Easy Chicken Enchilada Skillet (One Pan, Cheesy Comfort Food with Homemade Enchilada Sauce)

My beautiful friends…you all know me well enough by now to know that I loves me some comfort food. And if you’re new—hey there! Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here, and I really hope you like cheese. A lot of cheese. Possibly an unreasonable amount of cheese.

But I digress.

Ivy’s dad just started a new job (YAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!), which is amazing and wonderful and we are so grateful…aaaaand also it has thrown a giant, chaotic wrinkle into our daily routine. Suddenly life feels like a high-stakes game of Tetris, and unfortunately, I am deeply unqualified. Pieces are falling, nothing is fitting, and somehow dinner is supposed to happen every single night??

Rude.

Between getting everyone where they need to be and trying to keep actual humans fed (again, rude), I’ve been leaning hard into freezer meals and make-aheads. Because if Future Me can do Past Me a solid, I’m not going to stand in her way. And since I love you, I want to make your life easier too.

Enter: this Chicken Enchilada Skillet situation. Cozy, cheesy, deeply satisfying, and—most importantly—not trying to ruin your evening.

This recipe is so good and requires just a smidge of planning ahead (or, you know, a last-minute grocery run while whispering “we’ve got this” to yourself in the parking lot). Grab some pre-cooked chicken breast and a batch of homemade enchilada sauce. I love the one from Karrie Truman’s Seriously Good Freezer Meals cookbook—and listen, I know there’s peanut butter in it. I KNOW. Stay with me. Do not knock it until you try it. It’s magic.

But also, if you have a favorite store-bought enchilada sauce? Use it. I don’t judge. This is a safe space.

The real genius here, though? We are not rolling enchiladas. Not today. Not in this season of life. We are cutting up corn tortillas and tossing them right into the skillet like the time-saving legends we are. Same cozy vibes, way less effort, significantly more sanity.

Top this bad boy with whatever makes your heart happy, serve it up, and then take a moment—just a moment—to pat yourself on the back. You fed your people. You survived the day. You won this round of the video game of life.

And honestly? That deserves extra cheese.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients

For the skillet:

• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or chopped
• 8 small corn tortillas, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups enchilada sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a blend—measure with your heart)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional toppings (highly encouraged):

• Sour cream
• Avocado or guacamole
• Fresh cilantro
• Diced tomatoes
• Jalapeños
• A squeeze of lime

Quick Homemade Enchilada Sauce (Peanut Butter Magic Included)

• 2 tablespoons oil or butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (trust the process)
• Salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, whisk together oil and flour over medium heat to form a paste.
2. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder until fragrant.
3. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until smooth.
4. Add tomato paste and peanut butter, stirring until fully combined.
5. Simmer until slightly thickened. Taste and add salt as needed. Try not to eat it straight from the pan (or do, I won’t tell).

Skillet Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat.
2. Add diced onion and cook until soft, about 3–4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the cooked chicken and enchilada sauce. Let it all get cozy together.
4. Fold in the tortilla pieces, making sure they’re coated in all that saucy goodness.
5. Sprinkle cheese over the top like you mean it.
6. Either cover and let it melt on the stovetop or pop the skillet under the broiler for a couple minutes until bubbly and golden.
7. Remove from heat and pile on your favorite toppings.

Serve it straight from the skillet (because dishes are not the vibe right now), gather your people, and dig in.

You’ve got this. And dinner? Dinner is handled.