If there’s one thing I love, it’s an easy, cheesy, one-skillet meal that packs a punch of flavor with minimal cleanup. Enter these Chicken Poblano Skillet Enchiladas—they’re everything you love about enchiladas but major shortcuts. It's a great repeat meal to have on hand for a busy night!
Table of Contents
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.
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
Making this tonight and I'm sure it's going to be as good as all of the other recipes I've made of yours!!! Thanks once again for entertaining our taste bud's!!
So good and even better the next day!!
Just made this tonight for my family. Awesome! A great weeknight dish that’s pure comfort. Definitely will add to my weeknight rotation.
Just made this tonight fr my family. Awesome! A great weeknight dish that’s pure comfort. Definitely will add to my weeknight rotation.
Sooooooo good!!! We will definitely be making this again!! Thank you 🙂
Hi Gaby. Looking forward to making this. Would you explain where the poblanos are please. Thank you
in the salsa!! but you can use any green salsa
This is delicious! Turned the leftovers into a soup by adding chicken broth. Double the meals, double the yum
This recipe is a real winner!!! Can’t believe I haven’t seen this one earlier. Added some cauliflower to the mix, delicious!! Thank you Gaby!
This recipe is delicious. It’s so easy and flavorful. I used frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe’s since fresh corn is out of season. It was so good and added a sweetness to it. It was even better the next day as leftovers once the flavors melded. This is going to be a great addition to meal rotations and seems like you could change it up by adding different flavors- spinach, sautéed onions, olives-be creative!
This was so easy and sooo good! I found a tomatillo salsa with poblano peppers (Wegmans Brand) to sub for the guacamole starter. Cooked the chicken in the sauce in my Instant pot for 8 minutes. Kids loved it. Topped with a little sour cream. Will definitely add to the rotation. Thanks, Gaby!
I just found this website, so I haven't tried any of the delicious looking recipes yet. But everything I have seen looks so good.
OMG I just made this and let me tell you, it is so good!!! I ended up using what I had on hand which was a tomatillo salsa from whole foods and I didnt have any green chiles. I really didnt think that it was going to be this good, but it is! This is for sure going in my rotation.
What can you substitute for Guacamole starter? I don’t have any.
I'd use a green salsa, preferably with poblanos!!
Looks good but it looks like the older recipe confused on the sauce. I’m not seeing a link either. Thanks!
How do we make this recipe without the starter kit? It’s not at Williams Sonoma right now.
Use your fav salsa!