If there's one thing I love, it's an easy, cheesy, one-skillet meal that packs a punch of flavor with minimal cleanup. These Chicken Poblano Skillet Enchiladas are everything you love about enchiladas but with major shortcuts. If you're an enchilada person like me, my Green Chicken Enchiladas are the traditional rolled version, my Chicken Enchiladas Verdes go all in on verde sauce, and my Skillet Chipotle Chicken Enchilada Bake is the smoky chipotle spin."
Why I Love This Recipe
You know I’m all about a meal that’s basically my childhood in a pan and these Poblano Skillet Enchiladas check every box. The layers of shredded chicken, smoky poblanos, and melty Monterey Jack cheese are pure magic and very southwestern! The best part about these Poblano Skillet Enchiladas - it's actually easier than making traditional enchiladas. No need to roll individual enchiladas—just stack everything up, bake, and let the oven do its thing. It’s a perfect weeknight dinner, meal prep dream, or easy dish to feed a crowd.
Jump to:
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken breasts
- Tomatillo salsa or green enchilada sauce
- Green chiles (optional)
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Corn tortillas
- Black beans
- Poblano pepper
- Fresh corn
- Olive oil
- Scallions
- Cilantro
How to Make
Cook the Chicken: In a large pot over medium heat, combine the chicken, tomatillo salsa, and green chiles. Stir, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and shreds easily. Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, and set aside. Reserve the sauce in the pot.
Preheat & Sauté: Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large oven-safe skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced poblano pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Remove and set aside.
Assemble the Layers: In the same skillet, spread a thin layer of the reserved sauce. Then layer as follows:
- 3 corn tortillas, tearing as needed to fit the skillet
- Half of the shredded chicken
- Half of the black beans
- Half of the corn
- Half of the sautéed poblano peppers
- Half of the shredded cheese
Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients, finishing with cheese on top. Pour any remaining sauce over the top for extra flavor.
Bake: Transfer the Poblano Skillet Enchiladas to the oven and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly and the cheese is golden and melty.
Garnish & Serve: Remove from the oven and top the Poblano Skillet Enchiladas with chopped scallions and fresh cilantro. Serve warm with lime wedges for a zesty finish.
Tips & Tricks
- Swaps: Use rotisserie chicken if you’re short on time or go vegetarian with sautéed mushrooms and extra beans.
- Extra saucy? Yes, please. If you like things super saucy, keep some extra tomatillo salsa on hand for drizzling before serving.
- Char those poblanos! For an even deeper smoky flavor, roast the poblano over an open flame or under the broiler before dicing.
- Make it ahead: Assemble everything earlier in the day and just pop it in the oven when ready to eat. Leftovers are next-level too.
- Toppings galore: Avocado, lime wedges, sour cream, pickled onions—you know the drill!
FAQ's
Can I use flour tortillas instead of corn?
You totally can! Just keep in mind that flour tortillas will absorb more sauce and can get a little softer, but they’ll still be delicious.
How spicy are poblano peppers?
With poblanos, it’s more smoky than spicy. If you like heat, throw in some diced jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne.
Can I freeze this?
Absolutely! Assemble the enchiladas, cover tightly, and freeze before baking. When ready to eat, bake straight from the freezer at 375°F for about 40-45 minutes.
Similar Recipes
Poblano Skillet Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half
- 16 ounces tomatillo salsa or green enchilada sauce
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 poblano pepper diced
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels from about 2 ears of corn (or frozen corn
- 1 cup black beans
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 6 corn tortillas (6 inch tortillas)
- scallions, cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream to garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, combine the chicken, tomatillo salsa, and green chiles. Stir, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and shreds easily. Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, and set aside. Reserve the sauce in the pot.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large oven-safe skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced poblano pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Remove and combine with the corn and black beans
- In the same skillet, spread a thin layer of the reserved sauce. Then layer as follows:3 corn tortillas, tearing as needed to fit the skilletHalf of the shredded chickenHalf of the poblano, corn and bean mixture.Half of the shredded cheese
- Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients, finishing with cheese on top. Pour any remaining sauce over the top for extra flavor
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly and the cheese is golden and melty.
- Remove from the oven and top with chopped scallions and fresh cilantro. Serve warm with lime wedges for a zesty finish.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
Hello! Greetings from the Southern Hemisphere. I can get your starter here (horray!), but (1) when you refer to black Beans do you mean black beans straight or the Mexican style ones which already contain other ingredients, (2) what’s the measurement of a small jar of green Chiles?
1: plain cooked black beans, no other ingredients
2: 4 ounce can!
This was so delicious! I used green salsa and added a little greek yogurt to the sauce. Made it last week and had to make ir again today!
Sorry if this info is there and I’ve just missed it!
How many servings? I need to serve 7 people next week on our ski trip to Whistler. It will be yet another What’s Gaby Cooking vacation!! 🙂
Thanks!
Kathy
This serves 6-8!
Made this last night. I didn't have your guacamole starter on hand, but I do plan to get some this weekend and saw online and it's on sale right now.
I used a can of green enchilada sauce, sm can of green chili's and about 1/4 C of chopped smoked hatch chili's I had saved in the freezer. It worked out well. I used a 12" cast iron skillet and used 4 corn tortillas for each layer.
I topped with the scallions, cilantro and served chopped avocado and greek yogurt (vs sour cream) on the side.
Tasted wonderful and everyone enjoyed the meal. Thanks for another easy recipe to add to my weekday rotation.
I would like to make this. Where do I buy guacamole starter? Or what can I sub?
added the link! all fixed
I'd love to make this but I don't have the starter. I have everything else. Can you advise a substitution?
tomatillo salsa
I dont see pablanos in the recipe, is that a mistake? And it calls for enchilada sauce in the body of the recipe but not in the ingredient list.
there are poblanos in my salsa!!! and the enchilada sauce is the same as the salsa for this recipe!! will have them update. thanks for catching
Recipe needs updating. Enchilada sauce is missing in ingredient list... is it homemade? What is a jar of Gaby sauce? Can I just use roasted fresh poblanos and chilis instead of stuff from a can/jar?
added the link! all fixed
Yes, i had all the ingredients. Made this tonight with chicken cooked in my pressure cooker with Herdez simmer sauce instead of salsa. Super idea.
Anything with a title that ends in:"Topped with all of the cheese".... sounds like my kind of recipe for sure!! YUM!
I admit, I have never had a skillet to use in the oven. This needs to be fixed right now!
Yum! Great way to use the salsas I bought Sunday at your demo in San Diego. I love anything poblano. Definitely putting this on the dinner list this week.
I never EVER can get enough Tex-Mex in my life. These look perfect!
I'm loving the idea of one skillet enchiladas!
Best idea! I can't wait to try this!!
This dish looks and sounds fantastic! Adding this recipe to my list to make soon!