Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas.
Say hi, to your new favorite skillet chicken dinner.
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…
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…
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.
Watch The How To Video:
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Skillet Chicken Tinga Enchiladas
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: chicken dinner, mexican inspired, spicy chicken
These tangy chicken enchiladas are perfect for a weeknight meal
Ingredients
- 2 tomatillos, husked
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion, chopped
- 2 (4 ounce) cans Chopped Green Chiles
- 1/4 cup canned chipotle peppers in adobo, about 2-3 chiles
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup Mexican beer or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 fried eggs optional (optional)
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.
SKILLET enchiladas for the win.
This enchilada looks so delicious, cheesy and meaty! I have never done enchilada but this recipe looks so easy that I should try. Thank you,
Ah you must try to make enchiladas so fun and easy! Thanks Carlos!
I would soooooooooooooo eat this!!
https://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/
Thanks Ruth!
Tonight … definitely tonight.
Hope you love them Dean!
Looks great. Only thing missing from all the recipes is the calorie counts.
Thanks! So sory I don’t do calorie counts! Just not enough time in the day to do them for me! sorry.
This looks awesome Tieghan! I love how it’s all done in one pan plus a fried egg topper? Give me a break…yum!! You are definitely upping your game with these quick and easy weeknight dinners. Thank you!
Yay!! So happy you like ti and are into the recipes recently! Thank you Jessica!
This looks delicious! I love easy skillet meals like this!! The egg is a nice touch BTW!
You and I both! Thanks so much Deborah (:
Anything enchilada….so much YES
YES to that!! Thanks Lindsay!
these enchiladas sound like they were worth all of that testing though! and your fried eggs did/do look amazing: those crispy edges, and actually set whites! (sometimes i get gross mucous-y whites lingering around).
They totally were! They can be really hard to get the eggs right! Thanks for noticing Heather (:
Sub black beans for the chicken and it’s an easy vegetarian dish! Looks great!
Yes perfect sub! Thanks Lori!
Have you ever eaten enchiladas in New Mexico?? They’re stacked, instead of rolled, and always include a fried egg on top!! MMM!!!
This does remind me of New Mexico enchiladas, flat with green chiles and a fried egg on top. All in one pan too!
I haven’t! Never been, that sounds amazing though! WOW!
Seriously yum, I need this in my life!
Thanks Laura, happy you like them (:
You have cornered the market on awesome Mexican dishes…this is just like a skillet lasagna where you don’t spend painstaking hours assembling…just crack the noodles into the sauce, one skillet, add stuff along the way, done and done!
Love deconstructed recipes, just like this happy (and very diligent re-do’s from your kitchen) to get to easy peasy, delish and cheesy! And you can grab fresh eggs right outside your kitchen..how amazing! Totally adding the Tinga to the top of the list! Just in time for Cinco tomorrow!
I love quick dishes! They’re my go to!
Love this comment thank you so much Tammy! Hope you loved it and had a great day (:
Wow dan seperti pizza lasagna Delicious …..
mixer roti
So good, thank you!
5 more minutes in the oven and then we eat! Thanks for this easy recipe – my whole family (husband and 3 kids, including one very picky eater) loves your food!
Ooo! So exciting, hope you guys loved it!
Oh Wow, made this last night! Really good. Me & the kids loved it! Quick & Easy, will make again. We’re still celebrating Cinco de Mayo …. all week LOL!!!
Thank you!!!
So happy you like it Karen! Thanks a ton!
This was delicious! It came out pretty soupy though. Should I have drained the canned veggies?
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!
enak banget yaa..
kayak lagsana..
Sebenarnya ini susah banget bikinnya
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!
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! 🙂
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!
That is so great to hear! Thank you Yolanda!
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!
Thank you Toni!!
I made this tonight minus the egg- so delicious!
I am so glad you liked this! Thank you!
Mmm.. Green Chillies and Chipotle!!! I love how you always pile on the cheese and spice!
Its the best right?! So glad you like this Sabell!
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.
Hi Meryl! I am so glad you both enjoyed this so much! Thank you!
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.
Thank you so much Kristin! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
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!
I am so glad you and your husband loved these! Thank you Becky!
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 🙂
Wow this is so amazing! I am so glad you loved this recipe, Vanessa! Thank you so much!
Where do you get chipotle chilly? What kind did you use
Hi there! I use canned chipotle peppers in adobo. link below! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
https://rstyle.me/+i_a8pKiqVxuvrA1AN_0OWw
HOW MANY CALORIES DOES THE SKILLET CHICKEN TINGA ENCHILADAS HAVE?
THANK YOU i CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE THIS..
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
This was amazing. My husband, who isn’t the foodie I am, said “There is a whole lot of flavor going on here” Delicious!
Thank you Peggy! xTieghan
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.
Thank you Betty! xTieghan
This recipe was AMAZING. and so different from our “normal” week night dinners. Easy clean up too which is a bonus. First HBH recipe and have 2 more planned for this week! Appreciate your thoughtful and innovative recipes, can’t wait to try more!
Thank you so much Jaclyn! xTieghan
Super easy! Even better if you put all the sauce and meat (I’ve used both chicken and stew beef) in the crockpot all day, and then transfer to the skillet with the tortillas and cheese on top! That way the meat is guaranteed to be tender and “shreddable”. In the summer, we put that iron skillet right on the grill-no need to heat up the house. Delish!
Thank you so much Beth! xTieghan
I think my husband is back for his third helping (maybe 4th) – So delicious! I might have gone back once or twice as well:)
That is so amazing! I am so glad you both loved this recipe Peggy! Thank you! xTieghan
I have made this recipe twice now and it’s always a huge hit! The flavor is incredible and I put the whole can of chipotle peppers in it, we love spicy food!
I love that! Thank you so much Pamela! xTieghan
We loved this dish! I did add some ground cumin and ground coriander to add a bit of depth. I would totally make it again!
Thank you Sharise! xTieghan