Green Chili Chicken Skillet Enchiladas

I wanted to call this "deconstructed enchiladas," but it sounded too fancy. Whatever you call them, these green chili chicken skillet enchiladas are going to become a favorite.

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Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Enchiladas already have a lot in common with casserole-type baked dishes. Although the dish is most often divided into even segments of one tortilla each, everything cooks together in a single vessel.

It's hard to improve on a classic, and I don't claim to have done so. HOWEVER. It's sometimes worth it to take a different approach to an old standby and see what happens.

These green chili chicken skillet enchiladas are an example of a different approach. Rather than putting together rolls and rolls of tortillas, I suggest cutting a few into strips and layering them over the "filling."

Why should I make enchiladas in a skillet?

What's the point? For one, you're using fewer tortillas, which means you save a bit in the carb department. With the remaining tortilla strips, you get to achieve a ratio that's heavy on the interior deliciousness but doesn't totally abandon the crispy, chewy texture.

Another practical benefit is flexibility with servings. With traditional enchiladas, your serving is dictated by the tortillas. If someone wants less than a full tortilla, or another amount than isn't perfectly even, someone else is getting shorted.

Not so with this skillet, where the servings are easy to scale down (or, let's be honest, up).

What goes in skillet enchiladas?

Aside from the different tortilla situation, the ingredients for this recipe are pretty much the same as a standard enchilada recipe. As a bonus, that means you can probably take your favorite enchilada recipe and use this technique to change things up!

If you don't have a favorite enchilada recipe, or you're wanted to branch out and try something new, you've come to the right place. Here's what goes into my green chili chicken enchilada skillet:

• chicken tenderloin (cooked and shredded)
• onion
• bell pepper
• black beans 
• taco seasoning
• olive oil
• green chiles
• green enchilada sauce
• reduced-fat Mexican cheese
• plain nonfat greek yogurt
• low-carb tortillas
• optional (but very delicious): jalapenos, cilantro, avocado

How do I make skillet enchiladas?

I'm glad you asked. This is another reason to use this technique: once you cook the chicken (according to your preferred method, as long as it ends up relatively shredded), you're just going to use a bowl (to mix enchilada ingredients) and the skillet (where you'll cook veggies and then bake everything).

Here are the steps for skillet enchiladas:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and spread around to coat the skillet.
4. Add onion, bell pepper, and ½ of the taco seasoning to the skillet. Cook for about 5 mins, until vegetables are tender.
5. In a large bowl, add chicken and remaining taco seasoning. Mix well.
6. Add enchilada sauce, black beans, greek yogurt, green chiles, and tortilla strips to the bowl of chicken. Stir well.
7. Remove skillet from heat. Add pepper and onions to the bowl with the chicken mixture. Stir.
8. Pour the mixture back into the cast-iron skillet.
9. Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese.
10. Bake at 400 for about 15 mins.
11. Top with extras like jalapenos, cilantro, & avocados.

Only 11 steps! And that's if you count adding your toppings as a "step," which... I could go either way.

Not too bad, right? No, it's not.

Are chicken enchiladas healthy?

I think these enchiladas can definitely be considered part of a healthy nutrition plan. The high protein content makes this meal great to support an active lifestyle, and the relatively-low fat count is helpful for trying to reduce fat intake.

Are these enchiladas spicy?

Everyone has a different tolerance for heat in their food. I designed this recipe to give a little bit of a kick, but also to generally please a crowd. Plus, you can always step up the spice with a favorite hot sauce, jalapeños, or seasoning!

Do you fry the tortillas for enchiladas?

For these skillet enchiladas, you do not fry the tortillas. The tortillas are mixed with all of the items and baked as part of the skillet.

Should you bake enchiladas covered or uncovered?

This recipe for skillet enchiladas calls for baking enchiladas uncovered. Baking uncovered will heat all of the contents up and melt the cheese.

Looking for more recipes?

You're in the right place, partner. Why not try one of these Jordo's World staples and share with family/friends/pets/loved ones:

• Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
• Pizza Pasta Casserole
• Banana Chocolate Chip Bars