Next Post
Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Skillet Creamy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas. Chicken seasoned with smoky chipotle peppers, enchilada sauce, and cream are mixed together to create a creamy, saucy chicken enchilada. Top with tortillas and cheese before oven-baking. The most delicious smells await you as you pull this out of the oven. Serve topped with slices of avocado, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. That touch of cream makes all the difference – a delicious twist on classic enchiladas!
Thursday night Mexican food – yum! Even though I’ve been sharing a lot of Asian-inspired/influenced recipes lately, I’ve still been cooking plenty of Mexican dishes too! Tacos are always on rotation, and we all love my tortilla soup.
But I don’t share all of the recipes I create; only the ones that taste so delicious—and this saucy skillet dish tastes so delicious!
It was a dish I didn’t think I would share, but when it turned out to be not only simple but yummy, too, I knew it was something I needed to recreate for the site.
Sometimes, my very best dishes are the ones I create without much thought, and usually on busy nights.
A little of this and a little of that is the secret to some of the best recipes!
I wanted to make enchiladas, but I didn’t want to go through all the effort of rolling the chicken up in tortillas and then snuggling them in enchilada sauce. Instead, I skipped the rolling all together and layered everything in a skillet, then baked!
The sauce was creamy, the chicken was perfect, and the tortillas and cheese on top really made this so delish. As you can guess, my family loves this recipe.
These are the details
Step 1: cook the chicken
This really is so straightforward. In an oven-safe skillet mix chopped onions with chicken breasts. Then season the chicken with smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Next, add some chipotle chiles in adobo; I use at least three chiles, but make sure to use them to your taste. You don’t want the sauce to be too spicy or not spicy enough!
Pour over a can of diced green chiles and red enchilada sauce. Simmer the chicken in the sauce until it is fully cooked and shreds easily.
Step 2: shred the chicken
Using two forks, shred the chicken directly in the sauce. This takes a bit of time, so I either keep the skillet on LOW heat or turn the heat off altogether.
Step 3: mix in the cream
Place the skillet back over medium heat and add a cup of cream. You can also use whole milk, but for a perfectly creamy sauce, I recommend using cream. Canned coconut milk also works well.
Simmer a few minutes to thicken the sauce, then mix in some fresh cilantro.
Step 4: top, bake, and serve
Snuggle a few tortillas on top of the saucy chicken, then add some cheese and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts.
You can serve this topped with fresh slices of avocado, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, and fresh cilantro. Green onions and limes are great too!
Nothing fancy to it, but of course, delicious!
Looking for other Mexican-inspired recipes? Here are a few…
Cilantro Lime Salmon with Mango Salsa
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado
Lastly, if you make this Skillet Creamy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Skillet Creamy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 432 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped chipotle in adobo
- 1 can (12 ounce) red enchilada sauce
- 1 can (4 ounce) diced green chilies
- 1 cup cream
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 6 corn or flour tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- limes, avocado, and yogurt, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. In a large oven-safe skillet, combine the chicken, onion, paprika, and garlic powder, then season with salt. Add the chipotle and diced green chiles. Pour over the enchilada sauce, plus 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily. 3. Shred the chicken in the sauce using two forks. Add the cream and yogurt (if using). Continue cooking over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. 4. Arrange the tortillas on top of the chicken. Top with cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted.5. Serve the enchiladas warm, topped with fresh lime juice, avocado, Greek yogurt, and cilantro.
This was fabulous! I ended up thickening up the sauce with about 2 tablespoons of flour whisked in. I thought it was fantastic. A few more tortillas would have made it a little better, and little less soupy like the others are mentioning. I would 100% make this again.
Hey Kylie,
Happy Friday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! xT
My family and I really enjoyed this! The flavor is phenomenal however it came out soupy for me so next time I will skip adding the water and add less cream.
Hey Elizebeth,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Xx
So flavorful and so easy! This is going into our regular rotation. Only thing to note- if you use flour tortillas I would recommend cutting or tearing them into small pieces before topping with cheese and baking. They were hard to scoop through; we ended up using kitchen scissors to cut them into squares for easy eating. SO yummy!!
Thanks so much, Madeline!! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this dish and appreciate your recommendation! xT
Could I make the chicken in a crock pot with the onions and seasoning, shred and then complete the rest of the steps on the stove/oven?
Hey Kelly,
Sure, that sounds like a great idea! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Delicious and full of flavor! Made as directed, except used onion powder for the fresh onion, with no issues. Will be making again. Thank you Tieg and Hi to your Mom!
Hey Julie,
Thanks so much for trying this dish, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you:) Have the best Sunday! xT
Can’t wait to make, looks amazing!
Thanks so much Gloria, I hope you love the recipe! xT
My family loved this recipe. None of us were too excited at first because we all expressed that we did not like the red sauce on the enchiladas. One said he probably would not eat with us. We were all so surprised with the flavor of this dish and unanimously voted it as a keeper. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Jennifer,
I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your comment, so glad to hear that this was enjoyed! xT
Phenomenal! So Smokey, and the perfect amount of heat!
My daughter loved how dough-y the tortillas got!
Thanks so much Virginia! Love to hear that this dish was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
This is a new favorite recipe! Made it tonite with green enchilada sauce & Monterey Jack cheese instead of red sauce….loved it!
Hey Susan,
Fantastic!! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great weekend! xx
The cream in the video looks so thick! Like sour cream. Do you whip it a little bit first?
Hey Marianne,
I used some sour cream in the video, but heavy cream is what you’ll want to use for this recipe! Let me know if you give it a try! xT
You say cream and the link is to heavy whipping cream, but it looks like you use sour cream in the video. Which is correct?
Thanks! (I’m cooking this now! 🤣)
Hey Krista,
You are going to use heavy cream for this recipe:) Let me know how it turns out, I hope you love it! xT
Made this last night and it is so yummy! I used 1/2 c of cream instead of a full cup and I thought it was perfect texture (not too soupy) – such an easy but delicious comfort dish!
Question, could you make this to a certain step ahead of time and freeze? I was thinking right before the cream goes in maybe?
Hey Kayla,
Happy Friday! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! I would probably just make through step 4 up until baking and then freeze:) xT
Would you do anything different if you were using pork butt?
Hi Sally,
I wouldn’t use pork butt for this recipe…it takes much longer to cook than chicken. Unless it’s already cooked and shredded then that would work:) You might like this recipe better:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/crispy-carnitas-tacos/
I hope this helps! xT
I made this tonight for our Monday night dinner group. The smells were intoxicating, and the taste was great. I sort of followed the recipe. As suggested by another reviewer, I sautéed my onion in olive oil before adding the chicken. Since I was feeding 6 people, I used 2 lb of ck breasts. I only added 1/4 cup water, and I thought my sauce was a bit runny. I let it simmer longer, trying to let it thicken up. I tend to take longer in prep/cook times than Tieghan anyway, so I had time. Everyone loved it! I served it with Mexican rice and Scoop chips with cheese dip. Yummy!
Thanks a lot, Joy!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for your comment! I appreciate all of your notes:) Xx