One-Pan Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Skillet in 15 Minutes

Everything good about green chile chicken enchiladas, minus the rolling, the filling, the waiting and the pile of dishes. Shredded chicken simmers with salsa verde and sour cream right in a cast-iron skillet, corn tortilla strips stand in for the rolled tortillas, and a heavy blanket of Monterey Jack broils into golden, bubbling blisters. From stovetop to table in about fifteen minutes.

Classic enchiladas ask for a lot: soften the tortillas, roll each one, line them up, cover with sauce and cheese, bake. This skillet version keeps every part of that flavor — tangy tomatillo salsa, creamy sauce, tender chicken, soft corn tortillas and browned cheese — and reorders it into one pan.

The tortillas are cut into strips and folded straight into the simmering sauce, where they soften and thicken it like a quick dumpling. A short broil finishes the top the way an oven bakes a casserole, only faster and with more dramatic blisters. It is a weeknight dinner that eats like a weekend one, and it goes from fridge to table in the time it takes to set the table.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

The method works because it borrows the two best ideas from classic enchiladas and skips the assembly. Simmering tortilla strips directly in sauce does what rolled tortillas do — they drink up the tomatillo flavor and release starch that thickens the sauce into something spoonable — without a single roll.

The strips stay distinct instead of collapsing into mush because they cook for only a couple of minutes and then sit under a layer of cheese that shields them from direct heat.

Broiling at 450°F (230°C) finishes the dish the way a hot oven would, but faster and from above. Cast iron radiates steady heat from below while the broiler browns the surface, so the bottom of the skillet stays bubbling while the Monterey Jack blisters on top.

Sour cream stirred into the salsa verde at a gentle simmer adds body and tang without splitting, giving the sauce enough richness to stand up to the charred, bright tomatillo base.

Notes and substitutions

Use a jarred tomatillo salsa verde from the supermarket, or a homemade batch if one is on hand — either works, since the sauce simmers briefly and the sour cream rounds out its edges. A rotisserie chicken is the fastest route to 2 cups of shredded meat; leftover roasted chicken works just as well. Shred the Monterey Jack from a block: pre-shredded cheese carries anti-caking starch that melts into a rubbery sheet instead of blistering.

A 10-inch cast-iron skillet is the ideal vessel because it moves from stovetop to broiler and holds heat for serving. Any oven-safe skillet of similar size works; if nothing is oven-safe, transfer the mixture to a broiler-safe baking dish before topping with cheese.

Pickled red onions add a bright, vinegary contrast to the creamy sauce — jarred ones are fine, or quick-pickle thin slices of red onion in lime juice while the skillet simmers.

• cooked shredded chicken: Shred meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, or stir in leftover roasted chicken — either saves the most time.
• Monterey Jack cheese: Oaxaca, mozzarella or a Mexican blend all melt well; Monterey Jack gives the most dramatic blistered top.
• sour cream: Mexican crema or full-fat plain Greek yogurt keeps the sauce creamy with a similar tang.
• salsa verde: Use a tomatillo salsa from a jar, or blend roasted tomatillos, jalapeño, onion, cilantro and lime until smooth.

Equipment

• 10-inch cast-iron skillet
• large chef's knife
• cutting board
• wooden spoon or silicone spatula
• box grater (for shredding cheese)
• oven-safe pot holder