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This was a wonderful meal! There were no leftovers, everyone enjoyed it. Making it again this week. Thank you for sharing.
Monday! Bam. You sneaky thing.
Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie is my every Monday’s dream dinner. For whatever reason, Monday is almost always the one day of the week where I’m tempted to go out for dinner, have Bjork pick up sushi on the way home (♡), or have some sampler platter of cheese, crackers, spoonfuls of almond butter, popcorn, a Lara bar, and maybe if I’m being extra good, a green smoothie and call it all “dinner.” And you guys, that’s a total lie. I want that EVERY day of the week.
So when it’s Monday dinnertime and I know I can make something superfast that involves perfectly seasoned chicken layered with blankets of melted cheese, homemade tomato + onion + garlic + chili sauce, and sauce-soaked corn tortillas, that’s it right there. Stop the train. End of story. Done and done.
Even though this weekend went way too fast and somehow *snap* it’s Monday already, I did manage to get, like, three things done between Friday and Sunday.
- I participated half-way in taking down the Christmas decorations. I say half-way because, uhmm, isn’t the big part actually taking down the tree and then vacuuming the five hundred million needles embedded in the carpet? Especially when that carpet happens to be shaggy-shag carpet that traps all the things in its long yarn-ish pieces? Annnnd maybe Bjork did that part. So I half-way helped, and now, joy of joys: Lazy January Christmas in our house is now over. Gloria!
- I made this Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie. And then I oohed and ahhed as we scooped out each piece and gazed at its melty cheese strings. YUHMMMMS.
- And finally, I finished a load of laundry after going through not one, not two, but THREE outfits during the aforementioned Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie event. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I am a master of the red-sauce-on-new-Target cardigan-stains. And I didn’t almost cry.
I hate to be predictable, but by far the highlight on my list of three things I got done was the Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie – specifically standing at the stove, simmering this super fragrant homemade sauce and making our house smell wonderful, all while talking to Bjork and looking out the window at the fresh falling snowflakes since now we can talk to each other while I cook because THERE’S NO WALL THERE ANYMORE. Which reminds me: Kitchen remodel! –> Kitchen is done! –> Full kitchen reveal this week!
But Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie.
Those were some happy happy good food Sunday times.
This Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie is nothing more than a slight upgrade from the five ingredient enchilada casserole involving a c-a-n of red enchilada sauce, chicken, cheese, and tortillas. I’m not going to lie – I made that version a few times in the development of this recipe. There’s a time and a place, absolutely for surely. But the upgrade happened when I went from opening a can of enchilada sauce —-> to simmering all that is wonderful (and probably already in the fridge or pantry?) together in a large pot and then pureeing it all into a beautifully rich, velvety tomato sauce that ties this whole thing together with mild spice and rich flavor and sauciness.
You guys? Do you mind that this is, like, 0% fancy? It’s just deliciously seasoned chicken, shredded cheese, corn tortillas, and really fragrant, mild homemade red sauce. Like, I didn’t even go overboard and add a million other things and I held myself back from the bajillion spicy peppers. I KNOW, restraint.
This is simple and mild ingredients made into down-home comforting food. And if that isn’t your definition of Monday, I’m not sure I know who you are.
PS. As you can see from the first few pictures, I sort of forgot it that this was a pie and just started scooping it out in heaping piles like the hungry cavewoman that I am (MEE WANT FOOD NOW), but look, sophisticated reader! You can cut it into slices after you let it stand for a while. Is that fun or is that fun? Hi, Pie!
Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Two 9-inch pies (about 12 servings total) 1x
Description
This Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie has layers of chicken, cheese, homemade enchilada sauce, and tortillas. Simple, mild, and delicious!
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
For the Chicken Tortilla Pie:
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons southwestern or taco seasoning
- 30 small corn tortillas
- 4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese (Mozz melts the best!)
- cilantro and Cotija cheese for topping
Instructions
- SAUCE: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute for 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat and add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and garlic. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until very fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken broth, garlic, and tomatoes and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is very deep red in color. Transfer (half at a time – it’s a lot of sauce) to a blender, puree, and set aside. Taste and adjust for saltiness as needed.
