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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
Yummyyy! Love how you make your own sauce. Can’t wait to try this out, pinned!
Never have made dinner in a skillet before! Reading to dive in head first. My SIL just had a baby and think they will absolutely swoon over this, just got to figure out how to keep it warm for the 45 drive to their house in 10 degree weather!!!
Target cardigans = happiness = hmmm, I do look pretty cool and trendy after all (or not).
I love your honesty about the “forgetting it was a pie” shenanigans! That totally would have been me!
And Yes to all things husbands-get-sushi-on-the-way-home, but I want this super easy skillet pie instead. The homemade sauce is perfecto!
P.S we haven’t even started taking down our Christmas decor yet. Procrastinators unite…Tomorrow!
Pinned!
Yes. There’s always tomorrow. 😉
This looks delicious.
Dang, this looks good. I have an open spot for dinner this week and this will be filling that void.
i want this for dinner tonight!!!! Alas I do not have enough tortillas soooo sadly it will have to wait until next week. We lazily took down decorations this weekend too. I agree that Monday’s are hard when it comes to mustering the energy to cook.
Yummy. I am craving spicy so this will hit the spot. Besides, my skillet is pretty lonely these days.
C.
This looks AMAZING + totally what I’m craving right now!
This looks glorious! It must be so much fun for you to be cooking in a brand new kitchen 🙂 Hooray!
Hi! Holy moly that’s a huge serving size! Potluck anyone? 😉 ok-so 1) this looks amazing. I love all of your recipes so duh-I will definitely be cutting this in half to make for me and the hubs. 2)I made your beef ragu last night and it was so super delicious, but I have a bahillion leftovers bc silly me made the original uncut recipe for 2 people. Any suggestions for a creative way to use the leftovers? I thought about using the carnitas pie recipe and subbing the meat…would that be weird?
We also made the Beef Ragu last night but for 4. I have tons of sauce leftover that I am using in a lasagna later this week; after hours in the slow cooker, it’s the perfect consistency! I am freezing the beef in ziploc bags so we can pull it out to use one night when I will not have time to cook.
PS – My polenta bombed, no one was a fan but me. Luckily, the beef was so good, I was instantly forgiven!
Good idea! Thanks for the reply. Yeah, we weren’t brave enough to try the polenta (my hubs isn’t a fan) so we did noodles instead.
Shoot! Sorry to hear that but glad you loved the sauce!
I actually love that idea!
This looks delish and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all things even hinting at being Mexican/southwest. Melty cheese, warm spices MMMM – but speaking of which, I’m not getting the affiliate link for the spices in the recipe. What brand do you use??
Thanks! Happy Monday!
Eek! Sorry bout that – it should be fixed. Apparently my recipe plugin does not like affiliate links.
Skillet dinners are my favorite! The sauce sounds incredible!
This looks sooo good, and makes me hungry for it. Can’t wait to have it!
This looks just yum! It would be my favorite activity of the week too. Number 2 would be making it and number one would be eating it!
I don’t recall getting a “pie-cutting” handbook – so, lets all be cave-women/cavemen and dig in – with our hands! This is just too tempting for cutlery!
Enough of a kick for the hubby, mild enough for the kiddos…. Ooey gooey cheesiness for me
I am notorious for dousing myself in any and everything I’m cooking. Yesterday’s incident: guacamole on the black Lululemon sweatshirt. Tastes just as good with a couple little black lint strands in it (I wish I was kidding).
Nooo! sad.
Looks so yummy!! Will have to try this. I am having the same trouble getting the spice link. Thanks for your great website and recipes.
Hey Beth! Sorry about that – should be fixed now!
This reminds me a lot of a butternut squash and black bean enchilada skillet that I LOVE. https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/butternut-squash-and-black-bean-enchilada-skillet/. Can’t wait to try this tortilla pie recipe!
Love that!
Alright so… two things:
1) This is happening. So. Hard. In my house. I promise you this. And it will be loved by all (see: my boyfriend and I).
2) MSG! I’m so glad I’m not the only one that loves and uses it (and it makes its way into ALL THE THINGS!). Really.
Holy moly, guacamole! I must try this. And now that I mention it, this would probably be delicious with a fresh batch o’ guacamole. Yum!!! Pinned 🙂
Um, yes. Nailed it.
This recipe looks so delicious! What a great blend of terrific flavors…thanks for sharing!
This totally screams eat me on a cold Monday night in January! YUM! Pinned =)
Sounds yummy! It seems silly to used canned sauce when the real thing is so easy to make.
You are not alone in dousing yourself in sauce. You should have seen me a few days ago when I was making mole and then a couple of days later when I was trying to package it for the freezer. Not only did I have it all over me, but the cooking process left splatters all over the stove, counter and floor… And then there was this morning’s smoothie…
Good grief, it’s like I’m five years old or something! 🙂 But glad I’m not alone.
I made a half recipe of this in my electric skillet (my current kitchen) and it came out very tasty. I need to adjust the temps I use with the electric skillet, but this is definitely a keeper. My husband even commented on the nice flavor.
So glad to hear that, Susan! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Omgaaaah. This looks a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Reading this as I eat my lunch is making me so dissatisfied. Can’t wait to try it! Ahhhh!
On another note – I realized that I bought Tasty Food awhile back ago and never officially thanked you!!! At the time of buying it I wasn’t sure if I wanted to really wander down the whole food blog rabbit hole and it was a huge motivation for me to buy myself a dslr and give this a go! Such good tips and helpful advice. Thank you so so so so much! Just started my own blog and this was the main reason it even exists. Only one post in so my photos aren’t even close to up to par with what I would want them to be, but I think with Tasty Food on my side I can do this! So thank you again!!!
-Melissa
Thank you Melissa! love hearing that! 🙂