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Made even better with a homemade salsa verde, this tasty chicken enchilada skillet recipe is an enchilada in skillet form. It doesn't hurt that it uses only one dish, which makes clean up easy!
Everybody has a type of food they love. For me, I have a few, but in general Mexican and Italian meals are near the top for me. Ironically when my wife and I go out to eat, those are usually the last two type of places we go to, as I make Mexican and Italian quite often at the house - from chicken fajita quesadillas to Italian braciole to enchiladas con carne.
With that in mind, when my favorite blog (Half Baked Harvest) posted this Salsa Verde Chicken Tortilla Rice Bake, I immediately wanted to make it! There isn't much better than chicken, rice, tortillas, salsa and a lot of cheese and this chicken enchilada skillet hits the spot.
As I've said in the past, I love simple recipes that taste great! And why this one does have a few more steps as your making your own salsa verde, it's all made in one skillet, so the simplicity is in that you only have to clean one dish!
And if you aren't keen on making the salsa verde yourself, you are welcome to just buy some, but I highly recommend making it as it's outstanding and what really puts this cheesy chicken and rice skillet over the top.
This is comfort food at its core and would be a great dish in the cool fall months. I've always been of the opinion that you can eat everything you enjoy, as long as it's in moderation.
Although cheese might be the only thing I don't eat in moderation, but I digress! So if you're looking for a one skillet meal that tastes amazing, this chicken enchilada skillet is the one for you.
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Ingredient Notes
- Salsa verde - I like to make my own salsa verde as I can control the heat and flavor.
- Chicken - my-go to for this is chicken breasts.
- Rice - brown rice soaks up the stock and salsa verde, making for a tasty dish.
- Corn - I just use frozen corn as it is easy and adds some vegetables.
- Tortillas - the flour tortillas adds some texture when baked on top but also makes it an enchilada in skillet form.
- Cheese - the combination of pepper jack and sharp cheddar cheese adds creaminess and flavor.
Ingredient Swaps
While this recipe is amazing as is, you can swap out some ingredients if you want. Some variations include:
- If you don't want to make your own salsa verde, store-bought works fine. Just use 2 cups. You could also use regular red enchilada sauce if you prefer.
- I'm partial to chicken breasts for this dish, but thighs work just as well.
- Since I use chicken I also use chicken stock to cook the rice, but vegetable stock works too.
- While brown rice is my go-to, I like to mix it up with farro as well. Just keep in mind it takes longer to cook.
- I use flour tortillas, but corn tortillas are a good substitute.
Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Start by making the salsa verde. Place the peppers in a cast iron skillet or baking sheet and broil for 5-7 minutes or until charred. Make sure you rotate every couple of minutes. Remove and place in a bowl, covering with seran wrap for 15 minutes. In same skillet, add the tomatillos, onion and garlic and broil for 5-7 minutes.
Scrape off the charred skin from the peppers and remove the seeds. Place all of the charred ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth and set aside.
Add stock to skillet and bring to boil. Stir in the rice and chicken and cover, cooking for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Once done, shred it.
Stir in the salsa verde, corn, 4 torn tortillas, cilantro and have the cheese. Then top with remaining torn tortillas and cheese and bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes.
FAQs
No. You can use any large pan or a Dutch oven.
No although to me homemade salsa verde is worth the extra effort. However if you are short on time, just use 2 cups of store-bought salsa verde.
So the spice level is completely determined by if you keep some of the seeds or remove all of them from the peppers. Just use what you are comfortable with. I can't take too much heat so I remove all of them.
You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
You can keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Equipment
The equipment you use is important to how the recipe turns out. What is needed is the following:
- Skillet/Dutch oven - you want something large enough to all of the ingredients.
- Spoon - you want a good wooden spoon to stir everything together.
- Cheese grater - I mentioned multiple times but use cheese blocks and grate yourself.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You don't have to cook your own chicken. Just use rotisserie chicken, which would be about 2 cups chicken.
- Use any type of rice you prefer, or even farro which is a healthy old world grain.
- Don’t have frozen corn? Not a problem. A can of drained corn will work as well.
- Don't want to buy two different cheeses? Just get shredded Mexican cheese.
Similar Recipes
If you’ve tried this chicken enchilada skillet recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Chicken Enchilada Skillet
Ingredients
Salsa Verde
- 6 tomatillos, peeled
- 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and quartered
- 6 garlic cloves with skin on
- 3 poblano peppers
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- Kosher salt and pepper
Chicken
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 lb chicken breast or tenderloins
- 1 cup brown rice (can use farro as well)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 6 flour soft taco tortillas, torn
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 avocados, sliced
Instructions
Salsa Verde
- Turn on broiler and place rack 6 inches from the top. Add poblano peppers and jalapeño pepper to cast iron skillet and broil for about 5-7 minutes, turning until charred on all sides. Remove the peppers from the skillet and place in bowl and cover with saran wrap to allow the peppers to steam for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, scrape off the charred skin and remove the seeds.
- In same skillet, add the tomatillos, onion and garlic and broil for about 5-7 minutes, turning until charred on all sides. Remove skins from the garlic once cooled. In a blender, add the tomatillos, onions, garlic and peppers and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Set aside.
Chicken
- Preheat oven to 425°F. In same skillet, add chicken stock over high heat and bring to boil. Add the rice and chicken, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. When chicken is done, remove skillet from heat and shred the chicken with two forks. Stir in the salsa verde, 4 torn tortillas, corn, cilantro and half the cheese. Top with remaining 2 torn tortillas and cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and light golden brown. Top with some fresh cilantro and avocado.
Notes
- You don't have to cook your own chicken. Just use rotisserie chicken, which would be about 2 cups chicken.
- Use any type of rice you prefer, or even farro which is a healthy old world grain.
- If you don't want to make your own salsa verde, just buy 2 cups worth at the store.
- Not a fan of salsa verde? Just use regular enchilada sauce.
- Don’t have frozen corn? Not a problem. A can of drained corn will work as well.
- Use corn or flour tortillas, whichever you prefer.
- Don't want to buy two different cheeses? Just get shredded Mexican cheese.
Chris says
Nice with the stretchy cheese!