- CHICKEN: Coat the chicken breasts with the seasoning. Heat the pan from step one over medium low heat with a little oil and add the chicken. Cook for a few minutes on each side until nicely browned. Cover with sauce and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes so the chicken finishes cooking gently in the sauce. Remove chicken from sauce and shred with two forks. Set aside.
- ASSEMBLE: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Dip five tortillas in the warm sauce and layer in the bottom of a 9-inch round skillet or baking dish. Add a scoop of chicken, a handful of cheese, and about 3/4 cup sauce. Repeat layer. End with one more layer of tortillas, a scoop of sauce, and cheese. (Now go make another one! You should be able to make two pies/skillets with this recipe.)
- BAKE: Cover with foil that has been sprayed with nonstick oil to prevent it from sticking on the cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is ooey-gooey-perfection. Top with cilantro and Cotija.
Notes
This recipe is pretty mild. If you wanted to kick it up a notch, I would add a few chipotle peppers or jalapeños to the sauce.
I’ve made a version with pico de gallo layered in as well as corn – both were yummy!
Also, if you are in a pinch and you need to move quickly, you can replace the sauce with canned enchilada sauce. But I will warn you – I made it that way, too, and it’s not nearly as good as the homemade sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Keywords: skillet chicken tortilla pie, chicken tortilla pie, skillet tortilla pie
Great dish, definitely added to my bookmarks. Added the pico and corn as suggested. And the sauce is delicious, going to use for my enchiladas now…way better than canned sauce!
Very tasty! I added extra chili powder, cumin and some cayenne and paprika. I also threw in some jarred jalapenos. It was still pretty mild. The chicken took about 10 minutes longer as it was thick.
I made this recipe this evening and it was great. I halved the recipe because there are just a couple of us. And I cut down on the chicken just a little bit because it felt like a lot. Otherwise I followed the recipe as is. It’s delicious! The chicken turned out really tender. All the spices were just right.
Do you think, instead of doing 2 pies, you could put all of this into a 9×13 pan and bake it that way?
Yes, that should work just fine. Enjoy, Renee!
I actually made this, following the recipe exactly. It was tasty. However, some thoughts:
1) This is way too much sauce. You will need to freeze some.
2) Chicken is not cooked long enough to shred without major wrist and forearm muscles.
3) Mozzarella is very bland. A blend of pepper Jack and cheddar would be (and was) great.
4) Really interested in where you found a skillet big enough to hold two 28 oz cans of undrained diced tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. My biggest skillet was filled to the lip. Pics show an 8 oz at most cast iron.
5) This makes two pies. TWO. You will have to make one pie and then make another. It takes a LOT of time. In fact, the whole recipe takes a LOT of time. This is not a 30 min meal. It was not advertised as such but it’s more like a 2 to 3 hour meal.
Hi, I was wondering how many cups of sauce this actually makes, thank you! By the way this recipe looks great!
This will make about 4 cups of sauce.
This was absolutely delicious! Due to the pandemic, I was trying to find a recipe using stuff I already had in the house. So I did make a few substitutions. I didn’t have chili powder, but I did have ground harissa (Middle Eastern spice blend with chili peppers as main ingredient). Was so flavorful and spicy! Instead of chicken I used ground chorizo pork and black beans. I think corn tortillas taste like floppy cardboard unless you toast them in oil first, so I made sure to do that before assembling the pie (also recommended for freezing). I only had one cup of shredded cheese on hand, so I added some unsweetened greek yogurt to the cheese layer to make up for the lack of cheese. Turned out spectacular! Thank you for the recipe! The measurements were spot on!
Glad you enjoyed this, Shea!
This was a wonderful meal! There were no leftovers, everyone enjoyed it. Making it again this week. Thank you for sharing.
Glad to hear it!
Hi Lindsay. I was looking for a recipe to use up leftover chicken from Sunday’s dinner. I made your skillet tortilla bake and it was delicious. I halved the recipe and we stil have enough for dinner tonight!!! Easy to make, added 1/2 jalapeño (as per your notes) and topped with cotija and sliced olives. I’ll be making this again!!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this, Cathy!
I wish only those that have made it posted comments. It is daunting when you have to go through a ton of “that looks delicious “ from commenters that possibly never made it, to find comments from someone who has.
