet).
Place a tortilla on the counter or flat surface and spread 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce down the center of the tortilla. Top with 1/2 cup of chicken mixture and sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of cheese.
Wrap tortillas tightly and place seem down in the cast iron skillet. Repeat with the remaining 4 enchiladas.
Top all enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with a cup of cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and garnish with green onions and guacamole when serving.