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Say hi, to your new favorite skillet chicken dinner.

Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

The tinga enchilada skillet…with lots of cheese…and a fried egg, because that’s how I do it over here. A little over the top, but I mean, not really, considering this meal is relatively healthy and on the table in under an hour. Yes, in under one hour and you can be eating this for dinner. cool. cool.

So can I tell you a little back story here for a second?

This recipe almost didn’t make it to the blog. To be completely up front, I really struggled with this recipe. Not so much the flavors, but more the texture and look of the recipe. The dish came to be in three stages…

Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Stage one: chicken tinga enchiladas with pickled jalapeños and slaw, using flour tortillas.

This first round was good, so delicious, but there was a problem. I used flour tortillas and the tinga style sauce just turned them to mush. So well the flavor was spot on, the texture was off, and the recipe needed to be fixed.

Stage two: same as stage one, but minus the slaw (because I didn’t feel it was needed) and this time using corn tortillas.

This second stage was also good and was definitely worthy of posting, but I just could not get the photos right. They looked dry, overcooked, just not worthy of how delish the recipe was. SO I scratched it, almost giving up on the recipe entirely. BUT then something amazing happened. That night as I was cleaning everything up, I had a ton of leftover fried eggs, like a ton. I was trying to get the perfect, but yet not too perfect, looking fried egg for these Moroccan fried eggs (weekend brunch anyone?!). I ended up frying a grand total of twelve freshly laid chicken eggs. Yes twelve, and honestly, it might have been more, but I’m too embarrassed to admit that. Got to get that perfect looking egg, you know? Yeah right…can you say perfectionist or what? <–that’s me.

Anyway, I had a ton of fried eggs leftover and I just could not bear to throw them out. I mean, they were beautiful with their brightly colored orange/yellow yolks, and their whiter than white egg whites (I LOVE that I can get my eggs fresh from right outside my door…literally). I just could not throw them out. SO, I saw the enchiladas sitting there on the counter and within seconds, the eggs were on top. Perfect compliment to this dish…eggs on enchiladas with lots of cheese? YUM.

I ended up sending that batch of enchiladas up to my parents that night and the response I got was so unexpected. They LOVED the enchiladas. Loved them so much. They said the sauce was what made the dish amazing, but the eggs definitely added something awesome too.

The only flaw…the tortillas. Everyone was in agreement that the tortillas were just soaking up too much of that awesome sauce. SO then…

Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Stage three: skillet chicken tinga enchiladas…plus a fried egg.

With stage three, I just got smart. I ditched the multiple pans and the entire rolling process. I just threw everything into one skillet and called it a day. I did this partly because I was semi tired of making and rolling enchiladas, but also because it’s just the best way to make this recipe. The sauce and the chicken all get cooked up in one skillet, which takes about twenty to thirty minutes to come together. I used boneless, skinless chicken tenders for quick cooking time, but breasts would work as well, just cut them into smaller chunks. The secret to the sauce is a decent amount of chipotle chile peppers. This dish is spicy, but not overly so, and the bay leaves really help to tame the dish down a bit. If you’re not a huge fan of spicy, just reduce the amount of chipotle peppers to one.

Once the sauce is complete, simply layer a few corn tortillas right over the sauce, then top with cheese and bake. The tortillas get crisp, the sauce stays saucy, and the cheese gets gooey and melty.

SO simple, quick and easy, but so delish.

Oh and then, while the dish is baking, fry up a few eggs for topping. They’re not a must, but then…when are adding eggs ever not a good idea? Eggs make everything that much better.

These tinga enchiladas are perfect for just about any night of the week, but I’m feeling like tonight might just be a great night for a cheesy meal? <–trust me, your Thursday night is in need of some skillet enchiladas guys.

Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Watch The How To Video:

Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 666 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
    2. Heat a large oven safe skillet over high heat. Add the tomatillos and cook, turning often until they begin to char and become soft. Remove from the skillet. Let cool and then give them a rough chop.
    3. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil and onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is fragrant. Stir the chopped tomatillos, green chiles, and chipotle chiles and cook another minute. Add the tomatoes, beer, oregano, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Slide the chicken into sauce and cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat. Discard the bay leaves and shred the chicken in the skillet. Stir in the cilantro. Lay the corn tortillas flat over the chicken. Add the cheese in an even layer, transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 
    4. Serve topped with cilantro, and avocado, if desired. EAT. 
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Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

SKILLET enchiladas for the win.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made this last night and to say it was a hit is a total understatement! Easy to make, incredibly flavorful and it fed 3 adults with just enough left over to finish off with salads (for 2). Hands down this instantly became my go-to recipe! Thanks so much.

  2. This was amazing. My husband, who isn’t the foodie I am, said “There is a whole lot of flavor going on here” Delicious!

  3. HOW MANY CALORIES DOES THE SKILLET CHICKEN TINGA ENCHILADAS HAVE?
    THANK YOU i CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE THIS..

    1. Hi Elsa, I am sorry, I do not have the calorie count for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

  4. I seriously think that’s the best thing I ever ate!!! I did find that I needed to simmer the chicken longer than the recipe suggested. But I did, and it was AMAZING. Must make! It’s spicy and so flavorful! I will be making this the next time we have dinner guests 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    Hi, we just finished making and eating these Tinga enchiladas and they are wonderful! Two thumbs up from my crazy picky husband. We appreciate your recipes and plan on trying many more. Thank you from Eagle County, CO!

  6. 5 stars
    The video of this recipe on instagram made me buy a skillet. OMG these enchiladas are even better than my sky-high expectations. The sauce is absolutely perfect- I put hot sauce on absolutely everything and wouldn’t dare ruin one bite of the perfectly balanced flavors with any one of the 20 hot sauces I have in my cupboard. Follow the recipe exactly and you won’t be disappointed.

  7. Oh. My. God. This was seriously the best. My husband has stated that this was maybe the best thing I’ve ever made. Good job on this one! Going into regular rotation.

  8. 5 stars
    Finally made this tonight after drooling over the photo on my pinterest board a good while. Totally yummy! Not that I ever doubted it would be! Love your work. Keep’ em coming!

  9. Wow! This is definitely a keeper! We had this for brunch this morning and we all loved it! Thanks, Tieghan, I love your Tex/Mex recipes!

  10. Hi Tieghan – we can’t get the Old El Paso chiles in the UK. Would fresh green chilli peppers work the same? I’m assuming they’re not very hot if you use 2 cans in the recipes? Or a jar of jalapenos maybe? Thanks so much!

    1. Yes! Fresh green chiles will be delicious! A jar of jalapeños would be great too. I’d use whatever you think you’d like best. Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂

    1. HI! No need to drain the veggies. Not sure why it was soup, but you can just simmer the sauce longer to thicken it up. So glad you enjoyed this! Let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you!