This was delicious! I followed the recipe with only one difference. I used a bag of Tyson’s grilled and ready chicken breast strips because I was in a pinch. I also mixed up the chicken season by using one tablespoon of southwest seasoning and one tablespoon of taco seasoning. This was to cut down on the heat of the southwest seasoning we have for my husband’s sake. 😋
Sounds yummy, Renee! Glad you enjoyed this!
So good thanks! I used cans of beans instead of chicken which means I keep all of these ingredients in my pantry. I spiced it up with chipotle in adabo sauce in the tomato sauce and topped with avocado after it was out of the oven…a hit with everyone
Just found your website and HELLO!!! These recipes all look amazing! I was on the search for a recipe to make for my parents for dinner (who are diabetic). This skillet chicken tortilla pie is PERFECT! Can’t wait to try out some of your delish recipes!
Hi. This recipes looks really delicious. I havent tried it yet. I have to ask I dont have corn tortillas, would it still be good if I used whole wheat tortillas instead? And also, instead of whole pieces of chicken, can it be substituted for minced chicken or beef maybe?
I am not sure what I did wrong, but mine was gloppy. When you say corn tortillas, do you mean the hard ones, like corn chips, or the soft ones? I used crispy, but the tiny ones. It tastes lovely but is really just mushy. Did you also mean TWO cans of tomatoes, as 20 ounce cans are large. I will try it again, once I figure out if I used the wrong kind of tortillas. It is delicious!
Is this something you could freeze half of? We just eat for two, so 12 servings is A LOT! It sounds so delicious though, I don’t want to not make it!!
I made this with home made tortilla shells…A.M.A.Z.I.N.G =]
Sounds SO good!
I just made this today… It was delicious!!! Definitely going to make it again soon!! Comfort food at its finest!! I added corn and olives with the chicken. Yumm! Thank you!!
Awesome! Glad to hear it!
Delicious recipe! The sauce was great, next time i will turn up the heat a bit with cayenne or maybe chiptotle chili powder instead of reg chili powder. I used pork instead of chicken and it was great! This is a keeper for sure.
Made this recipe tonight to use up freezer tortillas and chicken leftovers. So Good! Added some frozen corn and used remnants of cheddar and Gruyere from the fridge. Clean out the fridge never tasted so good, the sauce is simply magic!
Thanks, Mary!
Really late to this but could you tell me the make of the skillets you used? I love the first one. I need something just like it.
Thank you!
Hey Maureen! I use a Lodge cast iron skillet!
I’ll pass your question along to Lindsay!
Thank you!
Quick question: I froze my second tortilla pie. How long do you think I should bake it when I’m ready to cook it since it will be frozen?
Hi, Erin! My personal preference is always to thaw dishes before putting them in the oven. Just put it in the fridge the day before you plan to bake it, and then you can bake as per recipe instructions the next day. If you do put it frozen into the oven, my guess is it will need an extra 15-20 minutes baking time – but you’ll have to keep an eye on it to take it out when it’s done.
I am going to adapt this for one person in my little 6 inch skillet (which I am always trying to use!). Do you think the tortilla will burn on the bottom of the little skillet, and do I need to spray it first? Or if I sautee the onion in the little skillet first maybe it should be ready? Thanks for the input and the great recipe!
Hi, Madison. I don’t see why the tortilla would burn in a smaller skillet… However I would suggest spraying it. (I pretty much always spray pans before baking in them.) Enjoy!
That Wow-A-Chihuahua seasoning is adorable!
This recipe looks wonderful, and I can’t wait to try it! I was wondering if you’ve ever tried to freeze the second pie before baking? I’m 38 weeks pregnant and stocking up my freezer with meals I can just thaw and bake when baby comes. I would love to have this on the menu! 🙂
I made this last night and am currently eating the delicious leftovers cold because I couldn’t wait 3 min to heat it up. The flavors harmonize so well, and the sauce blew me away for having way more flavor then I thought it could. I happened to have a rotisserie chicken in the fridge so I just shredded that to save some time. Next time I think I will add some black beans to the mix and also serve with avocado and lime wedges. Well done Pinch!
Thanks for the comment – I’m so glad to hear that you liked it Ladotyk!